Blue Harbour Financial services was established in 2016 to provide a one-stop shop to guide people through safeguarding their financial future. For a little over five years, Geoffrey Macgillivray, the founder, and President of Blue Harbour Financial services has gathered a panel of financial advisors to provide a range of financial services for clients, setting up shop in Thunder Bay, Southern Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
With the aim to provide a tailored product to the clients as opposed to a cookie-cutter product, the financial advisors at Blue Harbour, who were voted No. 1 for financial advisors in the Thunder Bay Community Votes contest, provide advice on different insurances available for their clients and help them choose the one that’s most suited to the clients. From protecting your family from financial loss of a loved one to creating a custom retirement plan, the advisors facilitate a smooth process in creating a sound financial plan for the clients.
“When my dad passed away years ago, I was young, and we were not explained properly about the benefits and policy in place, so it didn’t pay out what we expected. Many insurance agents won’t explain to clients how their insurance policy works, so I wanted to create a more positive and beneficial experience for my clients. We make sure that they are taking care of 100 per cent of the time and know what they are buying, providing peace of mind. I don’t want to be the guy dressed in a three-piece fancy suit talking financial jargon. I wanted to be the next-door neighbour giving advice in layman terms. We take an educational approach when we provide financial advice: what options do they have, how the policies work, why it is the right policy for the client and why it suits them,” says Macgillivray about his approach.
Speaking of challenges, Macgillivray says, “A lot of people are comfortable with banks because there are so many of them, they can walk down the road and see them everything, it makes people comfortable. For us, getting the word out is one of our biggest challenges. We didn’t have a big office with many agents. No big sign, no billboard, no fancy real estate, so it was hard getting customers. But what we offer that you don’t get with these big establishments is the tailored service. We do home visits and hold in-house consultations. Agents often work more than 9-5 and can be reached or book appointments in the evenings. We offer free financial review for life insurance, long term care, disability, critical illness insurance. COVID restricted a lot of this, but we are slowly getting back out there.”
Blue Harbour has 12 agents across Canada, with the hopes for a second branch location in Thunder Bay, and expansion to Manitoba and Alberta. For financial advice, Macgillivray also hosts a radio show in Southern Ontario called “Wealth Wednesday” at Sauga960am.ca and has a personal website askgeoff.ca.
Mutual funds provided through Carte Wealth Management Inc.
Segregated funds and insurance provided through Carte Risk Management Inc.
