Kenneth Doll: Fee-Only, Advice-Only Financial Planner

Meet Ken Doll

Ken Doll is an experienced financial planner with more than 28 years helping clients with financial, retirement and estate planning. He has advised prominent families, professional athletes (including NHL players), executives, business owners, professionals, and farmers and ranchers—many with significant net worth ranging from about $2 million to over $100 million. Ken focuses on delivering tailored, tax-efficient planning and wealth-protection strategies that help clients grow, preserve and transfer wealth while minimizing tax exposure.

Why did you become a planner?

Ken’s primary motivation is to help people shape and optimize their financial futures through objective, unbiased advice. He provides comprehensive financial planning without prioritizing product sales, focusing instead on what best serves each client’s long-term goals.

What is your approach to financial planning?

Ken takes a conservative, holistic approach to financial planning. He builds comprehensive plans grounded in realistic assumptions and practical recommendations so clients can rely on the plan through changing market and life conditions. The goal is clarity, confidence and a clear path to financial goals.

Key areas addressed and optimized in his comprehensive plans include:

Goals and values — defining your vision and financial priorities
Cash flow and annual budgeting
Investment strategy and wealth accumulation
Real estate and corporate holdings
Retirement planning, including annual income withdrawal strategies
Pension analysis and integration
Optimal timing for CPP and OAS
Risk management and personal insurance assessment
Tax minimization and efficient tax structuring
Asset protection strategies
Incapacity planning
Estate planning aimed at maximizing estate value for heirs
Capital gains planning for estates
Intergenerational wealth transfer

What is your proudest achievement as a financial planner?

Ken says the most rewarding moments are the “a‑ha” reactions clients have when they see a clear, complete plan for their future. Being able to reassure someone that their decades of work have built sufficient resources to support their desired lifestyle is deeply satisfying. On a personal note, Ken also enjoys working with NHL players and other athletes, which adds variety to his practice.

What is a client success story you can share?

One client expected to work two more years before retiring, but after Ken prepared a comprehensive plan, the client and his already-retired spouse discovered they had enough resources to retire immediately. The couple adjusted their withdrawal strategy and coordinated the timing of CPP and OAS to improve lifetime income and reduce clawbacks.

Key outcomes from the plan included the following projected benefits:

An additional $60,000 and $125,000 in combined CPP and OAS income by age 95 due to optimized timing
Deferment of OAS clawback by restructuring RRSP withdrawals and beginning OAS at age 68, pushing significant clawback out until about age 91 and limiting it in the final years
An ability to increase discretionary spending by $60,000 per year during the first five years of retirement to fund travel and lifestyle choices

Quantitative financial benefits stated in the plan were:

Lifetime tax reduction of $173,645
Net lifetime financial benefit of $358,645

Non-financial benefits included peace of mind, the ability to retire two years earlier than expected, and the freedom to spend an extra $300,000 in the early years of retirement on travel and experiences. The cost for that customized financial plan was $4,500 plus GST. Ken notes that every client’s situation is unique, and results will vary.

What would you do if money were no object?

Ken enjoys his work and finds it fulfilling to help people map out their financial and estate plans. If money were no object, he would continue to practice financial planning and would dedicate more time to education—delivering presentations and workshops on financial and estate planning to reach more people and empower them to make informed decisions.

What is the best money advice you ever received?

“Pay yourself first” is Ken’s guiding principle. That means automatically diverting a fixed amount from each paycheck into savings or investments before spending on living costs. It ensures consistent saving and builds long-term financial security.

What is the worst money advice you ever received?

Two misconceptions stand out. First, the idea that “financial planning is the same for everyone.” Effective financial planning is highly personalized—each client’s circumstances, goals and resources require tailored solutions. Second, the blanket claim that “permanent life insurance is a waste.” While not appropriate for everyone, permanent life insurance can be a powerful and flexible tax and estate planning tool that offers unique benefits when used correctly.

Contact Ken Doll

📍 Calgary, Alta.
🔗 AlbertaFinancialPlanner.ca
☎️ 1+ (403) 999-9450
🤳 linkedin.com/kennethdoll

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