Sapling Financial Consultants Inc.

Since 2022, Canada’s inflation rate has been falling, but for all the wrong reasons. Rising energy prices caused inflation to rise slightly to 1.9% in January 2025. The economic recovery remains uncertain and key indicators like declining GDP per capita and stagnant productivity are highlighting underlying challenges. The Bank of Canada’s rate cuts since June 2024 were intended to stimulate growth, but these cuts may not be enough to address issues like low business investment and restrictive policies. Without strong leadership and long-term strategies to drive innovation, Canada risks stagnation and deflation. Deflation is like a slow leak. Once spending stalls, productivity declines and foreign investment evaporates, reviving the economy becomes a steep challenge. #SaplingFinancialConsultants #Inflation #Canada

According to Deloitte's CFO Signals survey, 40% of CFOs are prioritizing the digital transformation of finance in 2025, cost optimization (40%) and enterprise risk management (42%). As businesses look to optimize operations and enhance decision-making capabilities, digital transformation has become a key strategy. We specialize in helping businesses leverage technology to streamline workflows, improve accuracy, and drive growth. Our digital transformation service evaluates and transforms your finances, operations, and processes to align with your business goals. From conducting thorough systems analysis to recommending software solutions and optimizing your processes, we help you integrate the right technologies to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and enable scalable growth. If you're looking to navigate your digital transformation and stay competitive in 2025, reach out to info@saplingfinancial.com. #SaplingFinancialConsultants

In collaboration with Financial Executives International (FEI) Canada, Toronto Chapter, Dave O'Brien, CPA, MFin, Sapling’s Senior Engagement Manager, will be hosting a Financial Stress-Testing for the Impact of Tariffs Webinar on March 6 at 12 p.m. (EST). The ongoing US-Canada trade war has created financial uncertainty for many businesses, making it crucial for CFOs to prepare for the impacts of newly imposed tariffs. Attendees will learn how to effectively stress-test forecasts and budgets to navigate these challenges. Exploring how tariffs can impact profitability, cash flow and pricing strategies and discover practical techniques to assess the financial impact. The webinar will also cover how to adapt your business strategy with recommendations such as adjusting sales efforts or finding domestic vendors. Join us for an insightful session on strengthening financial planning and ensuring your business is ready for any tariff-related challenges. Online registration closes on March 5, 2025. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eztY96n5 #SaplingFinancialConsultants #FEICanada

The Canadian government just announced a new agreement between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to eliminate and reduce interprovincial trade barriers, with the flexibility to name exceptions. By removing these barriers, Canada is positioning itself to be more self-reliant and resilient in the face of international uncertainties and internal inefficiencies. The federal government's decision to take action comes at a crucial time. This is not a quick fix – eliminating trade barriers requires ongoing effort and collaboration between provinces and territories to ensure we are fostering competition, innovation and economic growth within Canada. In December 2024, we released the report “Canada’s M&A Market Set for Growth Amidst Competition Barriers in Key Sectors”. Our analysis found that nearly 31% of Canada’s economic activity in 2023 was impacted by competition restrictions, down from 35.1% in 2017. In the report, we recommended removing interprovincial trade barriers to encourage greater competition. While this is not a complete solution, it is a meaningful step toward strengthening our domestic economy. The surge in Canadian patriotism has been impossible to ignore as of late. We have long been economic allies with the U.S., but the threat of tariffs was a wake-up call. By trying to divide us, Trump has only united us. What we must remember is that Canada and the U.S. have always been close friends, and our strength comes from working together and supporting one another.  To access our full report: https://lnkd.in/e3YDjeTX #SaplingFinancialConsultants #InterprovincialTradeBarriers #Canada

