Do you have any disability-related questions for yourself or a loved one? Did you know that we have a free Disability Planning Helpline that you can call toll-free from anywhere in Canada?
Our team of six advisors specialize in providing advice to families and individuals on disability topics including the Disability Tax Credit, the Registered Disability Savings Plan, trusts & estate planning, advocacy approaches, government benefit programs, social network building and more.
Our advisors are based across Canada and come from all walks of life. They range from financial advisors to personal coaches, family members of somebody with a disability to people with disabilities themselves. The advisors all have personal connections to the disability community and are very experienced in the topic they advise on.
If you haven’t already connected with us we encourage you to do so today. Our services are free and available to all Canadians!
1-844-311-7526 or info@rdsp.com
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Alison
“What I love about the Helpline is we are a team committed to finding the answers and supports available to each individual caller. This dedication has led to the Helpline being a well-respected resource. Personally, I enjoy listening to individuals and helping them move forward with their financial goals through accessing and understanding the RDSP and its complexities.”
Alison Izat is a Certified Financial Planner from Vancouver, BC. She also works as a Helpline Advisor and RDSP Workshop Facilitator for Plan Institute. Alison has had her Financial Planning Designation since 2004 and brings experience from both the banking and brokerage areas of the Financial Industry. She has taken a particular focus on personal Financial Planning for people with disabilities as well as business for self. She is certified through the Financial Planner’s Standards Council, and has been educated through the Canadian Securities Institute, University of British Columbia and Capilano University. Alison also gives back by being involved with Vancouver Adaptive Ski Sports.
Alison is one of our RDSP Level 2 webinar facilitators and specializes in questions related to RDSP investments, overall financial planning, and helping individuals find the right institution for their RDSP.
Laura
“What I love about the helpline is the extensive knowledge and fast response that our advisors provide to those who are supporting people with disabilities as well as people with disabilities themselves. In some cases, we can help save people hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and give them the information they need to be able to properly set up an RDSP which will help to improve their quality of life in their later years.”
Laura Mackenrot, B.Com, CEC, ACC, is a former financial professional who has received her graduate certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University. She has focused her career on supporting people with disabilities and advocating for the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). She has facilitated approximately 100 national teleconferences on this valuable program and now supports Plan Institute as our RDSP level 1 webinar facilitator and Disability Planning Helpline Advisor. Laura is also an accessibility advocate as the Co-Chair of the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee for the City of Vancouver and as the Chair of the Translink HandyDART Users Advisory Committee. She enjoys listening to audiobooks, TED talks, attending concerts, theatre, cooking, and travelling the world on cruises.
Laura specializes in the RDSP and other financial and legal planning considerations for people with disabilities.
Laurie
“I have actively used the information I provide through the Helpline to help my daughter apply for and receive the disability benefit, prepare her Section 7 Representation Agreement, write her will, and get access to a variety of other supports and services. I love that the information I provide through the Helpline is useful for people. It brings a sigh of relief, great joy, and peace of mind to callers as well.”
Laurie has been involved with Plan Institute and our sister organization, PLAN, for a number of years. She is the mother of a Lifetime Member of PLAN and has first-hand experience supporting a family member with a disability. At Plan Institute, Laurie provides callers with legal information around wills and trusts as well as the BC disability benefit (PWD), funding for supports and services, supported or subsidized housing, education, and future planning. Alongside our legal professional partners, Laurie has co-facilitated Plan Institute’s Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning Workshops for over10 years.
Laurie specializes in questions about wills, trusts, other estate planning considerations, and BC provincial benefits.
Audrey
“What the helpline means to me is that families don’t have to struggle the way mine did with future planning. As an advisor, I get to help people prepare for a safer and happier future.”
Audrey is the sibling and advocate for a man on the autism spectrum, which has taught her a lot about the importance of future planning and disability rights. She holds a degree in Health & Community Services from UVic, and still lives on Vancouver Island. She is very excited to use her experience and knowledge to support families at all stages of the future planning journey.
Audrey specializes in the RDSP, advocacy, and some estate planning considerations.
B.J.
“What I love about the helpline is getting the opportunity to assist people with disabilities and their families to qualify for the DTC and RDSP. “
B.J. has been involved with assisting people all across Canada to navigate the process of applying for the Disability Tax Credit since January 2017. She has a passion for the DTC and RDSP and for assisting others. She was awarded a national advocacy award from Diabetes Canada and appeared in their magazine in 2018 after she assisted in having adults with insulin-dependent diabetes allowed to claim the DTC after they were briefly denied the DTC during that time. She currently administers a Facebook group focusing on the DTC and RDSP and enjoys spending her time moderating this group and answering people’s questions. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 2 golden retrievers and her Maine Coon cat, as well as doing various craft projects.
B.J. specializes in the DTC and RDSP.
Keith
“What I love about the Helpline is that, as a former financial advisor, I can use that knowledge to aid individuals and their families without any thought as to how I might personally benefit from my advice, and offer completely neutral guidance and support about the RDSP and family finances.”
Keith is a former financial advisory professional who focused his practice on providing educational opportunities around the RDSP and financial planning for people with disabilities, and their families. His motivation and passion for this field stem from family circumstances, and he is an enthusiastic advocate for life-long financial (and all other forms of) education.
Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, he currently lives in Toronto and often wonders why this is the case, although this feeling usually goes away in April, only to return in November.
Keith specializes in the RDSP and overall financial planning.