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COMMITMENT TO VALUE

THE SIMPLE CHOICE FOR COMPLEX FINANCIAL MATTERS

Valcore Planning Solutions is a full service financial planning office offering planning solutions for today’s complex financial problems. Our Ottawa location hosts a team of financial planning professionals that have decades of experience in the financial services industry.

 

Our actions are driven by trust, reliability, empathy, prudence, and innovation. We are committed to contributing positively to the quality of our clients’ lives, and their financial future. With respect and confidentiality, we will give priority to your goals and concerns and work exclusively for your benefit.

Contact us today to get started.


Ottawa Office

Jerry Witteveen Photo Jerry Witteveen Hover Photo
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Jerry Witteveen

PORTFOLIO MANAGER


Jerry Witteveen, CFP, CIM

PORTFOLIO MANAGER –MANULIFE SECURITIES INCORPORATED  
LIFE INSURANCE ADVISOR – MANULIFE SECURITIES INSURANCE INC.

jerry.witteveen@manulifesecurities.ca   |   613-594-3493, ext. 228 

Jerry Witteveen is a Portfolio Manager with over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. Jerry holds a CIM, Chartered Investment Manager and a CFP, Certified Financial Planner, and the founder of Valcore Planning Solutions.

Jerry's experience and expertise in the complex area of corporate tax & succession planning, as well as trust and estate planning, have earned him a high level of respect in the business community. This combination of knowledge and experience is a valuable asset to the business clients he serves.

"My goal is to partner with my clients, team up with their accountants and lawyers, to ensure that not only is the business plan on track, but that the big picture planning items are not being ignored. Entrepreneurs by their nature are great at building their business but need an advisor that not only understands the complexities of their corporate structures but will be able to fit those structures into an overall comprehensive financial plan."

With the strength of Manulife Securities Incorporated and Manulife Securities Insurance Inc. Jerry is able to provide clients with a vast array of investment and insurance solutions to ensure plans are successfully implemented and then over the long term managed to achieve the desired goal.


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Advisor’s Support Team

Sylvia Giannetti

FINANCIAL ADVISOR
lead administrator

Kaitlyn Patey

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Alisha Hatfield

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Loic Kamoso

 Investment advisor Assistant- manulife securities incorporated

Heather MacDonald Photo
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Heather MacDonald

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Heather MacDonald, BSc., CFP, CIM

PORTFOLIO MANAGEr - Manulife Securities Incorporated
Life Insurance Advisor – Manulife Securities Insurance Inc.


heather.macdonald@manulifesecurities.ca
613-594-3493   |   1-877-594-3493 

Heather MacDonald, has over 20 years of experience working in financial services. She focuses on offering a high-level of service to attend to immediate financial needs and then works with clients to identify goals, and develop solutions for a secure financial future.

"You need to have well researched strategies delivered with personal, down to earth service based on integrity and keeping promises in order to build a trusting relationship. Helping clients and their families is what it is all about."

Heather is a holder of the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and CIM (Certified Investment Manager) designations. She is a Portfolio Manager with Manulife Securities Incorporated and a Life Insurance Advisor with Manulife Securities Insurance Inc. This structure allows the team to offer extensive investment options to build unbiased portfolios and offer insurance solutions that ensure a tax and estate plan is in place to assist with passing wealth to successive generations.

“My passion is working with clients to help articulate what is important to them financially. This allows me to then put clients at ease by developing strategies and advising them on how best to reach these goals while trying to manage (and enjoy!) current lifestyle. Our team works to design and implement full financial plans and invest our clients net worth in a way that relates to their financial goals to create a cohesive plan of action and opportunities for strategic tax, estate and insurance planning.”

Having the privilege to work with clients, and their families, over the very long term allows our team to ensure the planning and investment strategies we build are not only implemented but reviewed and managed over time to ensure they are up to date and successful.

“I am originally from the East coast so being able to have good honest conversations and learn about a clients’ family and their dreams comes easily and is a very rewarding part of helping my clients reach their goals”

I love to stay physically active, enjoy cottage and outdoor time year-round and travel whenever possible – all of these require planning for both time and cash flow management! I try to keep clients on track financially so they too can enjoy their life’s passions and focus on time with family and friends.

Design. Implement. Manage.

Robert Higgerty Photo
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Robert Higgerty

SENIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Robert Higgerty, BA, CFP

Senior Financial Advisor – Manulife Securities Incorporated 
Life Insurance Advisor – Manulife Securities Insurance Inc.


robert.higgerty@manulifesecurities.ca
613-594-3493 | 613-594-3483  | 1-877-594-3493 

Robert Higgerty is a senior financial advisor with over 30 years of experience in financial services. Since 2001 he has been working with Manulife Securities Incorporated. (formerly Berkshire Securities Inc.). Robert earned his CFP designation in 1998 as well as a BA in Economics from Carleton University. His specialty is planning around small business needs and more sophisticated family solutions.   He is able to provide his clients with risk management solutions and insurance products offered through Manulife Securities Insurance Inc.

