Trust Centre · Disclosures, privacy & complaint handling

Who I am

Joe ven der Buhs operates as Mountain Strong Financial Inc., a corporation incorporated in British Columbia and extra-provincially registered in Saskatchewan. The trade name "Mountain Strong Financial" is used for marketing and client correspondence.

What I am licensed to do

Joe is personally licensed to advise on life, accident, and sickness insurance in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. Mountain Strong Financial Inc. is corporately licensed in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Insurance products are placed through our Managing General Agency, CUSTOMPLAN Financial Advisors Inc., a licensed managing general agency that contracts with the issuing insurance carriers. Mutual fund products, where used, are distributed through a registered mutual fund dealer separate from Mountain Strong Financial Inc.

How I get paid

On insurance, compensation is paid by the issuing carrier through our Managing General Agency, CUSTOMPLAN Financial Advisors Inc. This typically includes a first-year commission and a smaller renewal commission for as long as the policy stays in force. The client does not pay this commission separately; it is built into the premium structure set by the insurer.

On the rare planning engagement that is fee-based rather than commission-based, the fee is agreed in writing in advance and itemized on the invoice. There are no hidden referral fees, success fees, or kickbacks.

Conflicts of interest

Different products pay different commission rates. Where a recommendation is made, it must be appropriate for the client first; compensation differences are disclosed before any application is signed. If a recommended product happens to also be a higher-compensation product, that is called out in writing.

Joe has no ownership interest in any insurance carrier and accepts no carrier-paid trips, bonuses, or non-monetary incentives beyond the standard commission schedule disclosed in the carrier's own materials.

Referrals

Joe regularly coordinates with lawyers, accountants, and other advisors. Where a client is referred to a third party, that referral is made on the basis of fit. No referral fees are paid or received unless explicitly disclosed in writing in advance. Whether to engage a referred professional is entirely your decision, made on your own judgment and due diligence. Each professional is independent and responsible for their own advice and work, and Joe and Mountain Strong Financial accept no responsibility for the services they provide.

Want the one-page summary? Request the written compensation and conflicts disclosure by email and it is sent as a PDF, typically before any product application is started.

What is collected

To do this work properly, Mountain Strong Financial collects information that typically includes: full legal name, date of birth, contact details, family structure where relevant, financial details (assets, liabilities, income, beneficiary designations), health information for insurance underwriting, and copies of identification or other documents needed for applications.

Why it is collected

Personal information is collected for one of three reasons: to prepare planning advice for you; to submit applications to insurance carriers or other product issuers on your instructions; or to meet regulatory and record-keeping obligations Mountain Strong Financial is required to follow.

Who sees it

Information is shared only with parties that need it to perform the work you have engaged Joe for. This typically means: the issuing insurance carrier on any application, our Managing General Agency (CUSTOMPLAN Financial Advisors Inc.), and where you have asked, your lawyer or accountant. Information is not sold, rented, or used for marketing by any third party.

Information may also be disclosed where required by law (regulator inquiries, court orders, tax authority demands) or where you have given specific written consent.

How it is stored

Client files are held both physically and electronically. Electronic records are stored in Canadian-hosted, encrypted systems and access is limited to Joe and any staff or contractors with a need to see them. Physical records are kept in locked storage at the Saskatoon office.

How long it is kept

Records are retained for at least the period required by the regulators that oversee insurance and mutual fund distribution in your province, generally a minimum of seven years from the end of the relationship, and longer where required by carrier or tax record rules.

Your rights

Ask for a copy of the personal information held about you.
Ask for information that is wrong to be corrected.
Withdraw consent to certain uses, subject to legal and regulatory limits.
Make a complaint, first to Joe, then to the federal Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Privacy contact. Email joe@mountainstrongfinancial.ca with the subject line "Privacy request" and you will get a written response within thirty days, usually faster.

What this site is

This website is published by Mountain Strong Financial Inc. for the general information of clients, prospective clients, and anyone curious about the practice. Nothing on this site is, by itself, advice to you.

What this site is not

Reading a page on this site does not create an advisor-client relationship. No content on this site is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any specific insurance product, security, or other financial product. None of it is a substitute for legal, tax, or accounting advice; those professionals should be engaged separately and Joe is happy to coordinate with them.

Intellectual property

Copy, photography, illustrations, and original design elements on this site are © 1995 – 2026 Mountain Strong Financial Inc., except where another party is credited. The Monarch Wealth Corporation logo and brand are property of Monarch Wealth Corporation. Personal, non-commercial reading and printing for your own use is welcome; reuse or redistribution requires written permission.

Outbound links

This site links to regulators, ombudservices, and other third-party sites where doing so is helpful. Mountain Strong Financial Inc. does not control those sites and is not responsible for their content or accuracy.

Limits of liability

The information on this site is provided in good faith and believed accurate at the time of publication, but regulation and tax rules change. To the extent permitted by law, Mountain Strong Financial Inc. and Joe ven der Buhs accept no liability for any decision made on the basis of website content alone. Before acting, please talk to Joe (or another qualified advisor).

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Saskatchewan and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Saskatchewan.

If you are concerned about anything Joe has done, anything he has not done that you expected, or anything to do with a product placed through this practice, please raise it. Most issues are misunderstandings that resolve in one conversation. The formal process below is the safety net for the rare ones that do not.

Tell Joe directly.

Email or write to Joe at joe@mountainstrongfinancial.ca with what happened and what you would like to see done about it. Everyday English is fine. Lawyers are not required.

Same day

Written acknowledgement.

Joe acknowledges your complaint in writing within two business days, confirms what he has understood, and tells you who will be looking into it (almost always Joe himself).

≤ 2 biz days

Written response.

You receive a substantive written response within thirty days. If the matter needs more time, you are told that in writing before day thirty, with the reason and the new expected date.

≤ 30 days

Escalate to Customplan.

If the response from Joe does not resolve the matter, the next step is the Compliance Officer at CUSTOMPLAN Financial Advisors Inc., the licensed Managing General Agency through which insurance products are placed. Their contact details are sent with Joe's written response, or available on request.

If unresolved

Independent ombudservice or regulator.

For insurance disputes, the OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance (OLHI) is the no-cost, independent escalation point. Concerns about Joe's conduct can also be raised directly with the insurance regulator in your province: SK (FCAA), BC (Insurance Council of BC), AB (AIC), MB (ICM), ON (FSRA).

No cost

You always retain the right to escalate. Nothing in this process limits your right to contact a regulator, an ombudservice, or a court at any time. Joe would rather hear the concern first, but the choice is yours.

Some of the content on this website, and some of the back-office work behind the scenes, is drafted with the help of AI tools and reviewed by Joe before it goes anywhere near you. The recommendations Joe makes about your plan, your coverage, and your money are not generated by AI. They come from Joe, based on what he knows about your situation and over thirty years of practising in estate, insurance, and succession work across Western Canada and Ontario.

Joe holds the following designations, each of which carries its own continuing-education requirements and code of conduct:

CEA, Certified Executor Advisor
CFP, Certified Financial Planner
CLU, Chartered Life Underwriter
CHS, Certified Health Insurance Specialist
CPCA, Certified Professional Consultant on Aging

If at any point you want to know whether a specific piece of communication was AI-assisted, ask. The answer will be honest.

Joe is a Certified Executor Advisor, Certified Financial Planner, and a licensed life-insurance advisor. He is not a lawyer or an accountant, and nothing on this site, or in any conversation, is legal, tax, or accounting advice. Estate planning, in particular, depends on wills, powers of attorney, and provincial law that only a lawyer can draft. Joe coordinates with these professionals; he does not replace them.

Where any description of an insurance product on this site differs from the actual contract issued by the carrier, the contract governs. Always read the policy. Joe will sit with you and walk through it.

Mutual funds, segregated funds, and other invested products carry risk, including the risk of losing some or all of the principal. Past performance does not predict future performance. Nothing on this site guarantees a particular return.

Probate, intestacy, spousal rights, and tax treatments differ from province to province. Where this site or any conversation refers to "the rules", the specific rules that apply to you are the ones in your province of residence at the relevant time. Joe is licensed to advise on insurance in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario; Mountain Strong Financial Inc. is corporately licensed in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Discussions of future taxation, regulation, or insurance pricing are forward-looking. They are based on current rules and current best information. They may turn out to be wrong. Plans built on them are designed to be reviewed and adjusted annually, which is part of how this practice works.

This site is provided on an as-is, as-available basis. Mountain Strong Financial Inc. does not warrant uninterrupted availability and is not liable for losses arising from temporary unavailability or for any third-party content that is linked from these pages.

The fine print.

Take action directly.

Request your file.

Raise a concern.

Verify Joe's licensing.

Get the written disclosure.

OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance.

Book a call.