Financial advisor in Kitchener
Wealth built one complication at a time.
Kaetyn St. Hilaire, CFA, and OneSixty Wealth work with physicians, business owners and high earners across Ontario, Kitchener included. Personal and corporate accounts are planned together, under Ontario's tax and estate rules.
How we work with clients in Kitchener
Kitchener is the largest city in the Region of Waterloo, with 256,885 residents in the 2021 Census, up 10.1% from 2016.
Where planning often starts
For owners with retained earnings in a corporation, the questions are how the corporate portfolio is taxed and whether corporately owned life insurance fits.
Office hours
Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain Time, with weekends by appointment. That is 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time in Kitchener.
No travel needed
Kaetyn works with clients across Canada, and meetings can be held virtually anywhere in Ontario. For clients in Kitchener, that means video meetings at a time that suits you.
In person in Calgary
If you would rather sit across the table, meetings can be held in person in Calgary.
“You cannot plan around gains you haven't measured.”
Kaetyn St. Hilaire, CFA, in Canada’s Capital Gains Tax: The Silent Killer of Your Wealth?
Ontario rules that shape your plan
Ontario adds a surtax and a health premium to its income tax, and charges estate administration tax on estates above $50,000. These are the 2026 figures we plan around for Ontario clients.
Income tax in Ontario, 2026
Ontario taxes income at 5.05% up to $53,891, 9.15% to $107,785, 11.16% to $150,000, 12.16% to $220,000 and 13.16% above that. A surtax adds 20% of basic Ontario tax above $5,818 and a further 36% above $7,446. With the federal 33% rate, the highest combined rate is 53.53%, on taxable income above $258,482.
Estate administration tax
Ontario charges no estate administration tax on an estate of $50,000 or less, and $15 for every $1,000 above $50,000. On a $1,000,000 estate that is $14,250. When there are multiple wills, only the assets in the will being probated are counted, which is why many Ontario plans use a second will for assets such as private company shares.
The Ontario Health Premium
Ontario residents pay a health premium through their tax return, rising to $900 a year once taxable income is above $200,600. It also applies to split income, so it belongs in any income splitting decision.
Corporations in Ontario
Ontario's rate on active business income up to the small business limit fell from 3.2% to 2.2% on July 1, 2026. Income above the limit is taxed at 26.5% combined (11.5% Ontario and 15% federal).
Sources. Canada Revenue Agency, 2026 federal and Ontario tax rates and corporation tax rates; ontario.ca, estate administration tax and health premium. Figures are for 2026 and change each January.
Services for clients in Kitchener
Every service is available to clients in Kitchener, by video.
Wealth management
Financial planning
Retirement planning
Insurance and estate
Corporate planning
Physicians and dentists
Questions from Kitchener
Honest answers to the questions we hear most often.
Yes, by video. Kaetyn works with clients across Canada, and meetings can be held virtually anywhere in Ontario. If you would rather meet in person, meetings are held in Calgary.
We operate on a fee-based model. For investment management, fees are based on a percentage of assets under management, which aligns our interests: we do well when you do well. Financial planning and insurance services may have separate fee structures, which we'll always explain upfront. The first review is free.
A premium collected through your Ontario tax return. It reaches its maximum of $900 a year once taxable income is above $200,600, and it also applies to split income.
In the right situations. Passive investment income inside a corporation can be taxed at relatively high rates, while the growth in a properly structured permanent policy can build on a tax-deferred basis, and on death part of the proceeds may be paid out through the capital dividend account. It has to be structured properly to work.
Start with the questions a good planner should be asking you, about your income, your corporation, your timeline and your family (see questions your last advisor never asked). Then check the basics: registration with Designed Securities Ltd., regulated by CIRO and a member of CIPF, how fees are charged, and whether the plan covers tax, retirement, insurance and estate together.
Around Kitchener
Also serving near Kitchener
The same video meetings are available in Cambridge, and anywhere else in Ontario.
Read before we meet
Kaetyn's articles and free calculators on the questions that matter most to owners with retained earnings in a corporation.
Book a free wealth review
A complimentary, no-obligation conversation about your goals and current situation, and a clear explanation of how we can help. No pressure, just honest advice.