About Us

Birch Bay Wealth Management » About Us

Discover our commitment to personalized financial planning. We specialize in guiding you through every stage of your financial journey, from retirement preparation to estate management.

With a focus on building strong, lasting relationships, we provide tailored solutions to help you achieve your goals and secure your financial future.

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Our Story

What We Do & How We Got Here

Karen started her career in banking in August 2009 as a branch manager in Carnduff, Saskatchewan. She was fascinated with everything banking, and in 2015 — when she moved into a financial planner role with BMO — that she found the part of the work she actually loved: sitting across from someone and helping them figure out the real shape of their financial life. She later joined Affinity Credit Union as an Investment Specialist, expecting more room to do that kind of work.

Both roles came up short in the same way. The big institutions weren’t set up for in-depth consultations or genuine planning. There wasn’t time, there wasn’t the latitude, and the rural communities Karen wanted to serve were typically expected to drive into the city for anything beyond basic advice. In 2018, Karen went independent to fix that — to bring private wealth management to the small prairie communities that had been underserved for years, without making anyone get in a vehicle to find it.

The name reflects both the work and the roots. The birch is Saskatchewan’s provincial tree, but it also carries the meanings of renewal, rebirth, growth, and new beginnings — which is exactly what good planning offers the people we work with. “Bay” is the Celtic pronunciation of birch, a nod to Karen’s Celtic heritage. Birch Bay is where those two things meet.

Today the firm operates from two locations — Carnduff, Saskatchewan and Sundre, Alberta — serving clients across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba.

Mission & Vision

Every financial journey deserves personalized care. Our aim is to provide peace of mind through expert, tailored financial planning.

Mission

Our mission at Birch Bay Wealth Management is to offer peace of mind through comprehensive financial planning. We provide honest, timely advice to help you navigate life’s changes and achieve your goals.

With a client-first approach, we ensure all aspects of your financial future are seamlessly integrated and tailored to your needs.

Our Approach

We work with a select group of clients on purpose. That’s how we have time to actually know you — your family, your land, your business, your worries, what you’re building, and what you want to leave behind. Planning at Birch Bay isn’t a one-time event. It moves with you.

Values

Our values of trust, honesty, knowledge, and service drive us to offer personalized, respectful, and expert financial guidance.

Experts

Meet Our Team

Here is our dedicated team at Birch Bay Wealth Management, where personalized financial planning meets expert guidance and genuine client care.

Book a Meeting with Karen

Karen Shaw TEP, CFP®, CIWM

Owner & Financial Advisor

Karen is the owner of Birch Bay Wealth Management Inc. with 17 years of experience in the financial industry. Banking runs in the family, which makes reunions especially fun for the in-laws.

Karen worked at both a bank and a credit union before going independent. In both, she saw two groups consistently underserved: pre-retirees / retirees trying to unwind a lifetime of saving in a tax-efficient way, and families with the competing priorities that come with blended households. Generic, rule-of-thumb advice wasn’t enough for either. That’s what drove her to start her own firm in 2018 and build it around tailored, full-service planning.

Staying current matters to Karen. She holds three designations — Certified Financial Planner, Trust and Estate Practitioner, and Certified International Wealth Manager — and continues to invest in deeper expertise so her clients benefit from it.

Born in Alberta and now living in Carnduff with her husband Ken, Karen’s family includes two sons and their wives, four bonus children, and six grandchildren. She loves them all, but the ones who provided her with the six grandchildren may be slightly more favoured. Outside the office, she’s on the water kayaking, paddleboarding, or fishing, or on land hiking and cross-country skiing. Her Boston Terrier, Bella, is occasionally a willing participant.

Allie Connelly

Office Administrator

Southeast Saskatchewan has always been home for Allie, who grew up between Gainsborough and Carnduff. After high school, she spent a year in Manitoba earning her nail technician certificate before returning to Carnduff to be with her now-husband, Brody. Together they are raising their two daughters, Clara (5) and Ava (3), and share their home with two golden retrievers and a cat.

As Office Administrator at Birch Bay Wealth, Allie enjoys supporting clients and keeping daily operations running smoothly. Outside of work, she is actively involved in the community, serving on several local boards and organizations. She is a co-founder of the Carnduff Community Fridge, an active member of the local Santa Cause, and can be found on almost any board tied to her kids’ activities. Her passion for helping others and giving back shows up in both her work and her personal life.

In her spare time, you’ll most often find Allie with family and friends — on the golf course, at the rink, or sharing a good cup of coffee.

Book a Meeting with Clay

Clay Caldwell

Insurance Specialist

Born and raised on a grain farm, Clay learned early the value of hard work, responsibility, and looking out for others. Growing up in a farming family instilled a strong work ethic and a deep appreciation for the importance of protecting what matters most—whether that’s a family, a livelihood, or a community.

