Paul W. Lermitte – My Story

I serve multi-generational family businesses as a Family Enterprise Advisor. Over Thirty Years of experience provides me with ample tools to help families of wealth with complex situations as well as those in periods of transition. Leadership development and successor choices are two of the most challenging responsibilities for family business decision-makers. I’ve been very strategic in the design of Legacy Family Office of Assante Financial Management Ltd. so that our team is able to effectively serve the whole family and their unique scenario. I always seek to strategically design something bigger and better for our clients – be it their family or their business. Ultimately, our goal is to design a plan that gives our clients total control of their wealth, which results in a happier, healthier end game.

Ensuring the next generation of leaders are well-prepared is also important to family business continuity. At Legacy Family Office, we help parents teach their children financial literacy, work ethic and business acumen from an early age. We also run an annual “Financial Boot Camp” for young adults to give them a solid financial foundation. We strongly believe in generosity and a philosophy of gratitude and giving back. We will continue to write books, design tools and deliver programs to strengthen the families we serve.

My wife Jan and I actively support and serve several youth and community charities as nearby as downtown and as far away as Haiti and Africa. We love travelling, music, art and sports, but family is my number one priority. We are especially blessed to have grandchildren with whom we love spending time.

As a six-year old, my life’s purpose was to be a fighter pilot but my life’s path was actually defined by my paper route. I started selling papers when I was seven, and by the time I was ten, I had earned the title, “Paperboy of the Year”. I saved up my pennies, so to speak, and invested in my first GIC when I was in grade 5. Little did I know that would be a critical turning point in my life – I became fascinated that my money could make money! When I realized at 28 that becoming a fighter pilot likely wasn’t possible, I pivoted my career focus to tax and investments and I’ve never looked back.