Smart Wealth™ with Thane Stenner: Insights from Pioneers & Leaders

Hosted by BNN Bloomberg Brand Studio & Smart Wealth ™

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Feb 2025

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About the show

Award-winning portfolio manager and host Thane Stenner helps you understand why being wealthy is not the same as being rich. Join him on this podcast in having authentic conversations about success with the most brilliant and fascinating leaders who have built their wealth smartly and strategically and learn what they are currently doing to continue to stay wealthy, longer term. New episodes monthly. For more information visit: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/smart-wealth-with-thane-stenner

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35 recent

February 5, 202552 min

Praveen K. Varshney

Praveen has been a principal of Varshney Capital Corp., a Vancouver based family office, since 1991.  He's also a Founding Director of Pyfera Growth Capital & a Founding Director of Humanitas Smart Planet Fund, both with a social impact focus.  Mr. Varshney obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia in 1987 and is a FCPA, FCA.   He has been a Director or Officer of many publicly traded companies over the years including one of Canada's largest fintech companies, Mogo Inc. (NASDAQ: MOGO & TSX: MOGO) (Co-Founder).  He is also a Co-Founder of NEXE Innovations (TSX.V : NEXE) and of Little Kitchen Academy, and former CFO of Carmanah Technologies which became Canada's largest solar company, and of The Plastic Bank.  He was also Co-Founder of a predecessor of Mountain Province Diamonds (TSX : MPVD) who's Gahcho Kue project in September 2016 became the world's largest new diamond mine since 2003 & De Beers' (MPVD's partner) second-largest producer behind its Jwaneng mine in Botswana.   Praveen is a member of the Vancouver Chapter of EO since 1996, Toniic, TiE Vancouver (Founding Director) & Silicon Valley Blockchain Society - Vancouver Chapter (Founding Director).  He's also served on a number of non-profit boards such as the Varshney Family Foundation, Dalai Lama Center for Peace + Education, the Vancouver Foundation & a Founding Member of Instruments Beyond Borders.  He's also an SVP Vancouver Partner, a Director of Foundations for Social Change, and on the Advisory Boards of Room to Read Vancouver and The Thomas Edison Innovation Foundation in New Jersey.  He also Co-Founded with his daughter, Jaiya, Down to the Last Straw, a global movement to reduce plastic waste with a major focus on single-use plastic straws.   Praveen is also a recipient of Business in Vancouver's 40 Under 40 Awards, the 2020 Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Wendy McDonald Diversity Awards Outstanding Mentor and the 2021 inaugural, 2022 & 2023 Business in Vancouver Top 500 Most Influential Business Leaders in BC (Banking & Finance – Private Equity, Venture Capital & Hedge Funds category).

January 8, 202557 min

David Rosenberg

David Rosenberg is the founder and president of Rosenberg Research, an economic and financial market consulting firm he established in January 2020. Dave provides advice to 2,600 clients, both retail and institutional, across 40 countries. Prior to creating his own company, David was chief economist and strategist at Gluskin Sheff + Associates from 2009 to 2019. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2009, he was at Merrill Lynch, where for the first two years he was chief Canadian economist and strategist based out of Toronto; for the last seven he was Chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch in New York, where he was consistently ranked in top three of Wall Street economists polled by the annual Institutional Investors survey. David is a frequent contributor to most major financial newspapers and publications in North America and makes regular TV appearances in the financial media. He received both a BA and MA in economics from the University of Toronto.

November 6, 202437 min

Francesco Lombardo

“Ensuring the Legacy of Family Business Through Relational Governance” For more than twenty years, Francesco “Franco” Lombardo has been a family business advisor and facilitator to some of the world’s most diverse and wealthiest families. He set up Veritage, his global advisory firm that exclusively focuses on building relational governance. Franco uses his Safe Space™ model to empower families to show up authentically and to express their feelings surrounding money and relationships. Passionate about nurturing the next generation of family-owned businesses, Franco is the cocreator, and one of the leading facilitators of the Scone Project and Maasai Project, Ensuring the Legacy of Family Business an interactive next-generation leadership development program for business families. As founder and host of INFLUENCE - a gathering of the globe’s highest net-worth families representing their family businesses, Franco facilitates a custom-curated program designed to deepen familial relationships. The author of five books, Franco also hosts the podcast “Safe Space with Francesco Lombardo” - a show for Family Business Leaders and Next Gens. Franco has delivered presentations for the Milken Institute, Campden Wealth and family Business Conferences, Institutional Investor, Tiger21, various YPO/WPO global chapters. He has also been featured in the award-winning Spear’s Magazine and was described as ‘The Truth Agent’ by CEO Magazine. More recently Franco was inducted into the Family Business United Family Business Hall of Fame, which "recognizes the exceptional contribution of individuals and their work in advancing the field of family business."

