Planting Seeds for Growth

As we move into spring, it’s a natural time to reset, refocus, and prepare for the seasons ahead. Just as longer days bring renewed energy, this time of year offers a valuable opportunity to review your financial plan, rebalance where needed, and ensure your long-term goals remain on track.

So far in 2026, we’ve been proud to host several educational events designed to bring clarity to complex financial topics. Our Market Outlook event explored key themes shaping global markets. Our Expert Real Estate Roadmap session addressed opportunities and risks in today’s property landscape. We also welcomed specialists for discussions on Estate Planning and on the important considerations surrounding renouncing U.S. citizenship. These conversations reflect our commitment to providing meaningful, practical financial literacy to both our clients and the broader community.

In May, we’ll be hosting our next event focused on Business Succession Planning. For entrepreneurs and family business owners, thoughtful succession planning is essential to preserving value, minimizing tax exposure, and protecting legacy. See page 4 for more details and to RSVP.

At our core, we believe wealth advisory is about more than investment management. It’s about education, stewardship, and helping families make confident decisions across generations. If you have friends, family members, or colleagues who could benefit from a thoughtful second opinion, we’re always happy to offer a complimentary review of their financial strategy.

Our role is to provide clarity and consistency, delivered with genuine care – so our clients can move forward with confidence.

• Clarity – Simple, transparent guidance in a complex world

• Care – Advice built around your life, not just your portfolio

• Consistency – Disciplined planning and portfolio construction

• Confidence – Helping clients move forward with alignment and peace of mind

Thank you for your continued trust and engagement. We wish you and your family a productive spring and a wonderful summer ahead.

Yours in this adventure,

RBC Dominion Securities Lara, Una & Andrew

Ways to Live a Longer Life — The Importance of Connection

In the longest-running study on happiness, the Harvard Study of Adult Development found that social connections are the strongest predictor of happiness and health, which in turn may contribute to greater longevity.1

Retirement planning is more than a “number.” Of course, our role is to support your wealth management so you have the means to live the life you envision in retirement and beyond. Yet often overlooked is how we’ll maintain life satisfaction as we age.

We live in an era of unprecedented global wealth, with a standard of living that is at its highest in history. Yet, levels of unhappiness are also at record highs. Social disconnection has become such a recognized issue that the UK and Japan have appointed government “Ministers of Loneliness,” and in 2023, the U.S. surgeon general declared loneliness an “epidemic.”2 A recent media headline even suggested that Gen Z may avoid the proverbial ‘midlife crisis’ not because they are happier, but because unhappiness has become so common much earlier in life.3 In the past, happiness tended to follow a “U-shaped” curve across the lifespan. Today, this may have shifted to an upward-sloping line, with young adults now the least happy and older adults still reporting the greatest happiness.

Why this change is happening may be linked to various factors—the effects of job and housing prospects, the lasting impact of the pandemic, growing wealth inequality and, of course, the rise in social media and smartphones that have created a broader connectivity ecosystem inundating us with negative news and comparative envy.

This kind of connectivity, however, does not sustain us. A thriving human experience is fuelled by face-to-face interactions, which foster self-expression, creativity, optimism—and ultimately happiness.4 In fact, these interactions can help rewire our brains and change how we perceive the world in a more positive way. Neuroscience shows that in-person interactions engage the brain in beneficial ways that text messages or video calls cannot replicate.5

Is there evidence to support connectivity as a predictor of longevity? One study following nearly 1,500 older adults over a decade found that those with large networks of friends outlived those with fewer friends by more than 20 percent.2 Conversely, social disconnection is linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, dementia and premature death. One study showed that loneliness increased the risk of early mortality by 26 percent and social isolation by 29 percent.6

The Longevity Benefits of Giving to Others

Importantly, connectivity is not only about how many physical friends we have, but also about how we engage with others. Those who participate in “prosocial” behaviours—acts intended to help or benefit others—tend to enjoy better health themselves. This can include volunteering or even making a charitable donation. For instance, seniors who spent about 15 hours per week tutoring and mentoring young children experienced measurable improvements in both cognitive and physical health. Volunteering has been linked to longer life spans.7 Acts of giving can lower blood pressure, reduce stress and even decrease cortisol levels (the stress hormone), while boosting feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin.8

By giving our time, resources or attention to others, we not only make an impact on others, but may also enhance our own happiness, health and longevity. Staying connected—not just financially, but also emotionally and socially—can help us live fuller, more satisfying lives as we plan for retirement and beyond.