Canada’s inflation rates have fallen since 2022 but for all the wrong reasons. Yesterday, it was reported Canada’s annual inflation rate rose slightly in January to 1.9%, staying below the Bank of Canada’s target as rising energy prices counteracted the lingering impact of the federal holiday tax break. Despite the uptick, indicators show inflation is likely to continue to drop. Since June 2022, when inflation peaked at 8.1%, it has slowly declined to 1.8% by December 2024. Canada’s economic recovery remains uncertain, with key indicators such as declining GDP per capita and stagnating productivity signalling deeper structural challenges. The Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts since June 2024 were aimed at stimulating growth, but these measures may not have been enough to address issues like low business investment and restrictive policies. For nearly a decade, the business climate has been appalling but has deteriorated sharply in recent years with policies that seem to limit rather than celebrate success. Without strong, decisive leadership and long-term strategies to foster innovation and investment, we risk falling into a cycle of stagnation and deflation - we know how well that worked for Japan. Deflation is like a slow leak. Once spending stalls, productivity declines, and foreign investment evaporates, it’s tough to pump the economy back up. Business leaders should stay proactive, focusing on investing in innovation and productivity while adapting to the ever-changing market conditions. #SaplingFinancialConsultants #Inflation #Canada

According to ACG’s 2025 Middle-Market M&A Outlook Survey, 52% of respondents expect to see somewhat more deal volumes in 2025 than last year, signalling a positive shift in the M&A landscape. Optimism is returning as companies focus on strategic growth, technology-driven acquisitions, and sector-specific opportunities in healthcare, tech, and renewable energy. At Sapling, we specialize in providing comprehensive M&A consulting services, such as due diligence and financial modelling, for both pre and post-deal. Reach out to info@saplingfinancial.com to learn how our team can assist your business. #SaplingFinancialConsultants

Meet Sapling’s newest Advisor, Greg Lloyd, MBA, CMC. Greg is a strategy and operations consultant with over 35 years of expertise and notable M&A value creation and integration experience gained at PwC, KPMG and BDO. With extensive experience in both B2C and B2B sectors, as well as government engagements in Canada and the U.S., Greg is known for his strong business development acumen. Greg previously led high-profile projects such as securing funding for Cassellholme Home for the Aged, facilitating pre-merger agreements for Nestlé Canada and and streamlining vaccine development for Sanofi Pasteur to accelerate time-to-market. Meet more of our dynamic team: https://lnkd.in/gk-CnzSW #SaplingFinancialConsultants

Sapling is proud to share we will be a silver sponsor at the 2025 Texas ACG Capital Connection in Houston from February 26 - 28, hosted by ACG Houston. The Texas ACG Capital Connection is one of the largest ACG Capital Connections in the U.S., bringing together over 100 top private equity and mezzanine firms, representing more than $100 billion in capital for investment. This is a great opportunity to network with M&A professionals, business owners and executives in the middle market. If you're attending the 2025 Texas ACG Capital Connection, don't miss the chance to connect with Morne Viljoen CPA, CA(SA) and Benoit Dinesen, who will represent Sapling at the event. Be sure to stop by and say hi! Click the link below to learn more about the event. #SaplingFinancialConsultants

A PE firm approached Sapling to help maintain and improve its internal financial model for a target company it was looking to acquire. The firm had a strong network of strategic partners with extensive industry experience, but it lacked an internal associate dedicated to financial modelling. This led them to seek our outsourced buy-side modelling services. Our team identified key issues within the existing model and proposed a series of enhancements. These included building more robust reporting structures and refining the model to improve overall functionality. To further streamline the sharing of model outputs, especially for stakeholders without advanced Excel expertise, we provided each output in a PDF format, making the information accessible to all parties involved. Reach out to info@saplingfinancial.com to learn more about our financial modelling services. #SaplingFinancialConsultants

Meet Kevin Zhao, CPA, CFA, Sapling’s newest Senior Engagement Manager. With a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo, Kevin has over six years of experience at Big 4 firms specializing in assurance and transaction services. As a Manager at KPMG, he advised pension funds, private equity and strategic clients on platform acquisitions, carve-outs, and divestitures, contributing to over 50 domestic and cross-border transactions across industries such as healthcare, waste management, infrastructure, TMT and real estate. Kevin holds both a CPA and CFA designation and is committed to maintaining high professional standards. Kevin is also a volunteer with CFA Society Toronto’s strategic content creation committee. Meet more of our dynamic team: https://lnkd.in/gk-CnzSW #SaplingFinancialConsultants