Those lessons followed him into the oilfield, where he spent six years working in demanding environments, including four years operating heavy equipment. While he valued his time in the industry, Clay wanted a career that would allow him to spend more time with his family and become more involved in the community he and his family call home. He was looking for something that aligned with his value of helping people protect the things they’ve worked hard to build.

Clay was drawn to the insurance industry because he understands that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Growing up in agriculture, working in the oilfield, and serving with the Sundre Fire Department have all reinforced the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. He enjoys helping people navigate decisions around protecting their families, homes, farms, businesses, and futures with confidence.

When he’s not meeting with clients, Clay is usually busy with his four children, at the hockey rink coaching, or responding to calls as a member of the Sundre Fire Department. Community involvement has always been important to him, and he appreciates the opportunity to give back to the place his family is proud to call home.

These days, Clay’s schedule may look different than it did during his oilfield years, but the values remain the same: work hard, show up when people need you, and take care of those around you.

Kayla Caldwell

Executive Assistant

Born and raised in Sundre, Alberta, Kayla Caldwell is deeply rooted in agriculture, community involvement, and building meaningful relationships. With a diploma in Agricultural Management from Olds College focused on the beef industry, Kayla has spent much of her life immersed in farming and livestock production. After graduating, she moved to Manitoba with Clay, where she worked with WADO conducting crop research while continuing her involvement in grain farming and beef production. Today, Kayla combines her agricultural background with her passion for helping families and farmers navigate their financial futures. As Executive Assistant, she keeps the firm running smoothly and is often the friendly face behind client communications.

Outside the office, Kayla is heavily involved in her community. She serves as a Director, Treasurer, and Vendor Coordinator for the Sundre Pro Rodeo and Bulls & Wagons committee, is Secretary for the local gymnastics club, and remains actively involved in Green Certificate programming. A proud mom of three boys and one girl, Kayla understands the realities of balancing family, farming, and business life, staying passionate about supporting agricultural families through every season from calving and seeding to harvest and beyond. Growing up in a small town taught her the value of face to face connections, trust, and building lasting relationships with clients and community members alike.

Email

Get in touch

Carnduff Branch

(306) 482-3170
Fax : (306) 482-3279
hello@birchbaywealth.com

206 Broadway St
Carnduff, Saskatchewan S0C0S0

Mon - Thu: 9AM - 4:30PM

Sundre Branch

(587) 444-0997

Fax : (306) 482-3279

hello@birchbaywealth.com

Bay 3 306 Main Ave W

Sundre, Alberta T0M1X0

Mon - Thu: 9AM - 4:30PM

Disclaimer:

Karen Shaw is a representative of Designed Securities Ltd., and is also licensed for the sale of insurance products. Karen Shaw is registered through separate organizations for each purpose and as such, you may be dealing with more than one entity depending on the services and products discussed. The name of the entity being represented should correspond to the business being conducted. Birch Bay Wealth Management Inc and Karen Shaw of Designed Securities Ltd. are separate legal entities.

Designed Securities Ltd. is regulated by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (ciro.ca) and is a Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (www.cipf.ca).

Investment products are provided by Designed Securities Ltd. and include, but are not limited to, mutual funds,stocks, and bonds. Karen Shaw is registered to provide advice and solutions to clients residing in the province of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.

Any advice which may be given in respect of non-securities services is given by Karen Shaw solely and no such advice is given in their capacity as a registrant of Designed Securities Ltd. Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) coverage is available to CIRO Dealer Members and does not offer protection, within limits, on non-securities products not held by a Member. Non-securities related business includes, without limitation, fee-based financial planning services; estate and tax planning; tax return preparation services; advising in or selling any type of insurance product; any type of mortgage service.

Accordingly, Designed Securities Ltd. is not providing and does not supervise any of the above noted activities and you should not rely on Designed Securities Ltd. for any review of any non-securities services provided by Karen Shaw and Birch Bay Wealth Management Inc.

No information on this website shall be deemed as investment advice or a recommendation. The informationprovided may be gathered from sources believed to be accurate.

This website is for informational and reference purposes only and is not intended to provide specific personalized advice including, without limitation, investment, financial, legal, accounting or tax advice. Please consult the appropriate professional depending on your particular circumstances.

This website does not constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Designed Securities Ltd.

The information contained on this website is subject to change without notice. Information has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable. Content is accurate as of the date of publication, and subject to change without notice.

By accessing links to external websites, you will be leaving this website, and Birch Bay Wealth Management Inc and Karen Shaw of Designed Securities Ltd. are not responsible for the information contained on theseexternal websites. Content may not be reproduced or distributed without the consent of Karen Shaw.