The taxes that change your life don’t come from the rules. They come from your life.

Not a CPA — that’s an important distinction. TaxOnTax Advisory is a public business accounting practice (PBA), not a CPA firm, a law firm, or a registered investment dealer.

For established clients, the practice does handle the technical compliance work a PBA is qualified to do: personal (T1) and corporate (T2) tax returns, T3 estate returns for graduated rate estates, and compiled financial statements prepared to the VeriGuide compilation standards developed for PBAs — on a “compiled without audit or review” basis, not the assurance work reserved for CPAs.

That said, the heart of this practice — and what these tools, the book, and the Discovery Meeting are built around — is the advisory side: helping you understand the tax consequences of your decisions before you make them, and connecting the separate pieces into one plan. The compliance work supports clients we already know well; the strategy work is the front door.

It’s a focused, one-hour working session — not a sales pitch. In that hour we look at where you are across the 12 life events that quietly rewrite your taxes, identify which ones are live for you right now, and pinpoint the decisions worth planning before the window to plan closes. You leave with clarity on what to address and what questions to bring to your other professionals. If a deeper engagement makes sense, we’ll say so — and if it doesn’t, we’ll say that too.

Most accountants are exceptional at the technical execution — the filings, the compliance, the returns. But those conversations often happen in isolation: the person handling your corporation isn’t talking to the person thinking about your estate, who isn’t talking to whoever advises your investments. The 12Event model connects those separate decisions into one planned journey, so the pieces work together rather than against each other. For some clients the practice handles the compliance work too; for others it works alongside the accountant, lawyer, and advisor you already have. Either way, the value is the connected strategy — not a turf war over your file.

Yes — this is a core focus. As a Certified Executor Advisor (CEA), Derik provides calm, practical guidance through the months that matter most: the deadlines, the clearance certificate, the final returns, and the order of operations that protects you, since executors carry personal liability. Start with the free Executor 30-Day Roadmap on this site to see the timeline for your situation, then book a Discovery Meeting if you’d like guidance through it. For the legal grant of probate itself, you’ll still want an estate lawyer — we’ll help you understand exactly when and why.

They’re educational illustrations, not personalized advice. They show how the mechanics work — how CPP and OAS timing shift your benefit, how salary and dividends compare, what probate costs by province — using figures current as of the date shown. Your actual situation has variables a calculator can’t see. Treat them as a way to understand the levers, then bring your real numbers to a Discovery Meeting where the strategy conversation belongs.

Not at all. TaxOnTax: The 12Event Planning Model is a plain-language guide for anyone who wants to understand the full arc on their own time — from a first paycheque to the legacy you leave behind. It’s a complete resource by itself, and it’s also a natural companion if you work with the practice. Read it before, after, or instead — whatever serves you.

The practice is based in Edmonton, Alberta, and the deepest expertise is in Alberta and federal Canadian tax. The 12Event framework and the education apply across Canada, and provincial specifics — like the probate differences you’ll see in the calculator — are part of the conversation. If you’re outside Alberta, reach out and we’ll be straight with you about where we can help directly and where you’re better served by a local professional.