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The Financial Engineer - Steve MacLellan , P.Eng

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The Financial Engineer - Steve MacLellan , P.Eng

Helping incorporated consultants and business owners all over Canada to reduce tax and better use of retained earnings. Hello there. Not a 3/10.

I engineer peace of mind so you can focus on what matters most and create an even greater impact. I’m Steve MacLellan - The Financial Engineer | Author | Financial & Tax Planning Expert

What do you feel the role of your financial planner should be? Should they fill you head with complex financial jargon, graphs, and bar charts or should they help you seek empowerment and straightforward wealth s

trategies that actually work? Let's push through the noise! We know money is not just math and stats, it's emotional. And it can be very emotional. We also know that once making money becomes easy, the hard part for most is keeping it. Taxes, fees, mismanagement, and social pressures are major obstacles for you to reach and maintain financial independence. I'm a husband of 1 and a proud dad of 3. I'm also a recovering engineer who now owns Design Your Future Financial Services, an independent firm that helps consultants and business owners with our trusted financial knowledge and experience. Our goal is to help you grow, control, and keep what you build instead of losing your hard-earned money to taxes, fees, loss, and the unknown. With our unbiased and independent financial plans based on your vision, values, and goals - we will get your financial house in complete order. Not a 7/10, but a 10/10! You can achieve and maintain your financial independence regardless of what is happening in the markets, economy, and news. Whether you're a female leader breaking glass ceilings or an entrepreneur shaping the future, let's turn your financial goals into realities. It's our belief if you had more control and access to your money, you will focus on what's truly important - your career, health, and relationships. This will make our communities even better for today and future generations!! Ready to take control, get your freedom back, and create more impact? Apply by simply sending us a DM or by booking a quick and friendly phone call at

www.TheFinancialEngineer.ca

P.S.: Does your financial planner offer a commission-back guarantee? Probably not, but we do! Find out why and let's Design An Even Better Future!

--> Buy and listen to 'Grow, Control, and Keep Your Money" on Amazon at www.TheFinancialEngineer.ca

--> For the fastest results, Apply for our services by clicking the big green button on www.TheFinancialEngineer.ca

06/03/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀?

The one that works, easy to implement, and offers both growth and protection.

𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗧𝗙 + 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 = 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼.

For incorporated consultants and business owners, the old 60/40 balanced mutual fund is no longer the best answer. It never was...

Not because balance is bad. The problem is how most balanced funds are built with high fees, bond drag, tax drag, and very little control.

There is a better way.

The growth side can be simple - Ask me, another good advisor, or any DIY investor:

A low-fee, globally diversified, all-equity ETF can give you exposure to thousands of companies around the world and can be an excellent long-term growth engine. The difference between the advisor and DIY is that a good advisor will help you maintain the course during bad, good, and great times - most DIY investors fall victim to emotional investing, that's why most lose money in the markets instead of growing it.

Now let’s talk about the other side of the portfolio.

Instead of using bonds as the “safe” portion, I believe a properly designed whole life policy can be a much better fit for many incorporated business owners.

But here’s the catch.

Most (almost all) whole life policies are designed poorly with too expensive insurance, too little cash value, and too inflexible.

That is not what I design.

The policies I design are cash-rich, insurance-light, flexible, and built for efficiency.

Done properly, whole life can provide:

• Stability
• Liquidity
• Tax-sheltered growth
• Access to capital
• Corporate planning advantages
• A powerful estate benefit through the Capital Dividend Account

This is not about choosing ETFs or whole life.

It’s about using both properly.

Let's do even better!

Let's Design An Even Better Future!!

05/29/2026

Friday Fun Financial Fact from ✨Steve MacLellan, P.Eng - The Financial Engineer✨:

“Small business owners in Canada are not the backbone of the economy... they are the economy!!”

Are you thinking about leaving Canada?

Let me guess why...

High taxes and bad weather.

I’ve been getting more inquiries from business owners thinking about moving their business and money out of Canada.

I can’t do much about the weather, but if we could reduce your taxes by a meaningful amount, would that change your mind?

Here’s what happened with one client.

They were pulling money out of their corporation whenever they needed it.
And they needed a lot. Their accountant put them on payroll at $350,000 per year so CRA would be paid in advance.

That solved the surprise tax bill problem, but it did not solve the real problem - They were still paying a huge amount in tax.

My design was different.

Instead of pulling everything out personally and then investing personally, we changed the structure.

We used a Health Spending Account, invested inside the corporation, eliminated personal insurance costs, contributed to their RRSP, created a better salary and dividend mix, and opened a properly designed whole life policy inside the corporation.

The result?

They needed to pay themselves $74,800 less personally.

