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Chris Markou, LL.B, BA (Hons)

Director, Estate Planning

Chris advises high net worth individuals and families on specialized Estate & Trust solutions as part of an integrated wealth planning team.

Chris draws on his prior experience as an estates lawyer in private practice to assist BMO clients with complex estate and trust planning solutions in a variety of contexts. He provides support and direction on matters related to estate, gift and tax planning, succession planning for business owners, charitable giving and planning for family members with special needs.

Prior to joining BMO Wealth Management, Chris operated his own law firm, worked as in-house counsel with an insurance company, and worked in the estates and real estate groups in one of the largest and oldest law firms in Brampton, Ontario. Chris has been actively involved in the community as a member of numerous boards and committees, and has chaired and presented at several programs for the Ontario Bar Association.

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Adam Kerlinger, CFP, TEP

Director, Wealth Planning

Adam Kerlinger has ten years of experience in financial services, where he has worked closely with clients in planning for and achieving their financial goals for themselves and their families. As a Wealth Planning Consultant with BMO Private Wealth, Adam follows a structured process to deliver holistic and bespoke financial planning advice that gives clients certainty around their retirement, business succession, and helping their loved ones.

Adam is accredited as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) with FP Canada, a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) with STEP Canada, and a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) with Advocis. His designations reflect his financial expertise and enable him to provide straightforward, objective recommendations that help clients be better off. In his spare time, Adam and his partner like to enjoy cycling, traveling, and participating in local community initiatives.

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Leigh Vyn, CPA, CA, CFP, FEA

Director, Tax Planning

Leigh is a Director of Tax Planning at BMO Private Wealth. With over twenty years of experience, Leigh understands the broad issues that wealthy families face. By taking the time to understand client’s specific goals and objectives, she brings her extensive subject matter expertise to help guide families through the unique opportunities and challenges that they may be facing in the areas of tax and estate planning, corporate structuring, business succession planning, and family governance.
Leigh can skillfully take complex tax and estate issues, and speak to clients about these in a way that they can easily understand.  In addition to her accounting background, she has extensive experience in the investment industry, including working at a multi-family office where she led a diverse team. For four years, Leigh co-authored the book “Tax Tips for Canadians for Dummies”.
When not at work, Leigh and husband, Dave manage a busy house with two teenagers. She enjoys running and hiking the many trails Ancaster offers.

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Adam E. Carter, CPA, CA, CBV, FEA

Vice President, Business Advisory & Transition Planning

Prior to joining BMO Private Wealth in 2018, Adam worked for KPMG Corporate Finance Group, advising private company owners across multiple industries, with business enterprise values ranging from $3 million to +$100 million, on divestitures, acquisitions, due diligence, projections/financial modeling, and business valuations for multiple purposes. Other areas of experience include corporate restructuring and insolvency, financing, financial modeling & projections and corporate audits. Adam’s goal is to develop rapport with clients through open communication, trust and exceptional service. Leaning on his diverse background and experience, Adam provides guidance to private business owners and families throughout Ontario in the areas of business succession, transition, growth through acquisitions, sell-side M&A, and valuations for the purposes of wealth planning and exit planning.

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John Kimpton, CFP, TEP

Estate and Insurance Advisor, Vice-President

We believe that wealth should remain in the control of those who created it. As the team of choice for successful Canadians, John's team brings to each engagement over 50 years of experience and the all resources of BMO Financial Group. The Kimpton Team is fortunate to work with a select group of affluent families, professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners to promote wealth and protect what is most valuable in life:

Goal identification and finding a unique tax-based solution to your objectives

Tax-efficient accumulation and income strategies

Intergenerational wealth transition planning for tax mitigation, legacy maximization and philanthropy

Corporate and personal risk management

Since joining the firm, John has drawn upon his years of experience working with BMO Partners and third-party client advisors to customize insurance-based solutions. Collaborating with a group of experts results in unique solutions for unique families. The Kimpton Team has the knowledge, expertise and the toolbox to help you achieve your financial objectives.
 
