HALIFAX – Financial planner Marlene Singh has earnestly told her clients that, in order to be financially secure, they should have a lot more money.

“In my professional opinion, I can not stress how important it is to have a lot of money” said Singh. “The best way to get it, is to have your parents give it to you, because you pay less tax then if you earn it yourself.”

“The first question I ask clients is, where do you want to be in 40 years? The second question I always ask is, are you a Rail Baron, a Shipping Heiress, or Bill Gates?” she added.

Singh listed several advantages of having lots of money, including: not having to pay interest on debt, investing the money to earn even more money, paying for non-essential medical care that prevents more invasive procedures in the future, a constant feeling of superiority, and buying stuff.

“I work as a nurse, and my wife is a support worker, so our potential income is capped, but Marlene gave us lots of great ideas!” stated one of Singh’s clients, Partick McGuiness, “like saving the life of a millionaire or owning the Dutch East India company in the 19th century.”

Most financial institutions estimate the average Canadian will need about a million dollars to retire comfortably. People can accrue this wealth by putting their money into real estate, registered retirement saving plans or mutual funds, but experts agree the best way to have a million dollars for future retirement is to already have a million dollars in the present. If managed well, you might then have even more than a million dollars for retirement.

“I know that there is a lot of fancy terms thrown around such as “bonds”, “annuity” or “bank”, but I can say plain and simple it is amazing to have a large amount of wealth.” said Singh. “Especially since financial planner fees can really add up.”