Pinewood woman now offering financial planning services

Ken Johnston
Editor

Having financial management difficulties? Or trouble working out the details of custody in a divorce? Now there is help available in the area.
Jean Klosowicz of Moneytree Financial Consulting recently relocated from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to Pinewood.
Klosowicz is a certified Professional Financial Planner and Mediator. After about a decade with the Ministry of Natural Resources working in the sciences, she decided it was time for a career change.
She enrolled in both programs and started building a client base in the Sault. However, family reasons lead her to the Pinewood area where her father had a home. She researched the area and discovered that there was a need here, not being met (as far as she knew) by anyone else.
So she moved her two sons, now attending school in Rainy River, to Pinewood and is now open for business in Rainy River, Emo and Fort Frances. She is utilizing office space through Riverside Health Care Facilities and accepts appointments via phone at 483-7758.
On the financial planning side of her business she says she works with clients to, “Make them financially fit!”
Initially she conducts a preliminary interview to assess where a person is at financially. She then works with them to deal with any problems they are having such as debt management, budgeting, etc. She also helps them identify goals both short and long term; goals that are realistic and attainable. All of this is done in the strictest confidence.
The mediation side of her business has really had oomph added to it in recent years with the government basically making mediation the rule of thumb, especially in divorce disputes.
As a third party she sits down with the divorcees and helps them work things such as custody and support out without tying up the court system. “We can usually work things out in a matter of a few hours.” Again all of this is in strictest confidence.
She does charge an hourly fee but can’t put a set cost to either service as, “Every circumstance is different. Some require an hour and others six hours,” explained Klosowicz.
She has already done some mediation in the area and is looking forward to helping as many people as she can.
She does not sell any financial products, such as RRSPs, as she wants to remain completely objective when making recommendations to clients.
“The biggest challenge on the financial side is getting them (clients) to establish new financial habits. It is only as successful as the client can make it.”
“The biggest challenge on the mediation side is getting people to bend as there is often hurt and pain between them.”
Klosowicz also does premarital financial counselling and also hopes to teach financial planning seminars in the future.
She urges those who think they have a need for her services to call her Monday to Friday at 483-7758. “We can get started over the phone or arrange to meet in person.”