What Are the Leading Cross-Border Wealth Management Firms in Canada and the USA in 2026?
There is no single best cross-border wealth management firm for Canada-US wealth management. The right firm is the one whose wealth advisors you trust with your long-term goals and your money.
This guide covers five well-regarded cross-border wealth management firms that serve clients on both sides of the border. They specialize in serving Americans, Canadians, dual citizens, green card holders, and cross-border families who move between the two countries.
You likely need a cross-border team if you are:
An expat
A dual citizen
Part of a cross-border family that needs planning in both countries
This guide only covers firms with real Canada-US cross-border expertise. It leaves out general international advisors who don't specialize in working with Canadians and Americans.
Table of Contents
Summary of Key Points
Cross-border wealth management firms help Canadians and Americans manage investments, retirement accounts, taxes, and estate planning in both countries. This includes dual citizens and green card holders.
The right firm for you depends on your wealth, the services you need, and whether you want ongoing investment management or one-time planning advice.
Look for firms with real Canada-US expertise, proper licensing in both countries, and a fiduciary duty to act in your best interest.
Ask whether the firm can manage your accounts, work with your tax and legal team, and help you avoid extra taxes.
Watch for issues like the Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) rules and departure taxes when you move between countries.
Compare investment minimums, planning fees, management fees, and fund costs when assessing the all-in cost of the firm.
Learn about Canada’s tax deductions on fees to manage or take care of your non-registered investments, as it can reduce the effective cost of working with a high-quality management team.
Choose a team you trust and want to work with for many years.
Do You Need a Cross-Border Financial Advisor or Wealth Management Firm?
If you are moving across the border and have significant assets, you likely need a cross-border financial advisor who is part of a wealth management team.
Cross-border wealth management firms help individuals and families manage wealth across Canadian and US borders.
They deal with investment, tax and estate planning, and reporting rules that apply when your life spans two countries. They coordinate retirement accounts and income streams across both countries. They also understand the tax complexities of your investments.
Well-regarded cross-border firms serving Canada and the US include:
SWAN Wealth Management
KeatsConnelly Private Client Services
Marnoa Private Wealth Counsel
MCA Cross-Border Advisors
Portage Wealth
Each firm brings its own strengths in financial planning, tax planning, investment management, and estate planning for clients with assets in both countries.
Cross-Border Insights: Do You Need a Financial Planner or a Wealth Manager?
Insights from Tiffany Woodfield, co-founder of SWAN Wealth Management
One of the best ways to judge a cross-border firm is to ask how often its team handles new and different client situations.
A firm that regularly handles a wide range of cross-border cases will understand your situation more quickly and thoroughly than one that does not. That experience matters because cross-border financial planning is rarely straightforward, especially when substantial assets, multiple income sources, or beneficiaries in both Canada and the US are involved.
Cross-border financial planning tends to lead into estate planning — since death can't be avoided and is a major taxable event.
For example, if you're a US person living in Canada and you've used a trust in the US, you'll need to know what your options look like on the Canadian side. At the heart of it, most people want to be reassured that what they've built is protected and will pass on to the next generation, whether their beneficiaries live in Canada, the US, or both.
With that in mind, ask whether a firm truly understands your whole financial picture, not just your investments.
That means financial planning, tax planning, and investment management should be working together. Your advisory team should have an understanding of how major life events ripple through all three from a cross-border perspective. Your advisory team should also be accounting for income streams from both countries and beneficiaries in different countries.
Another simple way to check for a cross-border firm’s experience level is to look at the team members' designations. Check to see if there are CFPs or Portfolio Managers on the team and if multiple team members are licensed in both the US and Canada.
So how do you know whether you need a financial planner or a full wealth management firm?
Financial planning may be enough if:
Your situation is simple
You're confident managing it yourself
You understand how your finances change when you move between Canada and the US
But once you've built wealth with income and assets in both countries and have beneficiaries in more than one country, the cost of a mistake rises quickly. That's the point where a full wealth management firm makes more sense than a one-time plan.
Wealth management is likely necessary if:
You have income coming in from more than one source and more than one country
You hold assets on both sides of the border
Your beneficiaries live in Canada, the US, or both
A mistake in any of these areas would be costly and hard to undo
In practice, it's rare that a cross-border individual won’t need either a financial planner or a wealth management firm.
