ANR Chartered Professional Accountants

It's back to school week.

New shoes, sharpened pencils, that specific kind of nervous excitement kids carry into a building they haven't set foot in for two months.

Nobody has to convince a kid that September means starting fresh. It's built into the calendar. New teacher, new desk, a binder with nothing written in it yet.

Business owners don't get that reset built in.

The calendar just keeps going. Same clients, same numbers, same problems sitting exactly where you left them in June.

But nothing is stopping you from taking the reset anyway.

Pull the file you've been avoiding. Start the conversation you've been putting off since spring.

Kids get September handed to them.

Owners have to decide to take it.

That's what we're doing with business owners this fall. Sitting down, going through where things actually stand, and finding the opportunities that got buried under a busy summer.

If that's a conversation you've been putting off too, reach out.

$4,000 a year.

That's roughly what a 1% fee works out to on a $400,000 portfolio.

Most people could tell you the interest rate on their mortgage. Fewer could tell you that number.

It's not hidden. It's just quiet. It comes off the top of the account, not out of your bank account, so it never really feels like a payment.

Doesn't mean the fee is too high. Plenty of people are getting real value for it: a plan, regular check-ins, someone who actually knows their situation.

But some people are paying that same $4,000 for a portfolio nobody has looked at since it was opened.

If you've got investments somewhere, it's worth knowing your number, and what you're actually getting for it.

ANR is a proud supporter of the U17A Provincials being hosted this weekend by the St. Stephen Bobcats.

Make sure to stop out to the diamonds at St. Stephen High School to support these athletes.

The first voice you hear when you call ANR isn’t an accountant.

It’s Rebecca.

She joined our team this summer as our receptionist, and if you’ve called or walked through our doors since July, she’s probably the one who made you feel welcome.

Before ANR she worked in customer service, taught English online, and worked for a local window cleaning business for eight years. Different jobs, same thread: making sure people feel taken care of.

That’s exactly what she brings to our front desk. When you call with a question, or walk in not sure who you need, Rebecca makes sure you land in the right hands.

Outside the office she’s usually with her family, their two dogs, or in the garden.

Next time you call or stop by, say hello to Rebecca. She’s the reason your first impression of ANR is a good one.

At ANR Wealth, our advisory cost is also built into managing your investments.

For a lot of people, moving to us means lower fees than what they were already paying, plus:

More planning.

More coordination.

More attention.

The real question isn’t:

“What does a financial advisor cost?”

It’s:

“What am I actually getting for the fees I’m already paying?”

You may already be paying for financial advice.

Make sure you’re actually receiving it.

If you've borrowed money for your business, there's probably a catch attached to it.

A number the bank expects you to hit. Debt to equity. Minimum working capital. Something buried in the loan paperwork you signed and haven't looked at since.

Until the bank calls asking questions.

Kayla, one of our CPAs, spends a lot of her time making sure that call never happens.

She sits down with owners and explains what their financials actually mean in plain terms. Then she builds projections so you can see a problem coming months before it shows up and the bank notices.

That's the difference between managing your bank relationship and being managed by it.

She doesn't just check in at renewal time. She stays on it, year after year. That consistency is how trust gets built.

If you've ever felt like your bank knows something about your business that you don't, that's the gap Kayla closes.

At the end of this week, Kayla heads out on maternity leave. Congratulations, Kayla. Enjoy your time with yours and Branden's new addition. We can't wait to have you back.

Confidentiality has mattered to me since day one.

Back in 2012, when I started this firm, people trusted me with their numbers. Their income. Their struggles. Things they hadn’t told anyone else.

That trust was the whole business.

We work in small communities. People know each other here. They run into each other at the rink, at community events, at the grocery store.

That makes privacy even more important. Not less.

Fourteen years later, it matters more than ever.

Because now it’s not just numbers. It’s what people have built. Savings. Property. Businesses passed down. Wealth they’ve spent decades creating.

The more someone has, the more they have to protect. And the more it matters who they can actually trust with that information.

That hasn’t changed for us. It never will.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve spent a lifetime building something, what you share with us stays with us.

Yes, it’s our policy. But it’s really about trust. That’s what we built this firm on, and that’s what we’ll always protect.

We had a great day at The Archie golf tournament at the Algonquin Golf course.

ANR is proud to be a platinum sponsor of The Archie raising funds for The World’s Oldest Basketball Court.

Plus we got to play golf with Raine Maida, lead singer of Our Lady Peace!

Being named an executor sounds like an honour.

Then the work starts.

Finalizing an estate is one of the most complex administrative and tax responsibilities a person can take on. Most executors have never done it before. And they are usually doing it during one of the hardest emotional periods of their life.

Ashley understands both sides of that.

She holds her CETA — a Certificate in Estate and Trust Administration from STEP Canada. Combined with her personal tax background, she has helped numerous clients navigate the executor process from start to finish.

What sets Ashley apart isn't just the credential.

It's how she works.

She starts every client conversation by listening. Understanding the situation first before she builds the solution. No assumptions. No generic answers.

That matters when the stakes are high and the person sitting across from her is grieving, overwhelmed, and responsible for getting it right.

If you've been named an executor and don't know where to start, Ashley does.

She'll make sure you're not doing it alone.