Their personal tax bill dropped from approximately $150,500 to $89,352.
After accounting for the additional corporate tax, that is about $50,125 in total tax savings this year alone!

The goal is to grow, control, and keep more of your money so you can focus on what truly matters.

And $50,125 saved in one year?

That buys a pretty nice escape from a Canadian winter, don’t you think?

I’m here to help Canadian business owners. This country needs you!! DM for more details

Let’s Do Even Better!!
Let’s Design An Even Better Future!!!

05/28/2026

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮?

Let me guess why...

High taxes and bad weather.

I’ve been getting more inquiries than I would like to admit from business owners who are thinking about moving their business and money out of Canada.

I can’t do much about the weather. But if we could reduce your taxes by a significant amount, would that change your mind?

Here’s what was happening with one of my clients who was fed up with Canada.

They were pulling money out of their corporation whenever they needed it. They needed a lot.

They were hit with a huge “surprise” tax bill that stung. Their accountant eventually put them on payroll at $350,000 per year so CRA would be paid in advance.

That solved the surprise tax bill problem, but it didn’t solve the actual problem. They were still paying a huge amount in personal taxes.

My design was different.

Instead of pulling everything out personally and then investing, we:

$$$ Used $30,000 through a Health Spending Account
$$$ Invested $40,000 inside their corporation
$$$ Eliminated $4,800 per year of personal insurance costs
$$$ Contributed $27,000 to their RRSP
$$$ Created a better mix of salary and dividends
$$$ Opened a properly designed whole life policy inside their corporation

The result?

We reduced how much they needed to pay themselves personally by $74,800.

Their personal tax bill dropped from approximately $150,500 to $89,352, dropping their average tax rate from 43% to 36%.

After accounting for the additional corporate tax, that is approximately $50,125 in total tax savings this year alone.

And we are not stopping there.

Future benefits from properly using their Capital Dividend Account, dividend tax credits, and collateral loan strategies can reduce taxes even further while helping grow what they built.

The goal is to grow, control, AND keep your money of it so you can focus on what truly matters.

𝗜’𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

What would you do with an $50,125/year? That buys a pretty nice escape from a Canadian winter, don't you think?

05/27/2026

I have a client who was seriously thinking about leaving Canada.

Why?

High taxes and bad weather.

I told them I couldn’t do much about the weather, but if we could reduce their taxes, maybe they could spend more time somewhere warm during our winters.

Here’s what was happening for a while... They were pulling money out of their corporation whenever they needed it. They ended up needing a lot and was then hit with huge "surprise" tax bill at tax time.

Their accountant eventually put them on payroll at $350,000 per year so CRA would be paid in advance.

That solved the surprise tax bill problem, but not the actual problem... they were still paying approximately $150,500 in personal taxes.

Ouch.

My design was different.

Instead of pulling everything personally and then investing personally, we:

$$$ Used $30,000 through a Health Spending Account

$$$ Invested $40,000 inside their corporation

$$$ Eliminated $4,800 per year of personal insurance costs

$$$ Contributed $27,000 to their RRSP

$$$ Created a better mix of salary and dividends

$$$ Opened a properly designed whole life policy inside their corporation

The result?

We reduced how much they needed to pay themselves personally by $74,800.

Their personal tax bill dropped from approximately $150,500 to $89,352.

Their average tax rate dropped from 43% to 36%.

That is a savings of approximately $50,125 per year in taxes (including INC taxes) this year alone!

AND we are not stopping there!! Future benefits of using their Capital Dividend Account, dividend tax credits, and collateral loan strategies will reduce their taxes even further while growing what they built!

This is another example of it's not how much money you make that matters most. It's how much you get to keep!

The goal is not just to grow your money.

The goal is to grow it, control it, and keep more of it so you can focus on what truly matters.

And $50,125 saved after one year of working with me?

That buys a pretty nice escape from a Canadian winter, don't you think?

Be healthy, be wealthy, be wise. Push through the noise!

Let’s Do Even Better!!

Let’s Design An Even Better Future!!!

05/25/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Great question.

And if you’re an incorporated consultant or business owner, it’s probably one of the most important questions you can ask.

Most business owners do one of three things:

1. They leave the money sitting there.
2. They pull too much out personally.
3. They invest it without understanding the tax consequences.

That last one can cost you more than you think. A lot more.

Once your corporation earns more than $50,000 of passive investment income, CRA starts grinding down your Small Business Deduction. For every $1 of passive income over $50,000, $5 of active business income can lose access to the small business tax rate.

Another example of how small business owners can feel punished for doing what they should be doing.

So, what should you do?

Another great question.

