Wealth management in Montreal for professionals, business owners and families
David Hartle, CIM, Investment Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities, and his associate Max Schwartz work with professionals, business owners, executives and families in Montreal and across Quebec. We bring structure to the decisions that matter: how your portfolio is built, how your retirement income is drawn, and how your corporation and your estate fit together. Behind us are the full resources of RBC Dominion Securities, Canada's largest wealth management firm.
Who we are
We're a team led by David Hartle, Investment Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities at Place Ville-Marie in downtown Montreal.
David holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and Financial Planner (F.Pl.) designations. He has been with RBC for over a decade and spent eight years as an RBC Financial Planner, building retirement, tax and estate plans for professionals and business owners, before joining Dominion Securities. That background shapes how we work: the plan comes first, and the portfolio is built to serve it.
Most of our clients have built something: a professional practice, a business, a career with stock compensation. They want their investments and their planning handled together, by people who understand both. Where a situation calls for deeper specialization, we bring in RBC Family Office Services specialists and coordinate them, so you keep one point of contact. We work in English and French.
Our approach
Markets are unpredictable. Structure is not. We build portfolios and plans you can stay committed to through full market cycles.
Our investment approach is anchored by an efficient core: a diversified, low-cost foundation designed to capture global market growth. Around it, we add targeted active strategies only where rigorous selection can generate durable value. Tax-efficient investing is built into every decision, from how assets are placed across RRSP, TFSA, non-registered and corporate accounts to how gains and losses are managed, rather than handled at year-end.
The philosophy rests on three convictions. Efficiency first: where markets are efficient, we favour an index-based approach. Rigorous manager selection: active managers must earn their place, with track records tested across multiple market cycles. Disciplined risk management: every position is chosen for a specific role, so the portfolio is a coherent whole rather than a collection of ideas.
Cost is part of the structure. Before you commit to anything, we show you the all-in cost of your portfolio, in dollars, and what you get for it.
Our role is not to chase performance. It is to guide decisions, and to make sure the portfolio, the plan and your other advisors are all pulling in the same direction.
How we serve your wealth in its entirety
Our full-service offering integrates disciplined portfolio management with comprehensive wealth planning—all supported by experienced specialists throughout our robust RBC network.
How we help
Six situations we work on most often for clients in Montreal and across Quebec.
Incorporated physicians and professionals
How much to leave in the corporation, how to invest it, how to pay yourself, and how to plan the exit from practice. A large share of our clients are physicians, and the planning is built around a schedule that leaves no time to manage it: we meet by video, early or late, and we handle the follow-up.
Business owners and succession
Salary versus dividend planning, investing inside a holding company, the lifetime capital gains exemption on a sale, and Individual Pension Plans where they fit. Ideally we're involved two to three years before a sale, alongside your accountant.
Retirement income planning
When to convert an RRSP to a RRIF, which accounts to draw from first, when to start QPP and OAS, how to stay under the OAS clawback, and how to make the money last. Decided together, not one at a time.
Commuted value and pension decisions
You've been offered the commuted value of a defined benefit pension. Before you make an irreversible choice, we model both options against your full picture: health, other assets, tax and how much certainty you want.
Estate planning
Will and estate structure, beneficiary designations, charitable giving and intergenerational transfers, including the Quebec-specific questions of liquidator selection and matrimonial regimes. Coordinated with your notary or lawyer and RBC's will and estate consultants.
Executives and stock compensation
Stock options, RSUs and deferred compensation: when to exercise, when to sell, and how to reduce a concentrated position without an avoidable tax bill.
How we work with you
A structured process, repeated for every client.
1 Discovery
A first meeting of about an hour, in person or virtually. We start with your situation, not a product: your financial position, objectives, time horizon, liquidity needs, tax situation, risk tolerance and what you are unsure about.
2 The plan
A written financial plan covering retirement income, tax, estate and, where relevant, your corporation, with an investment recommendation matched to your risk profile and the all-in cost of implementing it.
3 Implementation
Each recommendation is reviewed and approved with you, then implemented through RBC Dominion Securities. We handle transfers from other institutions and coordinate with your professionals: accountant, notary, lawyer and insurance advisor.
4 Monitoring and review
Ongoing monitoring, a formal review at least once a year, disciplined rebalancing, and adjustments as your circumstances change. You always know what changed and why.
A second perspective on your current strategy
Many of our clients first came to us for a second perspective on their existing portfolio, plan or advisor relationship. The review covers four things: what your portfolio actually costs, all in; whether the allocation and risk match your objectives; whether assets sit in the right accounts for tax; and what your plan is missing. You leave with a written summary, whether or not you move anything. Book a second-perspective review
Your team, backed by RBC Dominion Securities
We combine professional expertise with the strength of RBC Dominion Securities to deliver trusted advice and tailored strategies to bring you peace of mind and clarity.
Our Insights
RBC articles on the questions our clients ask most: paying less tax in retirement, what a business is worth, choosing an executor, and where to save first.