About Us

With so many options out there, it’s hard to know who to trust with your future. No one wants to accept recommendations that they don’t understand or agree with, let alone having another person or company making decisions for them.

That’s where we come in. We, 123Retire, specialize in helping people just like you plan your retirement and protect what matters most – your family, your lifestyle, and the legacy you leave behind.

We pride ourselves in taking the time to get to know you personally so we can develop strategies tailored specifically for your unique retirement needs and goals. Financial independence isn’t a one size fits all solution.

If you’re looking for transparent, tell-it-like-it-is advice, you’ve come to the right place.

We’re focused on providing you with clarity, wisdom, and partnership to co-create and implement sustainable financial solutions for your future.

Our process answers three simple yet critical questions for you:

  1. What do I get?
  2. What does it cost?
  3. How will you keep me on track?

We wholly accept we can’t be the master of all things, so we do the next best thing: we collaborate with a network of other reputable professionals to address tax issues, estate planning, legal matters, major purchases, insurance and more to ensure no stone is left unturned and you get expert advice from the best in the industry.

You don't need to figure out everything on your own - we will guide you every step of the way towards building a solid foundation for enjoying your future.

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Meet The Team

Robert R Lamb BA, CFP®, CHS, MFA

Financial Planner – Manulife Wealth Inc.
Life Insurance Advisor - 123Retire

Robert is committed to helping his clients have better lives. And he's always telling them, "This isn't a dress rehearsal, you know; you've got to live now."

A firm believer that an educated client isn't just a better client, but a better person, Robert's always exploring new concepts or strategies to help people get more life out of their money.

He's also a fan of Thomas Sowell and loves Sowell's quotes. For example, this is a Sowell quote that Robert takes to heart, “When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.”

And he hates taxes. As Thomas Sowell asked, “What exactly is your ‘fair share' of what someone else has worked for?” Towards that end, Robert manages clients' investments to generate sustainable, tax-effective income that will give them the capability to realize their full potential in retirement.

While his formal education is extensive, Robert says it's his 30+ years of experience that has given him the wisdom to be most effective in helping people create a secure financial future for themselves.

He's also very conscientious about his work ̶ “If you're going to do something, do it right.” Moreover, he refuses to work with people he doesn't like; he says life is too short.

Apart from being a workaholic, Robert devotes time and energy to playing hockey and riding his motorcycle. But he says, ‘it's not enough!'

Robert believes that while numbers are important, what people ultimately care about is having a great life. So, if the idea of enjoying life in retirement sounds exciting, schedule a free consultation today to chat with Robert.

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Kern K. Watts B.Sc.BA, CFP®

Financial Planner – Manulife Wealth Inc.
Life Insurance Advisor - 123Retire

Kern has more than 14 years of diverse experience in the financial services industry, during which he has acquired many industry designations. 

More importantly, Kern prides himself on living by his motto, “there is no better time than the present to be better.”   Thus, he is always exploring new concepts, tactics, and strategies to help people be more effective with how they use each dollar.

“I firmly believe that educating clients provides them with the skills to make better decisions, not only for their current situation, but also for their future.”

Kern’s principles enable him to help his clients achieve their goals and, in turn, to live better lives.  He says the numbers paint the picture, so discovering the disconnect between what is possible and what is probable is key to helping people create meaningful futures for themselves.

Kern is not just a numbers man.  He’s always been an avid baseball player, playing for Team Canada, going to the College World Series, playing semi-professionally and most recently representing Alberta at the Men’s National Championship in 2018 and again this year, 2023.   Not only does he enjoy this aspect of his life, but he also says it has given him a real appreciation for what can be accomplished when people work together.

Married, and a father of three, Kern is generous in the community and in his church.   When Kern isn’t at work you can find him working out, studying, playing baseball, coaching baseball, or enjoying family time. 

If achieving your desired goals without conceding is your objective, you are going to enjoy working with Kern.

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Melanie Locke BA

Mutual Fund Advisor Assistant – Manulife Wealth Inc.
Executive Assistant - 123Retire

Melanie owns the friendly voice you hear when you call our office. She has become instrumental to our team’s success.

Apart from a great attitude, Melanie keeps this organization operational on a day-to-day basis. Since joining the firm, she's proven to be able to fix most problems, both internal and external, in a timely and professional manner. As you can appreciate, over the years, her knowledge has become extensive.

Prior to joining 123Retire, Melanie worked in tech support for 5 years. That experience makes her especially good at handling questions posed by Robert and, of course, his clients. Incidentally, she's also bilingual (English and French).

Melanie is mutual funds licensed; however, under the terms of her licence, she is not allowed to solicit trades. Nevertheless, she has proven more than capable of helping clients with their issues and processing their trade requests.

Once we learned that Melanie always wanted to join the RCMP, albeit as a K9 officer, we quickly appointed her to be our Compliance Officer. We can confirm that she's taken this appointment to heart.

Now that her children are no longer involved in sports, Melanie has rediscovered that she does have a life. When she gets some downtime, she likes to read; she's also confessed to watching reality TV.

No one is indispensable, but in our office, Melanie comes close. Robert says that's because she specializes in making him look good.

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