Many clients arrive at SWAN Wealth Management after they’ve made mistakes under a one-time plan or with an advisor who couldn’t offer help on every part of their picture.
If your situation is simple and you're genuinely comfortable with the complexity, you can act as your own wealth manager. Otherwise, an advisor who only handles the investing, and not the other pieces, may leave you exposed to exactly the kind of mistakes that are hardest to undo.
5 Cross-Border Wealth Management Firms to Consider
The following five cross-border firms specialize in Canada-US cross-border financial planning and investment management. They have been selected for this shortlist based on their focus on cross-border, range of services, credentials, and their long-term experience with cross-border families.
This list is not exhaustive and does not reflect an endorsement of any of the advisory firms. Please do your own research and consider what matters most to you before hiring a firm.
1. SWAN Wealth Management
SWAN Wealth Management focuses on Canada-US cross-border wealth management and financial planning. The cross-border advisory firm helps Americans, Canadians, dual citizens, and green card holders who are moving across the border. SWAN advises on:
Investments
Estate planning
Tax considerations
Retirement accounts
Currency risk
Compliance in both countries
SWAN manages Canadian and US accounts, including Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs), Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), traditional IRAs, and inherited IRAs.
The firm also coordinates with cross-border accountants, tax lawyers, and immigration lawyers, so every part of a client's plan works together. SWAN builds customized portfolios using a combination of individual securities and low-cost ETFs. This approach provides broad diversification while often reducing costs and improving tax efficiency based on each client's unique circumstances.
As of September 2026, SWAN served approximately 197 cross-border households, with clients in 26 US states and 9 Canadian provinces.
SWAN is a Raymond James advisory team. This gives SWAN access to Raymond James' extensive cross-border resources.
Credentials: SWAN is a fiduciary firm, co-founded by Tiffany Woodfield and John Woodfield, and led by a team of advisors who are committed to building a legacy firm that will thrive well beyond their tenure. John Woodfield is a Portfolio Manager and CFP professional with more than 25 years of experience. He holds the CIM®, FMA®, and FCSI® designations. Tiffany Woodfield is a Portfolio Manager licensed in Canada and the US. She holds the CIM, CRPC®, and TEP® designations.
Who SWAN helps:
Americans moving to Canada
Canadians moving to the US
Individuals with investments already on either side of the border
Dual citizens and green card holders
Retirees managing retirement accounts and estate plans
Individuals inheriting assets across the border
High-net-worth families who want dual-licensed, fiduciary advice and wealth management
Location: Main office in Kelowna, BC. Team members also work from Raymond James' Vancouver office. Remote service is available across Canada and the US.
2. KeatsConnelly Private Client Services
KeatsConnelly has served Canadian and American families across the border for decades. Its Private Client Services include financial planning, tax and accounting coordination, and wealth management.
The firm runs cross-border workshops and works closely with legal and tax professionals to build complete plans.
Credentials: Founder and Executive Director Robert F. Keats is a Chartered Financial Planner and Registered Financial Planner® in Canada. He also holds a Master of Science in Financial Planning from the College for Financial Planning in Denver, Colorado.
Who KeatsConnelly helps:
Canadians moving to the US
Americans moving to Canada
Families with ongoing financial ties in both countries
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, serving clients across the Canada-US border.
3. MCA Cross-Border Advisors
MCA is a multidisciplinary Canada-US tax and financial planning firm. Its services include cross-border financial planning, investment oversight, tax planning, estate planning, retirement planning, and insurance guidance. MCA also offers private client and family office services.
MCA's team looks at the tax, estate, retirement, and financial effects of moving between Canada and the US.
Credentials: MCA’s team includes CFP professionals in Canada and the US, Quebec F.Pl. professionals, Canadian and US CPA professionals, CFA® charterholders, and estate planning professionals. President and CEO Matt C. Altro holds CFP credentials in Canada and the US, along with the F.Pl. (Quebec Financial Planner) and TEP designations.
Who MCA helps:
Canadians moving to the US
Americans moving to Canada
US citizens living in Canada
Professionals relocating between the two countries
High-net-worth families needing ongoing cross-border wealth management
Location: Offices in Montreal and Toronto. Cross-border services are available across Canada and the US.
