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Debbie Stanley
With over a decade in the accounting world working with hundreds of grieving families, Debbie was plagued by her clients’ needs regarding estate administration. Every day, she faced the frustration of families trying to resolve estates without fully understanding what lay before them. Debbie felt the call to clarify this process for Canadians, from comprehending the mountains of official paperwork to even the simple things like closing a loved one’s social media presence. In 2017, Debbie founded ETP Canada; in 2022, Debbie founded an online video course across Canada called Executor Ready. Connect with Debbie here.
Easing life after death by getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, Debbie Stanley
- Contributed By: Debbie Stanley
Tell us a little something about your business...
Founded by Debbie Stanley, ETP Canada is a boutique firm located in Guelph Ontario that specializes in Estate Administration. ETP Canada helps Executors navigate their role, while providing hands on support through services such as Executor Support, Estate Accounting, and Professional Executor services. While it’s not simple, the goal at ETP Canada is to help people breathe a sigh of relief so that they understand what is happening and what to do next when dealing with a loved one’s estate. ETP Canada has recently launched Executor Ready, which is an online based course designed to help make Estate Administration easier to navigate for Executors across Canada. Today, ETP Canada continues to be at the forefront for educating families about the complexities of Estate Administration, while aiming to ease life after death for Canadians.
When was your lightbulb moment?
I used to work in public accounting, managing a high-net-worth practice and dealing with estates. Every day I dealt with families on their estate plans or after they lost a spouse, however, I had to keep the conversations within the tax realm and stay on track for my billable hours. Once day I had a widow who came in to talk about her late husband’s taxes and she really wasn’t interested in what I had to say. She needed help closing the Rogers account, donating his clothes, etc. I couldn’t help her because it was not within the tax bubble of what I could offer her. I went home that night knowing I needed to create a business that could help families with the estate administration that involved more than looking at people through a tax or legal lens.
What are your three words of advice?
Plan, do, check, change
I have been using this model for personal and business, and it really helps me manage things into small realistic chunks before getting overwhelmed and not doing anything
Three words of advice...
see above
With over a decade in the accounting world working with hundreds of grieving families, Debbie was plagued by her clients’ needs regarding estate administration. Every day, she faced the frustration of families trying to resolve estates without fully understanding what lay before them. Debbie felt the call to clarify this process for Canadians, from comprehending the mountains of official paperwork to even the simple things like closing a loved one’s social media presence. In 2017, Debbie founded ETP Canada; in 2022, Debbie founded an online video course across Canada called Executor Ready. Connect with Debbie here.
“May your legacy create a footprint of success for the next person who steps into your shoes”