1. https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/; 2. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/the-importance-of-connections-ways-to-live-a-longer-healthier-life/; 3. https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-midlife-crises-happiness-mental-health-2120019; 4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/05/28/in-person-friendships-health-benefits/; 5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811922007984; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52587-2; 6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25910392/; 7. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1359105305057310; 8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16905215/; https://lifestylemedicine.stanford.edu/how-social-connection-supports-longevity

Wealth Perspectives: Canadians Have Never Been Wealthier

Recent statistics show that Canadians are wealthier than ever, with average household net worth reaching $1.047 million in Q2 2025. Since 2019, average household net worth has grown by over 30 percent, with Millennials ($634,435) and Gen X ($1.33 million) seeing increases of over 10 percent since the start of 2024.1

Despite this, many of us don’t feel wealthy. Wealth can be a slippery benchmark—it often feels like it’s never quite enough. Rising living costs strain many, while constant connectivity makes some feel like they’re falling behind the Joneses. Yet, it’s worth remembering: being a millionaire puts you in the top 1.6 percent of global wealth holders.2 With that in mind, here are some perspectives on wealth creation:

Building wealth has less to do with income and more to do with savings. Wealth is simply the accumulated difference between what you earn and what you spend. You don’t need a high income to build wealth, but without a high savings rate, your chances are slim.

Wealth is relative to your needs. People require vastly different amounts to get by each month. A dollar saved means something very different depending on one’s location, lifestyle and priorities.

Time is a great ally. Starting early can make a meaningful difference. Consider two investors earning an annual return of five percent. A 25-year-old who invests $500 per month for 20 years ($120,000 total) and then stops contributions could see their savings grow to roughly $550,000 by age 65. A 45-year-old would need to invest $1,350 per month—$324,000 total, or 2.7 times more—to achieve a similar outcome by 65.

One of the lessons we’ve learned from our time in the industry is that the principles of successful wealth creation are timeless. Wealth comes from choices, not chances: choosing to save wisely and pay yourself first, living within your means and having a plan focused on quality, diversification and discipline—with the patience to let it work for you over the long run.

1. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610066001; 2. In USD. https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealthmanagement/insights/

Planning to sell your business? You’re invited to join the experts

Planning to sell your business in the next five years? A successful business exit plan takes years of preparation – only the business owners who take the right steps along the way will get the price they want.

Join us for an informative presentation that will help you:

• Discover the dos and don’ts of selling a business

• Understand the pre-planning processes designed to enhance the sale of your business

• Learn how to choose the professionals that can make the process less stressful

• Prepare yourself for a life after being a business owner

When: Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 | 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where: The Old House, 1730 Riverside Lane,

Courtenay, BC, V9N 8C7 – The Grand Fir Room

RSVP: Attendance is complimentary, but space is limited.

Kindly RSVP by May 7th, 2026, to Andrew Cornell at

778-335-9430 or andrew.cornell@rbc.com.

This information is not investment advice and should be used only in conjunction with a discussion with your RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Investment Advisor. This will ensure that your own circumstances have been considered properly and that action is taken on the latest available information. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time obtained but neither RBC Dominion Securities Inc. nor its employees, agents, or information suppliers can guarantee its accuracy or completeness. This report is not and under no circumstances is to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. This report is furnished on the basis and understanding that neither RBC Dominion Securities Inc. nor its employees, agents, or information suppliers is to be under any responsibility or liability whatsoever in respect thereof. The inventories of RBC Dominion Securities Inc. may from time to time include securities mentioned herein. Insurance products are offered through RBC Wealth Management Financial Services Inc. (“RBC WMFS”), a subsidiary of RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* RBC WMFS is licensed as a financial services firm in the province of Quebec. RBC Dominion Securities Inc., RBC WMFS

and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and RBC WMFS are member companies of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © 2026 RBC Dominion Securities Inc. All rights reserved. 26_90857_WDE_017