4. Marnoa Private Wealth Counsel
Marnoa Private Wealth Counsel provides cross-border investment and financial planning for individuals and families with financial ties to both Canada and the US. Its dual-licensed advisors help coordinate Canadian and US accounts along with cross-border estate and legacy considerations.
The firm focuses on coordinating investment portfolios across the border. It aims for tax efficiency while staying compliant with both Canadian and US rules.
Credentials: Founder and Portfolio Manager Pedro Ribeiro has more than 25 years of experience. He holds the CIM and FCSI designations. Marnoa’s team also includes professionals with CFA®, CFP, MBA, CIM, FMA, and FCSI credentials.
Who Marnoa helps:
Canadians or Americans with accounts on both sides of the border
People relocating between the two countries
Former expats returning home
People with trusts or estates that need cross-border structuring
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, serving clients in Canada and the US.
5. Portage Wealth
Portage Wealth offers cross-border wealth management for Canadian and American investors. The firm acts as a single point of contact for clients, no matter where they currently live or work. It focuses on investing across the Canada-US border.
Portage’s services include:
Investment management
Retirement planning
Estate planning
Insurance solutions
Tax planning
Risk management and wealth planning
Credentials: Portage is led by founder and CEO Darren Coleman, who holds CFP, TEP, and FCSI designations. As of this writing, the firm has a team of 13 professionals with extensive financial industry experience. Portage is registered as an RIA in the US and a Portfolio Manager in nine Canadian provinces, including Ontario and British Columbia.
Who Portage helps: Canadian and US investors who want their cross-border wealth managed through one consolidated relationship.
Location: Offices in Oakville, Ontario, and Vancouver, British Columbia, serving clients across Canada and the US.
How to Choose the Right Cross-Border Wealth Management Firm
With these five firms in mind, here is how to evaluate and choose the right firm for your situation.
The right fit depends on your asset level, your main concerns, and the service model you want. When choosing a firm, look for real expertise in your specific region, such as Canada-US.
Look for firms with proven experience managing complex, cross-border rules. Find a firm that specializes in cross-border financial planning and investment management and is also bound by a fiduciary duty to provide you with the best possible advice and guidance at all times.
Most importantly, you should feel comfortable talking with your advisor. You should also feel confident you'll enjoy working with this team for many years.
Essential Qualifications and Certifications
Fiduciary duty means an advisor must act only in your best interest, by law.
This can protect you from being sold high-commission products that don't fit your needs. Ask whether your advisor follows a fiduciary duty or only a suitability standard. This difference matters.
Licensing in both countries is the most basic requirement for a cross-border firm. Advisors managing complex, international accounts should also hold recognized credentials, such as CFP or CFA.
Key designations to look for:
CFP (Certified Financial Planner): Shows broad planning skill. Both the US and Canadian versions count.
TEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner): Important for complex estates and trusts.
CIM (Chartered Investment Manager): Shows portfolio management skill.
Services to Look for When Interviewing a Cross-Border Firm
Retirement income, estate planning, and wealth transfer advice across the border
A financial plan built around your specific goals and family situation
Management of RRSPs, Roth IRAs, inherited IRAs, and traditional IRAs, based on the country you live in
Investment management across currencies and jurisdictions
Guidance on tax problems that could affect your finances
Help avoiding costly mistakes that a US person investing in Canada often faces
Guidance on what to do before you move your investments across the border
Clear tax receipts for both US and Canadian tax returns
Coordination with your tax lawyer, immigration lawyer, and accountant
Estate planning advice to help you protect what you leave behind
Common Fee Structures and Investment Minimums
Fee Model | How It Works | Best For | Things to Consider |
Flat fee | Fixed project or annual fee | Clients who want cost certainty | More common among planners than advisors. Not tax-deductible if it’s not tied to earning investment income. |
Assets Under Management (AUM) | A percentage of your managed assets, charged yearly | Clients who want ongoing investment management | Ties the advisor's interests to your growth. In Canada, advisor fees on non-registered accounts may be tax-deductible. |
Hourly | Charged by the hour | Specific questions or one-time planning | Total cost can be hard to predict. More common among planners than advisors. |
Commission | Fees from product sales | Generally avoided for cross-border work | Most common with insurance. |
A fee-only or fee-based advisor under a strict fiduciary standard helps you avoid conflicts of interest tied to commission sales. AUM-based fees are common and can work well, since the advisor's income grows only when your wealth grows.