His goal is to develop exceptional relationships with his clients and become a trusted advisor in order to create the most efficient and effective solutions possible. Robert believes that every client is unique in their goals, expectations, and tolerances, and therefore each person requires a very personalized solution to fit their situation. He works with all different types of clients from those that are still young, to those that are still young at heart. Robert takes the time to ensure that every individual is well looked after in their planning needs and that the client understands why their comprehensive financial plan was created a certain way and how this will help them achieve their goals.

Robert is happily married to his wife Sara Afrand and has 3 wonderful boys aged 7, 10, and 15.  

Sylvia Giannetti Photo
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Sylvia Giannetti

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Sylvia Giannetti, B. COMM (FIN, M.I.S.)

Financial Advisor – Manulife Securities Incorporated
Life Insurance Advisor – Manulife Securities Insurance Inc.


 sylvia.giannetti@manulifesecurities.ca
 613-594-3493
 1-877-594-3493

Sylvia is a graduate of the Commerce program at the University of Ottawa. She joined Manulife Securities Incorporated (formerly Berkshire Securities Inc.) in 2003, after servicing clients at a mutual fund dealership in Ottawa. She has over 10 years of experience working in the financial services industry.

Sylvia is passionate about helping individuals and families achieve their financial goals by providing advice on Wealth Creation, Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Educational Savings Planning, Estate Planning, Debt Restructuring, and Home Ownership Planning. She is committed to understanding each situation individually in order to integrate wealth management solutions that simplify and enhance the quality of her clients lives. She able to provide her clients with risk management solutions and insurance products offered through Manulife Securities Insurance Inc.

Sylvia's relationship with her clients is based on a value system of trust, honesty, and respect. The ultimate goal is to develop a lasting relationship with each client while servicing their financial needs.

Support Team

Kaitlyn Patey

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Alisha Hatfield

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Loic Kamoso

 investment advisor Assistant - Manulife Securities Incorporated

Denys Legault Photo
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Denys Legault

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Denys Legault

financial Advisor – Manulife Securities Incorporated 


 denys.legault@manulifesecurities.ca
 613-594-3493
 613-594-3483
 1-877-594-3493

Denys Legault has worked as an investment advisor since 1995. He joined Manulife Securities in October of 2016, a full service brokerage firm with over 1,300 investment professionals throughout Canada.

Denys Legault has more than 23 years of experience helping and advising every client achieve his/her financial goals. His goal is to provide assistance and guidance to clients throughout their working career and their retirement. His approach consists of getting to know his clients well personally as well as their investment objectives and risk tolerance and to establish a plan that will ultimately meet their needs.

Denys Legault’s strengths are in his listening and analytical skills. These allow him to build and oversee individually customized portfolios designed for each client to fit their investor profile and identified goals.


Useful Links

Advisor’s Support Team

Loic Kamoso

 investment advisor Assistant - manulife securities incorporated

Matthew Patafie Photo
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Matthew Patafie

Investment Advisor

Matthew Patafie

Investment Advisor - Manulife Securities Incorporated
Life Insurance Advisor - MANULIFE SECURITIES INSURANCE INC.


 matthew.patafie@manulifesecurities.ca
 613-594-3493 x 235

Matt has always been a highly motivated, ambitious individual who is dedicated to working hard and being the best person he can be. Matt enjoys building relationships, networking, teaching, helping others, creative writing, and meeting new people. 

Throughout his life, he guides himself by three basic principles: professionalism, class, and integrity. 

The goal has always been to provide the best advice, along with the best customer service.

For close to 10 years, Matt has worked hard to learn as much as possible about Wealth Management, an industry that he finds extremely fascinating. With many hours dedicated to reading and research, he has developed a vast skill set that has allowed him to help people from all walks of life with their goals. 

Over the years, Matt has worked with many different individuals, from heads of corporations, to high net worth business owners and middle class families. 

When it comes to retirement planning, insurance planning, tax minimization and strategic asset allocation, he always put his clients first.

Some of Matt’s hobbies include cooking, aviation and searching for new investments…whether it be a stock, bond, hedge fund or even jewelry and fine art. 

All in all, Matt is thrilled to be working in the Wealth Management Industry and counts it a blessing to help people every day. 

