Perhaps it was only natural that I should have found an interest in, and work closely with two very different demographic groups, Entrepreneurs and Retirees. As a youngster on a small poultry and fruit farm in the Alberni Valley, I enjoyed a very close relationship with my Grandparents, particularly my Grandfather who was very entrepreneurial, having been a manager and owner of small coal mines in Alberta in the 1920s and 1930s as well as a poultry and raspberry farmer in the Alberni Valley in the 1950s and 1960s.
But when the British decided to reduce the subsidy that they provided to Canadian egg producers in the early 1950s, the price of eggs dropped and the price of feed skyrocketed, meaning that my father had to go to work as a steamfitter and my Grandfather lost most of what he had put away for retirement.
A very unforeseen financial chasm opened up in front of them and it was too late to build a Financial Bridge to get across.
From this and many life and business experiences, I have developed the following values and business philosophies.