October 2, 202458 min

Scott Terrio

Scott Terrio, BA, QIC, CPCA, has been a regular author at Macleans and Canadian Business magazines and a listed columnist for Moneysense, focusing on consumer debt issues. He is a frequent media commentator, appearing on BNN Bloomberg TV, CBC and various radio broadcasts. He has contributed to such publications as The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The National Post and The Walrus, among others. In his decade in the insolvency industry and now as Head of Consumer Insolvencyat Hoyes Michalos Hoyes, Scott has met with and filed well over 8,000 clients,primarily consumers. He brings his previous background in sales, marketing andbusiness development to making clients feel as comfortable as possible inguidance through various options and tactics, and in trusting advice and solutionsunder difficult circumstances. His professional experience includes the following: • Ontario Ministry of Ag, Food & Rural Affairs, 1993-1996• John Deere Canada, 1996-2010• Cooper & Co. Ltd. Licensed Insolvency Trustee, 2010-2018• Hoyes, Michalos & Associates, 2018-Present

September 4, 20241 hr 0 min

Richard James Deacon

Richard James Deacon is an award winning Private Office Real Estate Advisor with the world’s #1 luxury real estate firm Engel & Völkers. Richard is the Co-founder of TIGER 21 Canada, an exclusive and highly private investor education organization for ultra-high net worth families. TIGER 21 has over 1100 members across the globe with collective assets in excess of $135B. TIGER’s mission is to help members improve their investment acumen, tackle common issues of wealth preservation, manage family-related challenges, understand estate planning options, philanthropic endeavors and legacy impact. And of course manage their extensive real estate portfolios. Richard also had a 20 year career in media and advertising, working with the billionaire Thomson family and The Globe and Mail. Richard was inducted into Engel & Volkers Private office in 2021 in only his fourth year as a Realtor, given that EV PO requires 3 years of consecutive performance to become a PO Advisor, Richard is likely the only Advisor to have ever made PO in the first 4 years of their career. Richard has an international background with 28 years of global luxury sales and marketing experience and today specializes in helping his clients with buying and selling some of the most iconic properties across Canada's #1 wine region, the Okanagan Valley. The Association of Interior Realtors Board area covers the snow caps of the Rocky Mtns to the east, the rolling hills of ranch country to the west and the arid desert of the south that borders Washington State. Richard is a passionate and connected philanthropist and his list of volunteer involvements include his role as; Past-President of the National Advertising Benevolent Society, being inducted into the Canadian Advertising Hall of Honor in Toronto, as a Past Director of the acclaimed Children’s Charity Arts Umbrella, as a national judge for the Courage to Come Back Awards, a Mentor of the Year awardee in the Vancouver Board of Trade Leaders of Tomorrow program, as past Chair of a capital campaign for the Union Gospel Mission’s Women and Children’s Ministry, Past- President of the Nicola Valley Food Bank and Campaign Cabinet member for the University of British Columbia’s Business Families Centre.

August 7, 202459 min

Dr. Thomas William Deans Ph.D.

Dr. Tom Deans is the author of three books on the subject of familywealth transfers. His first book, Every Family’s Business: 12Common Sense Questions to Protect Your Wealth, remains thebest-selling family business book of all-time and was selected by TheNew York Times as one of the top-ten books business owners shouldread. The book has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. His second book, Willing Wisdom: Seven Questions SuccessfulFamilies Ask, reached #2 on the Globe and Mail’s best-sellers List.The book has received critical acclaim for its controversialexplanation of why 15 million Canadians do not have a legal will.Willing Wisdom continues to stir debate on the merits of disclosing awill with intended beneficiaries. In May 2024, Dr. Deans released The Happy Inheritor: HowSuccessful Families Prepare Heirs and Transfer Wealth, the thirdand final book in his Family Wealth Trilogy. The book examines how many successful families transfer wealthwith the help of their advisor through the use of facilitated familymeetings to bring predictability and transparency to their estate plans.For families who struggle with this process, the book offers insightsinto why. This ground-breaking book reinforces the importance offamily philanthropy in preparing the next generation for the $300million that is inherited every day by Canadians. Having delivered more than 2000 speeches in 28 countries, he isregarded as the preeminent thought-leader on the subject of inter-generational wealth transfers. With his family selling businesses for more than $100 million, prepareto unlearn everything you thought you knew about transitioning familywealth. Deans is a graduate Mount Allison University, McMaster Universityand earned a Ph.D. from the University of Warwick in England. His books and speeches aren’t just about money and clever taxplans. They’re about giving people the confidence, inspiration andthe tools to begin important family conversations about the last taboo– money. To learn more about Dr. Deans and his books, visithttps://www.thomaswilliamdeans.com/.