In my opinion, the answer is usually a smart mix of:

$$$ Low-fee ETFs for long-term growth, AND

$$$ A properly designed whole life policy for stability, liquidity, and control

The ETF side gives you smart access to the market.

The properly designed whole life policy can act like a tax-efficient, high-interest savings account inside your corporation AND the growth inside the policy is not treated the same way as passive investment income, so it does not create the same SBD grind issue.

That matters big time.

Because the goal is not just to grow your money. The goal is to grow it, control it, and keep more of it so you can focus on what truly matters.

We can help you with that...

Be healthy, be wealthy, be wise. Push through the noise!

Let’s Do Even Better!!

Let’s Design An Even Better Future!!!

05/20/2026

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?

Consultants across Canada can legally reduce taxes, but most are never shown the full picture.

Why?

Because most financial advice is focused on products… not strategy.

The truth is, once your income grows beyond what you personally need to live on, your corporation becomes one of the most powerful wealth-building tools available in Canada.

Here are some of the most effective legal tax reduction strategies consultants use:

𝟭. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁)

Many consultants immediately pull all their income personally and get crushed by personal tax rates. Do this instead:

- pay yourself what you need
- leave excess profits inside the corporation
- invest retained earnings tax-efficiently

This creates more long-term compounding power.

𝟮. 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘃𝘀. 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but a general rule of thumb is $70K in salary and the rest in dividends. The right mix depends on:

- your income needs
- CPP considerations
- your province's tax brackets

Optimizing compensation can save thousands annually.

𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Most consultants only focus on RRSPs and TFSAs.

But incorporated business owners should focus on investing inside their INC first, with the future use of their CDA, DTC, and collateral loans.

𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆

Most people think insurance is just an expense, but when designed properly, it can be a huge asset that:

- creates tax-advantaged growth
- creates liquidity
- becomes part of a long-term wealth strategy

𝟱. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 (𝗛𝗦𝗔)

An HSA can allow business owners to pay for many medical expenses using INC $$ as an expense.

5 simple ways to grow, control, and keep your money!!

Let's do even better! Let's Design An Even Better Future!!

05/18/2026

Most Canadians think Victoria Day means fireworks, BBQs, and the unofficial start of summer, but historically it means much more than that.

Victoria Day tells part of the story of how Canada became Canada.

Queen Victoria ruled during one of the most important periods in Canadian history. During her reign:

• Canada gained responsible government
• She picked Ottawa as the capital
• Confederation happened in 1867
• Canada began its slow move from colony to country

In the 1800s, the Crown represented stability, protection, identity, and the fear of being attacked by the United States was real - in fact, they invaded Canada during the War of 1812.

For early Canadians, loyalty to the Crown was not just tradition, it was part of how we stayed separate, stable, and Canadian.

Today, Canada still sends roughly $58 million per year to the monarchy. To many, including yours truly, that seems outdated.

Others see it as the cost of maintaining a constitutional system that helped create one of the most stable democracies in the world.

Either way, Victoria Day is more than a long weekend. It is a reminder that Canada’s path was different and not always clear. That we still lack identity unsure if we are a British Colony, part of the common wealth, or simply not American.

What path do you think we are on now? Is it clear?

Regardless, Happy Victoria Day!!

05/15/2026

Friday Fun Financial Fact from ✨Steve MacLellan, P.Eng - The Financial Engineer✨: “T𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦.”undefined

What's the best strategy?

My answer: It’s not the traditional 60/40 balanced mutual fund you get at the bank.

That strategy may have worked for your parents when bonds paid decent interest, were considered low risk, and when taxes were simpler.

But for incorporated business owners in 2026?

There's a better way.

I call it the New and Improved Couch Potato Investment Strategy.

You need two things working together.

𝟭. 𝗔 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲
This could be a low-cost, globally diversified equity ETF that are designed to give you exposure to thousands of companies around the world without trying to guess the next winner. Think all-in-one ETFs that are simple, low cost, and globally diversified.

𝟮. 𝗔 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁
This is where a properly designed participating whole life policy can play a powerful role.

Not the kind designed for maximum insurance, the kind I design to be cash-rich, insurance-light, built for control, and acts as the stable portion of your wealth portfolio.

The cash value grows tax-sheltered and never goes down - that matters because when the market drops 30%, you do not want to be forced to sell your equities at the worst possible time.

The goal is not to make investing complicated.

The goal is to engineer a portfolio that helps you stay calm, focus on what truly matters, and stay in control when everyone else is panicking. To grow, control, and keep your money!

So here’s the question:

Are you still relying on the old 60/40 story, or is it time to consider the new and improved version?

Be healthy, be wealthy, be wise. Push through the noise!

Let's Do Even Better!!
Let’s Design An Even Better Future!!!

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