Episode 354 - Jason Pereira: Expert Financial Planning

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Apr 24, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Jason Pereira, a seasoned Canadian financial planner with over 20 years of experience, dives deep into what it means to be a financial planner. He shares his client-centered investment philosophy and the importance of fiduciary duty. Jason unpacks why Canada lags behind the US in index fund adoption and challenges common myths in financial planning. He explores ethical considerations with ESG, the role of technology in the industry, and why a transformation in advisory practices is desperately needed.

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INSIGHT

Jason Pereira's Investment Philosophy

Jason Pereira emphasizes starting with evidence-based investing and using broad-based passive index options.
He layers factor-based indexing and client preferences like ESG investing onto this foundation.

INSIGHT

Fiduciary Duty’s Importance

Fiduciary duty means advisors legally must act in clients' best interest at all times.
Some organizations fight fiduciary standards because it conflicts with their profit motives.

INSIGHT

Why Canada Lags in ETFs

Canada lags U.S. in index fund adoption due to advisor education, incentive structures, and institutional domination.
Lack of independence and embedded compensation hinder ETF adoption.

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Beyond the sales pitches, acronyms, and product talk, what does it mean to be a financial planner? In this episode of the Rational Reminder Podcast, we sit down with long-time industry leader and advocate Jason Pereira. Jason is a Canadian financial planner with over 20 years of experience, dual CFP certification (Canada and US), and a passion for professionalizing the field. In our conversation, Jason shares details about his client-centred investment philosophy, explains why fiduciary duty is foundational, and unpacks the complexities of index fund adoption in Canada. We also delve into the barriers to transparent, evidence-based advice, the true role of a financial planner, the impact of the Fintech revolution, and the pros and cons of mortality pooling. He also challenges common myths surrounding financial planning, shares best practices for vetting financial advisors, and explains why the industry is long overdue for a transformation. Join us for career insights, cautionary tales, and forward-looking ideas that challenge the conventional thinking of what financial planning is, with Jason Pereira!

Key Points From This Episode:

(0:05:13) Jason’s core investment philosophy and perspective on factor-based indexing.

(0:07:15) Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) trends and client conversations.

(0:12:36) What fiduciary duty means, why it matters, and why some institutions fight against it.

(0:18:09) Unpack the complexities of why Canada is behind the US in index fund adoption.

(0:20:52) Learn about the true role and common misconceptions of a financial planner.

(0:24:30) Explore how technology and the rise of generative AI are changing financial planning.

(0:31:55) How advisors can maintain strong personal relationships with clients in a digital world.

(0:37:00) Find out what a high-quality financial plan looks like and what it covers.

(0:39:44) His favourite financial planning-related argument to get into on the internet.

(0:41:20) Uncover how mortality and annuities should influence financial planning.

(0:48:06) Permanent life insurance explained: best use cases and when to avoid.

(0:50:48) Jason shares his nerdiest and most broadly applicable financial planning advice.

(0:53:29) He explains the best practices for estimating a client’s life expectancy.

(0:56:48) A breakdown of financial planner designations and how to vet a financial planner.

(1:03:59) Hear about his expert witness work and the costs of bad advice.

(1:08:55) Discover why Jason chooses to fight against financial misinformation online.

(1:11:18) The origins and vision of FPAC and Jason’s definition of success.

Links From Today’s Episode:

Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p

Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582.

Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/

Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/

Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemind

Rational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder

Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/

Rational Reminder Email — info@rationalreminder.ca

Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/

Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix

Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/

Cameron Passmore — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/

Cameron on X — https://x.com/CameronPassmore

Cameron on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpassmore/`

Jason Pereira — https://jasonpereira.ca/

Jason Pereira on Facebook — https://facebook.com/jasonpereirafinancialplanner/

Jason Pereira on X — https://x.com/jasonpereira

Jason Pereira on LinkedIn — https://linkedin.com/in/pereirajm

Jason Pereira on YouTube — https://youtube.com/@jasonperieraFP

The Fintech Impact Podcast — https://jasonpereira.ca/the-fintech-impact-podcast-jason-pereira

Conquest Planning — https://conquestplanning.com/en-ca/home

Replit — https://replit.com/

FP Canada — https://fpcanada.ca/

Financial Planning Association of Canada (FPAC) — https://fpassociation.ca/

Episode 188: Prof. Ayelet Fishbach — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/188

Episode 236: Harold Geller — https://rationalreminder.ca/podcast/236

Papers From Today’s Episode:

‘Current Practices for Risk Profiling in Canada and Review of Global Best Practices’ — https://osc.ca/sites/default/files/2021-02/iap_20151112_risk-profiling-report.pdf

‘Financial Risk Tolerance: A Psychometric Review’ — https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3088292