July 15, 202456 min

Judi Cunningham

Judi Cunningham is the founder of Trella Advisory Group, a consulting firm that works with family enterprises and families of wealth. She holds a Master’s in Family Systems Counseling and over 25 years of experience working with complex enterprising families. Judi is known for her innovative educational initiatives. She pioneered the Family Enterprise Advisor Program, establishing global standards for professional advisors. Judi serves as the Chair of the Board for the Purposeful Planning Institute which helps advisors serve families of wealth.

June 5, 202446 min

Ben Rabidoux

Ben Rabidoux is the founder of North Cove Advisors, a boutique research covering Canadian housing, macroeconomic, and household credit trends. North Cove Advisors is consistently ranked in the top 5 for Canadian economic research by Brendan Wood International, as voted upon by institutional investors. Ben also leads the research teams at Edge Realty Analytics, which provides similar research and advisory services to real estate professionals. He is a frequent commentator on all matters related to housing and household credit, having been featured in nearly every major Canadian media publication as well as a number of business publications internationally.

May 1, 202452 min

Lorne MacLean, K.C.

Lorne MacLean, K.C. (King’s Counsel) is the founder of top-rated MacLean Law and one of Canada’s most experienced and highly rated family lawyers dedicated to family law and divorce in British Columbia. MacLean has been chosen as a top 25 Canadian Lawyer and a BC Leading Business BIV BC 500 winner in the field of complex and high net worth divorce and family law. His firm was just selected by Canadian lawyer Magazine and Lexpert as a 2023 and 2024 Family law Firm of The Year Awardee of Excellence. MacLean has set the highest record for interim spousal and child support at over $100,000 a month, the highest record for permanent spousal and child support at over $116,000 a month, the highest fines record for B.C. , set the precedent for international Mareva injunctions, the highest special costs record at $1.5 million, and one of the largest retroactive child support awards in favour of a husband, dismissal of a wife’s spousal support in a high net worth long marriage and he won the leading Canadian case on child custody and the maximum contact principle in Young v. Young in the Supreme Court of Canada. Lorne has successfully protected clients’ rights since 1983 in the field of high net worth and complex family law disputes, dealing with issues such as spousal and child support, property division, child custody and parenting time and responsibilities disputes, guardianship and access, and marriage-like relationships. Lorne MacLean, K.C. lives life to the fullest, loves running and weightlifting, jazz music, strategy games, and travelling with his family. He especially loves to find the “hidden gems” in the cities he visits on his world travels. Along with keeping his mind sharp, Lorne is avid about keeping physically healthy with boot camps and cross-fit, half marathons and biking.

April 15, 202445 min

Jennifer Risher

Jennifer Risher is an author, speaker, philanthropist, and investor on a mission to move money out of the taboo category and help us have much-needed conversations. Her book, “We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth,” explores the impact of wealth on identity and relationships. In sharing her story, Jennifer aims to validate the emotional complexities of money and help those with wealth move out of guilt, shame, or a desire to keep money hidden and into meaning, joy, and purpose. Jennifer was born in Seattle, Washington, grew up in Oregon, and graduated from Connecticut College. She joined Microsoft in 1991 where she worked as a recruiter and then as a product manager. As an extra-fortunate beneficiary of the dot-com boom, she believes abundance can drive change and fuel action — and that we need to be putting more philanthropic dollars to work now. In 2020, Jennifer and her husband, David, launched #HalfMyDAF to inspire more charitable giving. Over the last four years, they’ve contributed millions in matching funds, rallied donors and nonprofits, and created a community that has moved over $50 million to nonprofits. With the goal of creating more economic, gender and racial equity, Jennifer has also been investing with women-of-color fund managers. Jennifer and David live in San Francisco, where David is CEO of Lyft. Jennifer loves playing and watching tennis and spending time with her two twenty-something daughters. She is on the board of Women Moving Millions and is a member of Women Donors Network and Solidaire.