In addition to his multiple industry designations, in 2015 John was nominated as a member of the Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU), a national advocacy group working on advanced planning issues in cooperation with the three levels of government. John has a special interest in corporate and personal tax, focusing on ways to reduce or eliminate it from the client’s plan. Away from work, John enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife and two boys.

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Stuart Clark, M.Tax, TEP

Estate & Insurance Advisor

Stuart is a specialist at insurance-based wealth and estate planning strategies with a focus to service the high net worth and ultra-high net worth clientele of BMO Private Banking and BMO Nesbitt Burns. His objective is to help families and businesses transfer wealth in an efficient and tax advantaged manner. As a member of the BMO Wealth Management team, he integrates wealth planning strategies that minimize the impact of taxation to you now and to your estate in the future.

Prior to joining BMO Estate Insurance Advisory Services, Stuart worked with BMO Private Banking as a Specialized Planner – Tax to integrate comprehensive tax and wealth plans to enrich the financial success of BMO Private Banking clientele. He also acted as a consultant and instructor to financial advisors with one of Canada’s largest life insurance companies, and provided specialized taxation service with two of Canada’s large accounting firms and the Canada Revenue Agency.

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Sandra Cruz, TEP, MTI

Director, Wealth Services

With over thirty years of experience in the financial services industry, 25 years dedicated to the Estate and Trust field, Sandra can skillfully discuss complex and sensitive estate and trust matters with clients in a compassionate and easy to understand manner. By taking the time to understand each client’s specific goals and objectives, Sandra brings her extensive subject matter expertise to help guide families through the unique opportunities and challenges that they may be facing during the many different stages of life.

Sandra manages a diverse portfolio of Estate, Trust, Power of Attorney, encircle and continuity accounts.

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Bruce Farnell, BA, LL.B

Trust & Estate Consultant

Bruce is a member of the High-Net-Worth Specialized Planning Team who supports BMO Nesbitt Burns by providing comprehensive wealth and estate planning to successful Canadian families. Bruce is a lawyer who developed his expertise in estate planning over 30 years in private practice and with BMO.

Bruce earned an undergraduate degree from Western University and a law degree from University of Ottawa. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, several local County Law Associations and the Estate Planner’s Council of London.

Bruce and his wife Sharon live in Aylmer and have two adult children. When not at work Bruce enjoys outdoor activities with his family.Bruce is a Past President of the Kinsmen Club of Aylmer and the East Elgin Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society.

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Jean Richard, LL.B, LL.M, TEP

Sr Manager Cross Border & International Tax Consultant

Jean advises high and ultra high net worth individuals, business owners and professionals on how to efficiently structure their worldwide, U.S. and Canadian assets, providing specialized insight on tax solutions as part of an integrated wealth planning team.

Relying on over 35 years of professional practice Jean’s clients can rely on his in-depth technical expertise to facilitate discussions on high-level planning while addressing a wide range of situations across international,  U.S. income and estate tax, and Canadian income tax considerations.

Jean joined BMO Wealth Management in 2001 with a solid expertise acquired advising individual clients and business owners with a leading Canadian insurance carrier, a leading accounting firm and a law firm.          

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Linda Leung, CPA, TEP

Director, U.S. Tax Planning

Linda advises high net worth business owners and professionals on how to efficiently structure their U.S. and Canadian assets, providing specialized tax solutions as part of an integrated wealth planning team. Drawing on 25 years of leadership within the cross-border field, Linda’s clients benefit from in-depth technical expertise, facilitating high-level planning discussions, while addressing a wide range of situations across U.S. income and estate tax, and Canadian income tax considerations.

Linda joined BMO Wealth Management in 2010, following 10 years of leading a global tax team at a large consulting firm, where she specialized in individual tax considerations with regards to employees relocating permanently or temporarily from/to U.S. and Canada. Previously, she was a Tax Manager in the Small Business and International Assignment Services groups at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a large international accounting firm.