Innova Wealth - 2025 Year in Review

As we close the books on another year, it feels fair to say that “eventful” has become the norm in financial markets. 2025 certainly did not disappoint on that front.

At one point during the year, U.S. equity markets were down nearly 19%, only to rally and finish the year up approximately 16%, despite persistent inflation concerns and elevated geopolitical tensions. With the recent incursion into Venezuela, 2026 is already announcing itself as another year that may test investor confidence. While headlines change, uncertainty itself is nothing new, and it is something we have navigated together many times over.

A Year of Consolidation

From Innova’s perspective, 2025 was intentionally approached as a year of consolidation following the momentous changes of 2024, which included: 

• Transition to a new custodian at CI Investor Services,
• Integration of Sound Financial Strategies,
• Addition of new partner-track advisors (Julie and Ben)

This past year was about absorbing those changes thoughtfully and putting the right foundations in place for the years ahead.

A great deal of time was invested in developing our Service Advisors and expanding their involvement across existing client relationships. At the same time, we worked to normalize the client experience across the firm so that families receive a consistent, high-quality experience regardless of which advisor they work with.

This work was formalized through our Best Practices initiative, known internally as The Innova Way playbook, and supported by the continued development of custom software designed specifically around how we serve our clients.  Work on this initiative will continue to be of primary strategic importance to Innova into 2026.

Continued Growth, Built on Trust

Even in a year focused on consolidation, Innova experienced another year of meaningful growth.

• Assets under Administration grew to more than $825 million (Up from $680 million)
• This represents an increase of over $145 million, or roughly 26%, in assets entrusted to us by our clients this year, with total assets more than doubling since January 2023.
• Near perfect retention of clients with on-book investment assets

We do not take this responsibility lightly. Growth of this nature is not driven by marketing campaigns or short-term performance, but by long-standing relationships and client referrals. Many of the families we now serve come to us through introductions from existing clients, often spanning generations. We view each referral as a responsibility to uphold the standards and values that earned that trust in the first place, and we are deeply grateful for it.

Investment Results Across Our Mandates

All three of our managed mandates delivered strong results during the year, each within the context of its intended role in client portfolios:

• Dedicated Defensive:  +6.45%
• Tactical Asset Allocation:  +13.83%
• Enhanced Growth: +10.91%

Our referral partner, Connor, Clark & Lunn, also delivered exceptionally strong returns for clients this year.

These results reinforce our belief in disciplined portfolio construction, diversification, and staying aligned with long-term objectives rather than reacting to short-term market movements. 

All three of these differentiated strategies saw significant increases in assets within their respective pools, which will continue to translate into lower fees for all investors. We are particularly proud to report that our flagship fund, the Innova Tactical Asset Allocation Private Pool, will see management expense ratios of approximately 0.25% in 2026, pricing that is lower than many diversified exchange-traded funds. Passing the benefits of scale back to investors has always been central to how we view our role as long-term stewards of capital.

Strengthening the Team Behind the Scenes

Throughout 2025, we continued to add depth and experience to our service teams. Two experienced professionals joined us from MD Management and Financial Horizons, strengthening both our investment and insurance support functions.

Having assessed what Innova will require two to three years into the future, we are investing early in recruiting, training, and role development to ensure we remain well staffed and well supported. This forward-looking approach allows us to grow responsibly, maintain service standards, and avoid placing unnecessary pressure on our team during periods of change or increased demand. To that end, two new service associates will be joining Innova in January 2026 to further support our insurance services team and ensure that service capacity keeps pace with the needs of our growing client base. 

Our goal remains simple: ensure that growth never comes at the expense of responsiveness, care, or attention to detail. 

The Launch of Innova Nexus

One of the most significant internal milestones of the year was the successful launch of Innova Nexus, our custom-developed client relationship management platform.

Implemented in August 2025, Nexus now touches nearly every aspect of our business. It provides a centralized, secure home for client information and allows us to deliver more personalized service while also generating consolidated reporting across investments, insurance, tax, and estate planning.

Future enhancements will allow us to:

• Map family trees and relationships
• Model estate distributions, including probate and tax estimates
• Offer clients a secure way to update personal information directly

While technology is never the goal in itself, the right systems allow our team to spend less time navigating processes and more time focused on thoughtful advice and planning.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Managing investments will continue to sit at the core of what we do. Developments at CI Investments, the parent company of Aligned Capital Partners, have opened access to a new range of specialized investment solutions, which we expect to thoughtfully integrate into our pooled fund mandates over the course of 2026.

Our focus will also remain on people and planning:

• Continued development of our Service Advisors
• Creating additional space for senior partners to further specialize in complex planning and investment strategy
• New client engagement initiatives, including estate and executorship webinars
• Lifestyle-oriented workshops focused on travel, sleep, and overall well-being

Estate planning will remain an area of renewed emphasis. While we made progress in 2025, this is an area where we believe we can do more. Our goal is to expand beyond traditional planning discussions and create space for family meetings that address executorship, family cottages, and other sensitive topics in a thoughtful and structured way.

Aligning Our Team Around What Matters Most

During 2025, we made a meaningful shift in how we approach employee goal setting and performance development across the firm. We engaged an independent third-party HR team to help us clearly define Innova’s long-term company objectives and to ensure that individual goals across the organization are aligned with those priorities. This work was undertaken with a simple objective in mind: to ensure that how we run the firm internally continues to translate into better outcomes and a better experience for our clients.

This framework is anchored around three core pillars:

• Client-Centric
  Fostering a culture where every client interaction is an opportunity for a “wow moment,” and where every role contributes to building trust, education, and empowerment.
• Process-Driven
  Equipping team members with the tools and autonomy to improve workflows, reduce friction, and enhance the client experience through accountability and bottom-up innovation.
• Innovative
  Continuously exploring, developing, and implementing new ways to help clients reach their financial goals, while communicating in a manner that reinforces clarity and financial peace of mind.

By aligning individual responsibilities and development plans to these pillars, we are building a firm that operates with greater consistency, accountability, and purpose, all in service of the families who place their trust in us.

A Long-Term View

As always, our guiding principles remain unchanged. Innova was built to be independent, deliberately structured for longevity, and deeply conscious of the stewardship role we play in our clients’ lives.

Markets will rise and fall, headlines will change, and uncertainty will persist. Our commitment to disciplined planning, sound investment management, and continuous improvement remains constant.

On behalf of the entire Innova team, thank you for the trust you place in us. We do not take it for granted, and we look forward to continuing this journey with you in the years ahead. 

Wishing you Health, Wealth, and Happiness for the New Year!

This publication is for informational purposes only and shall not be construed to constitute any form of advice. The views expressed are those of the author alone. Opinions expressed are as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice and information has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable. This publication has been prepared for general circulation and without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it. You should not act or rely on the information without seeking the advice of the appropriate professional.