Jillian Vukovich, IG Wealth Management

Sunday dinners. An afternoon that turns into everyone staying for supper. Traditions that don't look like much from the outside but hold everything together.

I don't think about it as "work-life balance." That framing never quite fit. My weekends aren't built around big plans or elaborate hobbies. They're built around who's at the table.

It's part of why I do this work the way I do. The plans I build aren't just about the numbers. They're about protecting the time and the people that actually matter to you.

One of the simplest ways to leave a meaningful charitable gift often gets overlooked entirely: naming a charity directly as the beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF.

On death, these registered accounts are otherwise taxed as income in the year you pass, sometimes creating a significant tax bill for your estate.

Name a registered charity as beneficiary instead, and the full value passes to the cause you care about while your estate receives a donation tax credit that can offset much of that tax.

It's a simple form, not a rewrite of your will. But I always recommend looping in your lawyer before you sign it. If your will and your beneficiary designation ever say different things, it can leave the gift open to being contested. I regularly coordinate directly with clients' lawyers to make sure everything lines up.

If charitable giving is part of how you think about your legacy, this is one of the most efficient ways to act on it.

September has a way of feeling like a fresh start, even for those of us long past school-supply shopping.

Routines reset. Calendars fill back in. It's also a genuinely good time to take stock of your financial plan before the year starts moving toward its close.

Has anything changed since the spring?
A new job, a health event, a shift in the business, a milestone in the family?

Those changes are exactly what a plan needs to account for.

If it's been a while since your plan reflected your actual life, September is as good a time as any to fix that.

📩 Book a consultation here: https://loom.ly/7vJZWe0

"Am I on track?" is a question I hear quite often, and almost nobody can answer it for themselves.

Here's why. Being on track isn't a number. It's the relationship between three things: what you'll need, when you'll need it, and what you're currently building toward that. Change any one of those and the answer changes too.

That's why a savings account balance alone can't tell you if you're on track, and why someone with less saved might be in a stronger position than someone with more.

If you've never actually sat down and worked out your own answer, that's a conversation worth having.

I built this practice in Central Alberta on purpose.

You can get a financial plan almost anywhere now. What you can't always get is someone who's actually in your community, who you can sit across a table from, who understands what it means to run a farm through a hard year or build a business from nothing in Central Alberta.

That's the kind of advisor I set out to be. Local, reachable, and genuinely invested in the people I work with, not just their accounts.

If that's the kind of relationship you're looking for, I'd love to meet you.

📩 Book a consultation here: https://loom.ly/7vJZWe0

Most wealth transfer happens at death. But some of the most meaningful giving happens long before that.

Giving while you're living lets you see the impact.
It lets you guide how gifts are used.
It lets you have the conversations about values and intentions that often never happen when wealth transfers through an estate.

For some families, it also creates planning opportunities: gifting within certain thresholds, funding education accounts for grandchildren, making charitable contributions that reduce tax in high-income years.

If you've ever thought about doing more with your wealth now rather than later, that instinct is worth exploring.

A question I find genuinely interesting to ask people:
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of financial advice at 35, what would it be?

The answers I hear most often: Start the estate planning conversation earlier.
Don't wait until the business is ready to sell to think about succession.
Talk to the kids about money before the inheritance arrives.
Get disability coverage before you need it.

Every one of those answers is a planning conversation that could still be had, just sooner rather than later.
What would your answer be?

If any of them are still on the table, I'd love to help.

📩 Book a consultation here: https://loom.ly/7vJZWe0

One of my favourite things about this stage of life is getting to experience ordinary things for the first time again.

When you're four, almost everything can be exciting and I think adults could use a little more of that.

What's something that you would want to experience again?

I’m incredibly proud to share that I’m stepping into a Board of Directors role with the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation.

My involvement with the Foundation has given me a front-row seat to the incredible generosity that exists in Central Alberta, and to what’s possible when people come together around a shared desire to make our community stronger.
Philanthropy is such an important part of both my professional work and my life outside of it. I truly believe that meaningful change happens when people choose to invest their time, resources and voices in the communities they call home.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to deepen my involvement with an organization I care so much about, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.

Here’s to continuing to build a healthier, stronger Central Alberta

The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is pleased to welcome Jillian Vukovich to our Board of Directors.

With more than 10 years of experience as a Wealth Advisor and specialized expertise in philanthropy and strategic giving, Jillian understands the power of investing in causes that strengthen our communities.

An active volunteer across Central Alberta, Jillian's dedication to healthcare is rooted in gratitude. The hospital has touched her life in profound ways, from saving her father's life twice to helping safely welcome her daughter into the world.

As Jillian puts it, "the community is my hobby," and we're excited to have that energy, passion, and commitment helping guide the Foundation's future.

Please join us in giving Jillian a warm welcome!

Most generous people have a list.

The scholarship they always meant to fund.
The hospital that saved someone they love.
The community organization that shaped who they are.

The plan was always to do it "when the time was right."

But charitable giving, done well, isn't something you do at the end. It's something you build into the plan from the beginning.

Because the tax advantages are greatest when giving is structured early.
Because the impact compounds when a fund has time to grow.
Because seeing what your generosity does while you're still here is a gift in itself.

The time being right isn't a feeling. It's a decision.

If your list exists, let's make it real.