Legal

Disclaimer

Last updated: July 7, 2026

Everything on this website is for general education only. It is not personal financial advice and it does not create a planner–client relationship between you and Maria Smith. If you want advice tailored to your situation, please book a clarity call and engage Maria as your planner in writing.

1. General Information Only

The content on https://mariasmithfinancialplanning.com (the “Site”) — including blog posts, articles, calculators, downloadable resources, newsletters, videos, and other materials — is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is intended to help you think more clearly about your financial life. It is not a substitute for personalized advice from a qualified professional who knows your specific situation.

Every person’s financial circumstances are different. Strategies, ideas, or information that may be appropriate for one person may be inappropriate — or even harmful — for another.

Information on the Site may also become outdated as laws, tax rules, contribution limits, market conditions, and product offerings change over time.

2. No Advisor–Client Relationship

Viewing the Site, reading our content, subscribing to the newsletter, downloading a resource, completing a calculator, or sending us an inquiry does not create a planner–client, advisor–client, fiduciary, or any other professional relationship between you and Maria Smith or Maria Smith Financial Planning.

A planner–client relationship is established only when you and Maria Smith Financial Planning sign a written engagement agreement (Letter of Engagement) and you have paid the agreed-upon fee. Any communications you have with us before — including emails, intake forms, exploratory calls, or chat — are exploratory only and should not be relied upon as professional advice.

3. Not Investment, Insurance, Legal, Tax, or Accounting Advice

Maria Smith Financial Planning provides advice-only financial planning. We do not:

  • Manage investments, custody assets, or place trades on your behalf;
  • Recommend specific securities, mutual funds, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, or other individual investment products;
  • Sell insurance products or earn insurance commissions;
  • Provide legal advice, draft legal documents, or act as your lawyer;
  • Prepare tax returns or act as your accountant;
  • Provide cross-border tax or financial advice.

Where any of these services are appropriate for your situation, we will refer you to a qualified professional in that field. Nothing on the Site constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security or insurance product, or a solicitation to enter into any investment, insurance, legal, or tax engagement.

4. Forward-Looking Statements, Examples, and Calculators

The Site may include forward-looking statements, projections, hypothetical examples, case studies, sample numbers, and interactive tools (such as the financial fragility calculator). These are illustrative only. They rely on assumptions that may not hold true for you, and they cannot account for everything that influences your real-world financial outcomes.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Any historical data, rates, or returns referenced on the Site are provided for context only and should not be relied upon as predictive of future performance.

5. Accuracy, Errors, and Currency of Information

We make reasonable efforts to ensure that content on the Site is accurate and helpful at the time it is published. However, we make no representations or warranties of any kind — express or implied — about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, timeliness, or availability of the information, products, services, or related materials on the Site.

If you spot something that looks wrong or out of date, please let us know at hello@mariasmithfinancialplanning.com — we appreciate the heads-up.

6. Third-Party Content, Products, and Links

The Site may reference, link to, or describe third-party websites, articles, books, courses, products, services, rates, or offerings. References to third-party content are provided for convenience and information only — they are not endorsements, and we do not control or guarantee the content, availability, accuracy, or terms of those third parties.

Third-party rates, fees, features, and terms can change without notice. You are responsible for doing your own due diligence before engaging with any third party. Any decisions you make based on third-party information are your own.

7. Comments and User Submissions

Where comments, reviews, or other user submissions are permitted on the Site, the views expressed by commenters and contributors are their own. They do not necessarily represent the views of Maria Smith or Maria Smith Financial Planning, and they should not be taken as professional advice. We reserve the right (but accept no obligation) to moderate, edit, or remove comments and submissions at our discretion.

8. Testimonials

Any testimonials featured on the Site reflect the experience of specific clients. They are shared with permission and, where requested, kept anonymous. Testimonials are not paid and are not guarantees of future results. Your experience will vary based on your goals, circumstances, level of engagement, and many factors outside our control.

9. Compensation and Independence

Maria Smith Financial Planning operates on an advice-only, fee-for-service basis. Our planning clients are the only people who pay us for advice. We do not earn commissions, kickbacks, trailing fees, or referral fees for recommending any financial product, platform, or provider. We are not paid by banks, fund companies, insurance companies, or other financial product providers.

10. Jurisdiction and Residency

Maria Smith Financial Planning is based in Alberta, Canada. Our services and content are designed for Canadian residents, primarily in Alberta. Some content may also be useful to residents of other Canadian provinces — but tax rules, registered-account rules, pension rules, and regulatory regimes vary by province and country.

We do not provide cross-border (Canada–US) planning, U.S. tax advice, or planning for residents outside of Canada. If you are reading this from another jurisdiction, the information on the Site may not apply to your circumstances, and we encourage you to consult a qualified professional licensed in your jurisdiction.

11. Your Responsibility

You are solely responsible for your own financial decisions. You should not act, or refrain from acting, on the basis of information on the Site without first obtaining personalized advice from a qualified professional. By using the Site, you acknowledge that any reliance on the content is at your own risk.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Maria Smith, Maria Smith Financial Planning, and our contributors, contractors, and affiliates will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages — including but not limited to lost profits, lost savings, lost data, loss of opportunity, or financial loss — arising out of or in connection with your access to, use of, or inability to use the Site or any of its content.

This limitation applies even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages, and applies whether the claim is based on contract, tort (including negligence), statute, or otherwise.

Nothing in this disclaimer is intended to exclude or limit any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

13. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise noted, all content on the Site — including text, graphics, logos, downloadable resources, calculators, and trademarks — is owned by or licensed to Maria Smith Financial Planning and is protected by Canadian and international intellectual property laws. You may share short excerpts with proper attribution and a link back to the original page. Republishing, redistributing, or selling our content without prior written permission is not permitted.

14. Changes to This Disclaimer

We may update this Disclaimer from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Disclaimer.

15. Governing Law

This Disclaimer is governed by the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Alberta, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or related to your use of the Site shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Alberta.

16. Contact

Questions about this Disclaimer? Please contact us at hello@mariasmithfinancialplanning.com.