Here’s How to Make Your Money Work For You
At this stage of your life, it isn’t about how to work for more money — it’s about making the money work for you and your needs. After years of your hard work, it’s time for your investments and savings to help you achieve your dream homes, travel, collectibles and intangible passions. What does that look like and how can you structure your portfolio to achieve this?
The key is to structure your finances to align perfectly with your lifestyle goals with the support of an advisor or family office support who can provide expertise and opportunities beyond that work for your needs. So if you don’t have an advisor or a family office, now is the time to get one or create a family office. This is about growing and preserving your wealth and tapping into international expertise in banking, real estate, art and tax efficiency to name a few concierge services.
Structuring Finances to Support Your Goals
Meeting and exceeding these goals means having liquidity and access for experiences and assets that elevate your daily life. Wealthy Canadians create dedicated financial frameworks that separate essential wealth growth from lifestyle spending, even as one can support the other. This approach often includes the following:
Segmentation of Funds
Accounts and portfolios are allocated specifically for travel, home investments, collectibles, and other non-essentials. This helps preserve long-term capital while funding passions.
Tax Efficiency
Strategic use of trusts, holding companies, and cross-border tax planning for assets like real estate maximizes net returns, making more resources available.
Global Access
Multi-currency accounts and foreign exchange services allow owners of second homes abroad to finance purchases and manage expenses smoothly, no matter the location. Unlike Canada where you can get a mortgage, other countries often require all of the money up front, private and offshore financing or asset-backed lending. Another option is acquiring citizenship by investment in your country of choice.
Alternative Assets: Passion Meets Portfolio
Part of living a luxurious life is the ability to enjoy alternative assets that are often non-fungible. These are assets that are considered unique and can’t be exchanged for another item. Money can be exchanged for money but a Phillippe Patek watch can’t be exchanged for a Cartier (unless you decide that.) When looking at alternative assets, it’s best to work with the experts who can advise on the value and the best way to buy and store them. Some alternative assets to consider include:
Art & Collectibles by Renowned & Emerging Artists
You might think that buying art is out of your reach (since the classics like Monet and Picasso sell for tens of millions of dollars) but, according to The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2025, while the top end of the market cooled, the sub-$50,000 range of art purchased increased. You can invest in prints, paint, photographs and digital art that decorate your homes while growing in value.
Vintage Wine
Rare vintages stored professionally become asset classes that offer both cultural cachet and financial gain. Wine can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars per case. Collectors often enjoy private tastings and cellar tours that deepen their connection to this asset. You’ll need a good wine cellar to store your collection.
Vintage Cars
Classic cars embody luxury, heritage, and exclusivity while offering the thrill of ownership and participation in exclusive automotive events.
Jewelry & Watches
High-end timepieces and jewelry provide wearable wealth and often appreciate due to scarcity and brand prestige due to being a Veblen good. This conveys status and can be considered a good asset as it holds or exceeds its original purchase price.
Concierge-Level Private Banking in Canada
There’s no need to manage your portfolio by yourself if you don’t want to. Canada has a very good wealth management system in place that includes services from banks, private wealth management companies and family offices. These services help manage your portfolio with high-touch or white glove treatment and also provide lifestyle services.
Tailored Travel Services
Dedicated concierge teams arrange VIP airport treatments, private jet charters, luxury hotel bookings, and exclusive event access worldwide. No worries about your flight being delayed, just make a call and you’re on a private jet.
Real Estate Financing & Management
As mentioned above, you can’t take out a mortgage in another country and buy another home. Instead, you have to look at specialized lending solutions and property structuring and tax advice that simplify management of secondary residences.
Collectibles Advice
Access to experts for art acquisition strategies, vintage car auctions, fine wine sourcing, and rare jewelry investments. You know what you want but do you know what else you may want? These experts help improve the ownership experience.
Legacy & Estate Planning
Multi-generational wealth preservation, philanthropy structuring, and seamless succession planning make sure that your hard work exceeds the first generation and transitions seamlessly to your descendants.
Security Recommendations
They protect your assets as well as help you and your family ideate around how you’d like to portray your family on social media.
You’ve worked hard for your wealth, now it’s time to put structure in place and make your wealth work for you. Enjoy the rewards and fuel your passions.
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