Helping seniors and their families navigate the challenges of later-life transitions has remained a passion of Bev Evans since she entered the financial services industry 23 years ago.

“I think my practice is a natural evolution of my holistic approach,” says Evans, an investment advisor with Richardson GMP Ltd. in Mississauga, Ont. “I have always seen my role as an advisor as going beyond the financial arena and to offer support to those who are going through difficult transitions and life events.”

Evans, along with her team, which consists of advisor Trish Hall and assistant Ashley Currin, run a fee-based practice with a focus on managed money and wealth management for 75 client families. In addition to wealth management, Evans strives to establish a client experience that goes beyond financial issues to meet a wide range of her clients’ needs.

To enable Evans to help meet these needs, she developed a network of centres of influence to create what she calls the “four pillars” — a lawyer, an accountant, an eldercare planner and herself.

Further, Evans has refined her services to include a second group that focuses specifically on the needs of seniors — the Senior Solutions Group.

This group consists of a transition specialist to assist seniors in making the move into non-family living accommodations; a senior home-care expert, who helps seniors remain in their own homes; and a funeral-home director, who can assist in estate and end-of-life planning.

“The common thread among all of us is that planning helps pave the way to make transitions easier down the road,” Evans says, “especially during times of crisis.”

As well as providing services to clients, the Senior Solutions Group presents a series of monthly talks to local seniors groups, discussing topics such as estate planning, downsizing the home, post-retirement living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.@page_break@The series of seminars provide education for audiences and often provides referrals for Evans and her team.

“The benefit of being in front of seniors in a role of education,” says Evans, “is that they develop a trust and comfort that you have helped others that are going through the same things that are ahead for them.”

Evans started her career in the financial services industry in 1987, when, fresh out of university, she joined a bank-owned trust company. She stayed there for 12 years, discovering that she liked the advi-sory aspect of her job in the process.

Seeking to start her own advisory practice, Evans then joined a bank-owned brokerage firm in 1999, where she eventually teamed up with Hall and Currin and remained until 2008.

Then, Evans and her team made the move to Richardson GMP. “The team and partnership cultures are strong at Richardson,” Evans says, “so we made the decision as a team to come over. One of the things that attracted us to this firm was that I could really explore and specialize on this market niche.”

A common challenge Evans often sees among her older clients is a lack of awareness of the resources that are available to them — specifically, as they age and begin to face crises for which they are unprepared. “We see the opportunity to help counsel and support them,” Evans says, “and make the introduction to outside parties where they are needed.”

Evans works with many professionals within the community, including those in the health-care and social services sectors. Evans holds an annual COI professional luncheon to keep her acquainted with contacts and to show her appreciation. She recently donated a personal collection of books to a local seniors’ home.

Evans also holds “lunch and learn” events for her clients, at which she discusses topics such as bereavement, transition planning and market conditions. Three-quarters of Evans’s clients are female, she says, and she has found that many women enjoy learning in a group setting rather than by themselves.

“I think it is important to give clients the opportunity to come and learn in a no-stress environment and in the company of others, Evans says. “We have many clients who have created lasting friendships out of these lunches, and it is great that they have been able to stay in contact and relate to each other.” IE