Lauren Herman - Wealth Strategy & Planning

Welcome.

I’m Lauren Herman. Born & raised in Aberdeen, Scotland. Now firmly rooted here in Saskatchewan with .

I’m a Chartered Investment Manager with 10 years experience helping individuals and families connect the dots between financial strategy and real life.

Here’s my beliefs as a financial professional:
1. Simplify complexity. Informed & confident clients are of utmost importance to me. No confusing jargon here!

2. Education before advise. I believe we make better decisions when we understand the ‘why’.

3. Think like an Economist. Curiosity about human behaviour, habits and core beliefs that impact our financial decisions.

4. Look beyond the numbers. It’s rarely about the money. Family, purpose, lifestyle, time are all crucial to building true wealth. The traditional playbook only focused on the numbers. I believe it’s time to change.

5. Solve complex problems. I embrace complexity to solve - I get hooked. I thrive working in multi generational farms, business ownership, inheritance planning, high growth situations. I love to dive in while keeping the big picture in focus.

7. Think outside of the individual. I see everyone you’re connected to - your employees, your spouse, children, aging parents, people who you influence and who influence you.

8. Relationships over transactions. Trust is built over years, and a true relationship deepens over time. This applies to the partners and clients I work with.

9. Lead with stewardship. Protect your wealth. Use it intentionally. Integrate it into YOUR life. Share it wisely. Wealth should create opportunity, not stress and conflict.

10. Advocate for people who are overlooked. I’ve always been drawn to helping people who don’t fit the traditional advice model. Who don’t think in just numbers. Who need confidence, not just performance.

If you’re looking to integrate financial advice beyond the numbers and a confident partner to help you navigate life, let’s talk.

Don’t let this be another post you scroll past, it’s the sign you’ve been waiting for to start planning for the life you want.

📧 [email protected]
📱 306-559-3443

Four Things Caregivers Have Taught me as a Wealth Advisor

I’ve witnessed firsthand how becoming a caregiver can drain someone emotionally, physically, and financially. If you’ve ever acted as caregiver for an aging loved one… I’m sure some of this may resonate.

Here are four lessons I’ve learned.

1. Retirement expenses don’t always go down.

Many people in their 50s, 60s and even 70s make retirement assumptions based on the lifestyle they have today.

But few have considered what life may cost if they eventually need help in their later years.

Home care can range anywhere from $4,000-$8,000 per month, while assisted living or long-term care can also become a significant ongoing expense depending on your needs.

For example, if a couple each requires care averaging $5,000 per month, that’s $10,000 per month combined. Over eight years, that’s nearly $1 million.

The biggest financial risk in retirement isn’t always market volatility. Sometimes it’s living long enough to need care.

2. Your home may need to fund your retirement.

Many parents hope to leave their home to their children.

It’s a wonderful goal. But your home is often one of the largest tax-free assets you’ll ever own.

If preserving the house means sacrificing your own quality of life or limiting your ability to pay for the care you need, it’s worth asking a difficult question:

Are you planning your children’s inheritance before you’ve planned for your own retirement?

Sometimes using the equity you’ve spent decades building is exactly what it’s there for.

3. Think carefully about who you’ve named as your Power of Attorney.

One of the most common things I see is people naming a sibling who is almost exactly the same age.

It makes sense today.

But when you’re 86, your brother or sister may also be in their 80s, navigating their own health challenges, caregiving responsibilities, or cognitive decline.

A Power of Attorney should be someone who is likely to have the capacity, availability, and willingness to step in when you need them most.

That’s why I encourage clients to consider whether a younger family member or another trusted person may be a more practical choice.

4. Your retirement is ultimately your responsibility.

One conversation I had with a client has stayed with me.

They’ve told me they’re saddened that their children don’t live in the same country. They know we won’t be there to help them every day as they age, so they’re intentionally making other plans.

It made me wonder…

If they did live nearby, would they have had an honest conversation about what they wanted? Or would there simply have been an unspoken assumption that one of them would become the primary caregiver?

The reality is that many adult children are balancing careers, raising children, managing their own finances, and sometimes caring for multiple generations at once.

Wanting to help is not the same as having the capacity to provide full-time care.

One of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is a retirement plan that creates options.

That doesn’t mean your children won’t be involved. It means any care they provide comes from love and choice, not because there was no plan.

Financial planning isn’t just about making sure you don’t run out of money.

These are the conversations I have with clients every day.

- Will I have enough?
- What happens if one of needs care?
- Can we afford to stay in our home?
- Who will look after us?
- Who will be able to make decisions for me?
- What if I don’t want my children to act?
- my situation is complex - I don’t know what to do?

If these are questions you’ve been asking yourself… I’d love to help you work through them.

Often there is a financial strategy that we can use to unknot the dynamics of your life, and I’ll be right there with you to implement them.

Life events that affect your financial situation don’t stop the day you retire.

Marriages. Divorces. Grandkids. Trips. New homes. Deaths. Moving country. Community work. Hobbies. Vehicles. Goals.

Your plan still needs to be updated throughout retirement. If it’s been more than 5 years since you last reviewed yours, it’s time to update.

Message me for how to get started.

Happy Canada Day ❤️🇨🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Oh Canada 🍁 10 years ago I was a newcomer to Canada. I came with a VERY Scottish accent and whole lotta love for a Saskatchewan farmer. These last 10 years have changed me in ways I never expected. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 It has made me fiercely proud of where I came from. Scotland will always be home. Our accent, traditions, humour, the little quirks that make us Scottish… people might laugh.. but I wear them with pride. ⚡️It taught me that moving countries is exciting, but is so hard on your nervous system. I can trace so much of my anxiety to those early years of starting a new life, far away from everything and everyone I’d ever known. 🫶🏼I’ve learned that friends become family. I wouldn’t still be here without the incredible people love me, support me, and have become my chosen family over the years. You know who you are. 👣Canada has given me more than I ever imagined… a career I love, a husband I adore, two beautiful children, friendships that will last a lifetime, and a life that feels deeply meaningful. It moved me. Literally, and in every sense of the word. If there’s one thing these last 10 years have taught me, it’s this: Take the risk. You have no idea where it might lead. So Happy Canada Day.. to those who were born here, those who have left, we all have deep roots, even those who are new here like me, this country is truly something special. 
❤️🇨🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #canada #scotland #canadaday #living #home

Your friendly neighborhood financial advisor checking in 🫡

Inflation is up over 3% this year!! Long term stats keep it around 2.2% and that’s what the central banks like to target through monetary policy (moving interest rates)…

If you’re saving money for long term goals in a bank account and not an investment account then you’re missing out on investment returns than you can help you reach your goals quicker and retain your purchasing power.

If you’re not sure where to start or you’re saving towards retirement and nothing else but you have separate bank accounts earmarked for long term goals…. let’s talk. 🤌🏼