Finance Monthly M&A Awards 2019 - Winners Edition

FINANCE MONTHLY M&A AWARDS 2019 57 ABOUT SHERI MACMILLAN Sheri MacMillan is the Founder of MacMillan Estate Planning Corporation, an internationally elite estate planning firm with offices in Canada, the UK and the US, serving as a highly respected industry leader. Her career as an estate planner was born out of a gift for caring, coupled with her financial smarts. Safeguarding Significance has been her driving purpose in founding MacMillan Estate Planning. For over 20 years, Sheri has empowered her clients to do more with their fortune, crafting platforms of purpose to foster more joy, more giving, and help architect her clients’ legacies – while they are still living. Sheri has been a leading authority on AM770 “Talk to the Experts” for the last 15 years. Due to such great demand, Sheri now shares this message via Strongroom Radio where she educates families by offering insight and creative solutions to attaining and protecting family fortune and legacies. Sheri is also an active member of the following industry organizations: • The Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners • The Estate Planning Council of Calgary • The Canadian Association of Gift Planners • The Canadian Academy of Senior Advisors • The Canadian Initiative for Elder Planning Studies Sheri proudly contributes to local charitable organizations and is responsible for establishing the Canadian Entity of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, operating the most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation programs in the world. Sheri is so passionate about the cause that she has pledged to donate the first $1M to the Trust. Proving her expertise time and time again, Sheri has also earned several awards in recognition for all of her hard work. MacMillan Estate Planning has been named Finance Monthly’s Canadian Trust Planning Advisory Firm of the Year for the 2018 M&A Awards. To our great pride, Sheri has also been honoured with a 2018 Leaders of Tomorrow Award from Business in Calgary. Sheri is integrity and care and compassion all integrated with ironclad business savvy and a strong sense of purpose. Safeguarding Significance for her clients has been a driving purpose since founding MacMillan Estate Planning. Calgary where our headquarters are. Due to their busy schedules and travels, we often have to set up virtual meetings, by phone or by Skype, and this is just a natural extension of the work we do. This made us realise that working with clients from different jurisdictions is not difficult at all – it’s just a combination of virtual planning and occasionally meeting with them either when they’re in Canada or travelling to where they are when there’s a planning portion that needs to be done in person. Overall, our aim is to have an office in every jurisdiction and we’re currently in the process of looking into opening a Hong Kong office. I’m looking forward to the day when we manage to achieve this, but for now, we still manage to provide the exact same services to both clients who live remotely and clients who live where our four offices are. What has been your proudest moment at MacMillan? My proudest moment was when I helped a couple who had been married for over 50 years. During these five decades, they had created their estate plan to benefit both themselves and their children through retirement. This couple had promised each other that they would die in the same year. About six months after the completion of their estate plan, the husband came to us on his own and suggested that he’s not as healthy as his wife and that he wasn’t certain if he could keep the promise. However, he came up with an idea – he showed us a shoebox filled with pre-made anniversary cards - enough card for every year until his wife would turn 100 - and he asked us if we could send flowers and one of those cards every year until his wife passes away. This gentleman understood that his life’s work was about love, and he demonstrated it—as, I believe, we all should as well. What are your aspirations for the future of your company? I hope that MacMillan becomes a legacy in the community and a pillar that families can rely upon for generations to come. Our goal is to set the standard for estate planning by emphasising that it is not just about minimising tax or creating a will – we want to make sure that our clients’ life plan is fulfilled and that their beliefs and values are passed onto their children. Q Q