Simon Huften - UK Pension Transfer Specialist in Canada
Simon Huften helps British expats living in Canada decide whether to move their UK workplace pension into a Canadian RRSP or RRIF, and then manages the transfer from start to finish. He has worked in Canadian financial planning since 2009 and has focused on UK pension transfers (QROPS) since 2009. Today he looks after $250+ million in assets of transferred UK pensions for clients in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
Why Simon works only on UK pension transfers
Most Canadian advisors see a UK pension transfer once or twice in a career. Simon handles them every week. That focus matters because a QROPS transfer touches two tax systems, two regulators and, for final salary schemes, a mandatory UK advice step. Small errors cost real money: a missed form, a wrong scheme number or a transfer to a provider that has lost its QROPS status can trigger a 25% UK tax charge.
Simon’s role is to answer one question honestly: is moving your UK pension to Canada in your best interest? For many clients the answer is yes. For some, it is “not yet” or “no”, and he will say so in the first conversation.
Career and experience
2009 - Starting in financial planning in Ontario
Simon grew up in Orillia, Ontario, an hour north of Toronto. He began his practice in the Orillia-Barrie area in 2009 with Freedom 55 Financial, offering London Life (now Canada Life) solutions to families and business owners.
Becoming an independent advisor in British Columbia
Around 2014 Simon moved to Kelowna in BC’s Okanagan Valley and became an independent advisor. Independence gives him access to most investment and insurance providers in Canada instead of one company’s products.
Specialising in UK pension transfers
In BC, Simon began working with a firm that specialised in moving UK pensions to Canada. When UK rules changed in April 2017, Canadian schemes stopped qualifying as QROPS and transfers paused. From 2019, Canadian providers re-qualified, and transfers for people aged 55 and over resumed. Simon has worked through both regimes, so he understands which schemes qualify today and why.
Today - Strata Wealth QROPS Division
Simon now leads the QROPS division of Strata Wealth & Risk Management Inc., headquartered in Gravenhurst, Ontario. Strata Wealth manages over $250 million in client assets, including UK pensions now held in Canadian RRSP and RRIF accounts.
How Simon is paid
You pay Strata QROPS no fee for advice or for the transfer. Simon is paid a commission by the Canadian investment provider that holds your pension after it arrives, currently iA Clarington (mutual funds) or Industrial Alliance (segregated funds). Your consultation is free, and there is no cost if you decide not to transfer.
If your pension is a defined benefit (final salary) scheme worth more than £30,000, UK law requires advice from an FCA-authorised UK adviser before the transfer. That adviser charges their own fee, and Simon will explain the cost up front.
Who Simon helps
British expats who live permanently in Canada and hold a UK workplace or private pension.
People aged 55 to 70, the window in which a UK pension can move to a Canadian RRSP.
Defined benefit (final salary) and defined contribution (money purchase, workplace, SIPP) pensions.
Pensions typically worth £100,000 or more, where the tax, currency and estate-planning benefits are largest.
If you are under 55, Simon can still review your pension now so you are ready when you become eligible.
How Simon works with clients
Most clients meet Simon by video call or phone. He also meets clients in person in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. After the transfer, he stays your advisor: he manages the RRSP or RRIF, reviews it with you each year and helps plan your withdrawals.
Free 30-minute call to review your pension and goals.
Simon requests your transfer value (CETV) from the UK scheme.
You receive a written recommendation, including when not to transfer.
Simon manages paperwork with the UK scheme and the Canadian provider.
Funds arrive in your Canadian RRSP, usually 6-8 weeks after paperwork is signed.
Strata Wealth offices
Strata Wealth & Risk Management Inc.
- Head office: 1120 Bay Street, Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1Z9
- 1-888-298-2906
- info@strataqrops.com
- Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET. Sat–Sun by appointment.
We meet clients by video, phone and in person across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
Talk to Simon about your UK pension
Book a free, no-obligation call. Simon will tell you whether your pension qualifies, roughly what it is worth in Canadian dollars and whether transferring makes sense for you.