Wade Bedard Photo
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Wade Bedard

ASSOCIATE PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Wade Bedard, B. COMM., CIM, CEA

associate portfolio manager - MANULIFE SECURITIES INCORPORATED  
LIFE INSURANCE ADVISOR – MANULIFE SECURITIES INSURANCE INC.

wade.bedard@manulifesecurities.ca   |   613-594-3493, ext. 230 

“If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail”
– Benjamin Franklin

Wade began his financial career with one of the big banks in 2008; there he learned a foundational principle that shaped how he helps others today. He noticed that customers would come into the branch and look for the quickest route to complete a transaction, often without much thought to how it fit with what they were trying to accomplish. A few months later those same customers would return disappointed looking for something new to try. And the cycle would repeat.

That experience solidified in his mind the importance of retirement planning.

Since then, Wade has gone on to help many families discover what is important to them. By working together, they are able to build a plan to help them accomplish their goals and prepare for the unexpected.

 
“I often remind clients that any plan we build together should always be a working plan because life happens, and whether to the upside or downside, something will change that affects your plan. The important thing is having a plan in the first place.”

While his passion for planning in general is well known, his specialty lies in helping pre-retirees or those who are newly retired create plans for what the next chapter of their lives will look like.

 
“A lot goes into a successful retirement, especially today. Deciding when to take CPP or OAS, planning out how your investments fit in, looking at guaranteed income products and whether or not they fit in, It’s a lot of change in short period of time. And in some ways, those are the easy things to figure out. The hard part is deciding on how you want your life to change and what you will be doing with your time now.”

On a personal note, Wade is happily married to his lovely wife, Jackie. They have a young son and twin daughters that keep them both pretty busy outside of work. He enjoys time outside, especially up at the family cottage, where they can all unplug and enjoy time together.

Loic Kamoso Photo
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Loic Kamoso

Investment Advisor Assistant

Loic Kamoso

INVESTMENT ADVISOR ASSISTANT - MANULIFE SECURITIES INCorporated

loic.kamoso@manulifesecurities.ca   |     613-594-3493, ext.233

Raised in the hustle and bustle of Montreal and the heat of Miami, Loic now calls Ottawa his home. Starting his financial services career at a big bank, Loic joined Manulife Securities Incorporated in 2018. Loic has a combined experience of over 6 years in the Financial Services industry.

A graduate of the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and specialization in Finance, Loic’s interest in Investment Management started in his second year when he joined the Telfer Capital Fund at uOttawa. The Telfer Capital fund is a student run, value-focused investment fund that manages a portion of the uOttawa endowment. Loic began as an analyst of the Diversified Financials Group, later leading the research and stock picking efforts of the group. 

Currently an Investment Advisor Assistant with Valcore Planning Solutions, Loic has a passion for helping advisors service the financial needs of young professionals, families, and business owners and helping advisors help clients to achieve their financial goals through prudent investment management as well as diligent financial, retirement and estate planning. Loic enjoys getting to know clients on a personal level and developing a strong rapport based on trust, integrity, and mutual respect. Loic is also happy to help serve clients in both French and English, based on their preference. 

In his spare time, Loic enjoys reading, watching documentaries, skiing, playing sports and spending time with friends and family.

Justin Downing Photo
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Justin Downing

Financial Advisor

Justin Downing BBA, CIM®, PFP®, FCSI®

–MANULIFE SECURITIES INCORPORATED

justin.downing@manulifesecurities.ca   |   613-594-3493, ext. 227 

Originally from Rothesay, New Brunswick, Justin, having completed his Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of New Brunswick, started his finance career in Halifax, Nova Scotia working as an analyst in the Hedge Fund industry. After a few years, his continued passion for finance led him to client-facing advice roles, with an emphasis on strong financial and investment plans. 

Six years ago, Justin moved to the nation's capital, where he worked in senior advisor positions for two of Canada’s largest banks. Justin received his Personal Financial Planner designation and the Chartered Investment Manager designation at the Canadian Securities Institute. In February 2019 Justin was designated as a fellow of the Canadian Securities institute which is the pinnacle financial services credential and the highest honour in Canadian financial services.

On a personal note coming from the East, Justin enjoys boating, hiking, and spending time with his fiancée, Lauren, and his westie, Bob. 

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Kaitlyn Patey

Administrative Assistant

Kaitlyn Patey

administrative assistant - MANULIFE SECURITIES INCorporated

kaitlyn.patey@manulifesecurities.ca   |     613-594-3493, ext. 221

After completing the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College Kaitlyn is a writer of many mediums with a particular expertise in research, editing and online content writing. Also, with completing the Scriptwriting course at Algonquin College, Kaitlyn has experience in screenwriting, television writing, RFPs, PSAs and video production. 

Joining the Valcore Planning Solutions team in 2018, Kaitlyn supports clients' administrative needs as it relates to insurance.