Find out the full cost of working with an advisor, including the cost of the investments used to build your portfolio. This underlying cost of the investments used often matters more than the advisor's own fee, as you can see in the video below.
Every fee model can create different costs and conflicts of interest. Ask how the firm is paid, whether it earns commissions, and which services are included.
Investment minimums vary a lot across firms. SWAN Wealth Management, for example, works with clients who have CA$2.5 million or more in investable assets. Other firms have lower minimums or none at all. Look at both the stated minimum and whether the firm can truly serve someone at your wealth level.
Video: How Advisor Costs Work in Canada
Why Cross-Border Financial Planning Matters
Cross-border financial planning means building a flexible plan that fits a life split between two countries.
It is the cornerstone of cross-border wealth management. Americans living in Canada, Canadians living in the US, dual citizens, and green card holders all need this kind of specialized planning.
A general financial advisor usually lacks this expertise.
If a firm manages or advises on assets in both countries, you should confirm it holds the right registrations for the provinces and US states where you live.
Taxes: You may need to file taxes in both countries. Without planning, you could be taxed twice on the same income, face penalties, or overpay because of misunderstood treaty rules. The same investment can be taxed differently depending on where you hold it. Good cross-border planning helps you avoid double taxation and navigate departure taxes when you leave a country.
Investments: US persons holding Canadian mutual funds may face harsh Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) penalties. Canadians with US retirement accounts need careful coordination to avoid losing money to unnecessary taxes. Accounts like RRSPs, Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs), IRAs, and 401(k)s are each treated differently under Canadian and US tax law. How they're taxed can also depend on where you live.
Estate planning: US estate tax thresholds, gift taxes, and state inheritance rules differ a lot from Canadian provincial probate rules. A will written in one country may not work well in the other. Beneficiary designations also need to account for cross-border rules. This is why choosing the right cross-border advisor matters so much. The stakes are too high for generic advice.
Your Next Steps
List your assets and assess your situation. Write down your assets, accounts, and income in both countries, along with your current and planned residency.
Identify your top needs. Decide whether your biggest concern is financial planning, tax, investment management, retirement, or estate coordination, or a mix of these.
Research firms. Pick two or three firms whose focus matches your situation and wealth level. Check their websites for who they work with and how they invest.
Book consultations. Most cross-border advisors offer a first meeting to assess fit. Prepare questions about their experience with situations like yours.
Verify credentials. Confirm dual licensing and professional designations before you commit to an advisor.
Ask for fees in writing. Get a written fee schedule and understand exactly what's included before you sign on.
Understand your portfolio. Ask whether the firm builds portfolios with individual securities and low-cost funds. Find out if it uses products with hidden costs, such as Management Expense Ratios (MERs) and Trading Expense Ratios (TERs). This is important because how your portfolio is built affects your total all-in cost.
Get In Touch
If you’re a Canadian resident or are planning on moving to Canada or the US and need assistance with moving and optimizing your investments, estate planning, wealth management and portfolio management, please get in touch. At SWAN Wealth, we specialize in Canadian financial planning, cross-border financial planning and cross-border wealth management.
Read More
If you’re planning a cross-border move, these articles and guides will help simplify your move and ensure everything is covered.
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Firm Fact-Checking Disclosure: This shortlist is based on years of experience working in the cross-border financial advisory industry. However, the service and designation information for the firms on this post was compiled using Claude. Fact-checking was performed by Claude Sonnet 5. Please speak with each firm directly to confirm their services and who they help.
Disclosure: SWAN Wealth Management prepared this article and is one of the firms discussed. These firms are presented as options to consider, not as a ranked or independently verified list. Being included does not mean an endorsement. Readers should check each firm's services, credentials, registrations, fees, and fit on their own. Information about each firm came directly from its website as of September 15, 2026 and is accurate to the best of the author's knowledge as of that date.
