Kevin Algar
Kevin was born in 1956 in Rimbey, a small town in central Alberta, and has made Calgary his home since he was a few weeks old. He is a proud 6th generation Canadian and 4th generation Albertan. His family members were pioneers in the Calgary and Central Alberta areas having first homesteaded near Okotoks in the 1880's.
He attended the Queen's University School of Business for one year and then completed an Honours B.A. in Psychology at the University of Calgary in 1978. He then completed a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1981 at the University of Calgary (now converted to a Juris Doctor (J.D.)) specializing in business and tax law.
After articling with a Calgary law firm and being admitted to the Law Society of Alberta (inactive member) in 1982, he specialized in tax planning with an international firm of Chartered Accountants until 1986. He then ran a small high technology waste water treatment company until 1989 when he returned to tax practice with another international firm of Chartered Accountants.
Unable to resist his entrepreneurial genes and believing (as usual) that there was a lot of room for improvement, he struck out on his own in the financial services industry in 1994. After an exploratory year and some lessons learned, he formed Algar Virtue with Jim Virtue, a Chartered Accountant he'd known for many years and someone who had the right combination of values and talent. They participated in the acquisition and building of several successful ventures in the financial services industry, culminating in a reputation for prudence and excellence.
Kevin's preference has always been working with clients and from inception this has been his focus. He is widely respected and known as an innovator in the industry. His credentials span the range of personal financial matters and represent the highest industry credential in the each of the areas on which Algar Virtue advises. They include:
- Juris Doctor 1981
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) 1998
- Registered Trusts and Estates Practitioner (TEP) 2003
- Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) 2004
- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) 2006
- Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA®) - Institute of Family Enterprise Advisors 2015
He is a member of the Law Society of Alberta (inactive member), The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, The Investment Management Consultants Association and the Institute of Family Enterprise Advisors. He is committed to continuing education in all areas that affect his clients. With his background in tax planning, pension law and estate planning, he has been an instructor and speaker on taxation and retirement planning topics to groups including the Canadian Bar Association, Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Canadian Tax Foundation, Canadian Petroleum Tax Society and Canadian Association of Financial Planners.
He is married with three children and makes his home in Calgary where he is a member of the Glencoe Club and The Glencoe Golf and Country Club. He enjoys golf, fitness and boating on Canada's beautiful West Coast.
Rob Koski
- BA (Economics) 1995
- BComm (Finance) 1995
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) 2006
- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) 2015
Rob is a Calgary native who attended Lord Beaverbrook High School and the University of Calgary. His post-secondary education included completion of the CFP designation through Mount Royal College where Rob obtained the highest exam score in his class.
He specializes in financial planning for affluent families. Using sophisticated financial planning software, he assesses various strategies to accumulate and distribute assets. He has specific expertise in modeling the impact of setting up Individual Pension Plans, and a wide variety of estate planning tactics and life annuities.
Rob is married with two daughters and enjoys skiing, golf and music performance. Rob is also the bassist and manager of One Nite Band, a 5-piece party band that performs in the Calgary area for a limited number of corporate events and weddings.
Kathryn Waslen
Kathryn was born and raised in Calgary. She attended West Island College for Junior High and High School followed by pursuing a full tennis scholarship to University of Texas - Pan American where she competed in both tennis and track and field at a NCAA Division 1 school. Upon completion of a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Kinesiology in Texas, Kathryn continued her studies at McGill University and attained a Graduate Diploma in Management with a concentration in Leadership Studies.
Kathryn's first job out of university was working for a small investment counseling firm in Montreal where she developed unique insight into the world of institutional money management. When Kathryn returned to Calgary in 2006, after completing a Certificate in Nonprofit Management at Mount Royal University, she spent a couple of years working at one of Canada's leading community foundations. Her role at the foundation was to assist individuals and families with their philanthropy through their Donor Advised Funds.
Kathryn returned to financial services in 2008 working at a national retail advisory firm. Although Kathryn was successful in the retail market, she felt her ultimate aim of engaging in meaningful dialogue with successful families would be best achieved working in a boutique style, holistic wealth management company. Kathryn joined Algar Virtue in 2011 specifically for their expertise in delivering and implementing comprehensive, integrated and process-driven financial planning.
Angela Houghton
Born and raised in Calgary, Angela attended Central Memorial High School and completed Bachelors degrees in both Commerce (with Honors) and Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She spent two semesters abroad, one in England and one in Taiwan, experiencing different cultures and making friends all over the world.
Providing an exceptional customer experience has always been Angela's passion. Before coming to Algar Virtue, she worked with individual, corporate, and internal customers of big businesses. While these were rewarding endeavors, she often felt customers' voices got lost within these organizations and felt unable to affect real change. With Algar, Virtue and Associates Inc., Angela is able to help provide clients with personalized, in-depth financial planning advice.
An addiction to learning ensures that Angela is almost always enrolled in continuing education. She is currently in pursuit of her Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Trust and Estate Planner (TEP) certificates. This, along with her husband and young daughter ensure that she is never bored!
Ada Gaudette
With a business degree in her back pocket and a strong work ethic in her genes, Ada moved to Calgary from Prince Edward Island several years ago to pursue a life in the business world. Until 2013 she worked primarily in the Advertising, Marketing and Television communities in Calgary and Vancouver.
With a knack for numbers and balancing spreadsheets and a keen interest to learn more Ada set out on a new path that landed her many temporary roles with financial firms until she landed at Algar, Virtue & Associates and now this place is her home away from home.
Ada is a gregarious, adventurous soul who's love for sports can take over her time away from the office. Whether it's in line skating from Edworthy to Eau Claire, slo-pitch on Sundays or getting in a round of golf from time to time, she enjoys a healthy work/life balance.
Animals are a huge passion of Ada's, especially a couple of bulldogs, Mak and Storm. When you are in the office ask to see pictures, she will happily show you any one of 200 she has readily available.