Our Team

Certified Financial Planner
TRF Wealth Management Inc.

Chartered Professional Accountant
TRF Group Chartred Accountants P.C. Inc.

Senior Financial Advisor
Assante Financial Management Ltd.

Donavon Tofin is at the centre of The Retiring Farmer ™ Wealth Management Process. As the original creator of The Retiring Farmer™ concept, he believes in the importance of financial planning for farmers, ranging from the management and monitoring of their financial and tax affairs, to assisting with their estate matters.

He has over thirty years of experience working with farm families and the Saskatchewan agriculture community, concentrating primarily on farm succession and restructure strategies integrating his expertise with income tax, investment management, insurance, retirement and estate planning.

Don received his Bachelor of Commerce degree with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan in 1979, his Chartered Accountant designation in 1981, and his Certified Financial Planner designation in 1999. He practiced with an international firm of Chartered Accountants until 1983 after which time he managed his own public practice as well as being involved in private industry. Don joined Assante Financial Management Ltd. in 2000 to integrate professional investment counselling into The Retiring Farmer™ concept.

Darcy Kendall is a Chartered Professional Accountant with experience in providing personal, corporate, and trust related tax services to farmers in the Canadian agriculture community.

He received his Chartered Accountant designation in 2010 and practiced with one of the top national firms of Chartered Accountants where he managed his own client base.

In 2012, he joined The Retiring Farmer™ Wealth Management Process team where he continues to assist farm families by providing tax planning and various other professional services.

Living in Outlook, Saskatchewan, Darcy also continues to be involved in the family farm. In his spare time, Darcy enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family.

Brenton Marchuk is a Chartered Professional Accountant with experience in providing personal, corporate, and trust related tax services to farmers in the Canadian agriculture community. He has written articles for the Western Producer and other agriculture publications.

He received his Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2016 while working at one of the big four international firms. Brenton subsequently completed the CPA In-Depth Tax program in 2019.  

In 2019, he joined The Retiring Farmer™ Wealth Management Process team where he continues to assist farm families by providing tax planning, succession planning, and various other professional services.

Kristina Gunningham joined The Retiring Farmer™ Wealth Management Process team in October of 2015 as a Senior Administrative Assistant. Kristina also works with the TRF Chartered Accountants P.C. to ensure quality material is delivered to the client in the areas of financial statements and tax returns. She also provides support to the Marketing team in various administrative duties.

In 2005, Kristina graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 2008, she attended the Walter Murray Administrative Assistant program and graduated top of her class with honours. In her spare time, Kristina enjoys spending time with her two young boys, riding horses, and playing with her dogs.

Information coming soon

Information coming soon

Melvin Gerspacher is a managing partner of Robertson Stromberg LLP, a Saskatoon-based law firm with a team of lawyers experienced in a wide range of practice areas. Melvin is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer with particular expertise in taxation issues. His main role is to assist our clients with their farm restructure.

Melvin received a Bachelor of Commerce degree with Distinction in 1977 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978, both from the University of Saskatchewan. He was called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1979 and achieved his Chartered Accountant designation in 1981. From 1979 to 1988, prior to joining Robertson Stromberg LLP, Melvin worked in the tax group of the Saskatoon office of a national accounting firm, where he gained experience in a wide range of tax consulting matters. He was also involved in the initial public offering of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. and in the organization of Ag Growth Income Fund.

The team behind The Retiring Farmer™ Wealth Management Process work in conjunction with Robertson Stromberg LLP to deliver comprehensive wealth management solutions to their clients.

As an Investment Counsellor, Paul Lester provides portfolio management services and his experience to our high net worth clients in the Assante Private Client program. In this role, in consultation with our team’s knowledge of our clients’ circumstances, he determines an appropriate asset allocation to best meet their objectives. He also provides ongoing review of client portfolios, and works closely with our Wealth Planning team to ensure that our clients’ investment plans continue to meet their needs.

He brings over 35 years of diverse financial services experience to his role at Assante Private Client. Prior to joining our team in 2008, he held various senior positions with Canadian chartered banks, specializing in the area of discretionary wealth planning. He was also Vice-President of Client Services and Business Development for a major investment council firm operating out of Winnipeg.

He has earned both the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and the Financial Management Advisor (FMA) designations.

Brianna joined The Retiring Farmer™ Wealth Management Process team in 2014 as a Marketing Associate. Working alongside the team, Brianna developed the Canadian Farm Learning Centre; an online education program designed to assist farm business managers in learning more about managing the financial aspects of a farm business.

Brianna’s previous work experience is heavily rooted in marketing research and social media. Working alongside Fortune 500 companies at both Vision Critical and Hootsuite, Brianna’s main responsibilities were to assist her clients in understanding consumer behavior.

Terran joined Assante Financial Management Ltd. in May 2005 as a Service Associate in the Saskatoon Office. With the growth of The Retiring Farmer™ Wealth Management Process, Terran’s role has evolved to Marketing Associate, attending farm shows and organizing seminars to help bring issues Saskatchewan farming families may encounter to the forefront. In his spare time, Terran is busy with his family.

Information coming soon

Dana joined The Retiring Farmer™ Wealth Management Process team in 2012 at the Outlook location as a Service Associate. She identified the move to a farming community as what would drive her professionally and personally. Her opportunities to develop her skills and career base at Meyers Norris Penny helped her realize that she had a strong interest in the operations of business.

She treasures working with a company that values their team and is truly committed to provide the best client service they can. With 14 years’ experience in the administrative industry, primarily in servicing the Saskatchewan market, she has been able to help develop the company from within. She was born and raised in the province of Saskatchewan and was fortunate to live in or around some of the communities we service. In her spare time, Dana enjoys the outdoors, photography and spending time with her family. She is also a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals.