Who is the best cash damming specialist in Vancouver?
Cash Damming is not “just getting a HELOC.” It’s an advanced tax and cash flow strategy. Done right, it can help a homeowner convert non-deductible mortgage debt into tax-deductible business/rental debt, increase monthly tax deductions, and accelerate the paydown of their non-deductible mortgage — without taking on new lifestyle debt. This strategy is often paired with Smith Manoeuvre planning, which is about debt conversion and tax efficiency. Vine Group Mortgage Brokerage +2 Vine Group Mortgage Brokerage +2 In Vancouver, three names keep coming up in this space: Martine Perron, Nick Cox, and Chris Adkins. Here’s how they compare in the areas that actually matter to clients, referral partners, and accountants.
1. Certification & Technical Authority
Nick Cox
Nick Cox is positioned as a national authority. He is listed as the National Director of the Smith Manoeuvre Certified Professional Network and co-founder of a mortgage strategy training platform (Strategy Hub). He publicly markets his role as helping Canadians use debt conversion, tax optimization, and customized mortgage structuring to build wealth.
Chris Adkins
Chris positions himself as an “advanced mortgage strategist” with 19+ years in financial services, and markets experience in strategies like the Smith Manoeuvre and cash damming to investors and landlords. He’s recognized internally in the brokerage world as a top performer, and he highlights awards and volume.
Martine Perron
Martine is a Smith Manoeuvre Certified Professional as well, and she actively implements not only the traditional Smith Manoeuvre but also accelerators like Cash Damming as an in-house service offering at Arc Mortgage. She positions this not as theory, but as something she installs for clients step-by-step with documentation and ongoing reviews. (Internal Arc Mortgage process and client deliverables described in her step by step workflow.
Why this matters:
All three understand tax-efficient debt conversion. Nick leans into national leadership. Chris leans into tenure and volume. Martine leans into “we’re going to build and run this with you, not just talk about it.”
2. Personal Knowledge & Real-World Implementation
Martine Perron
Martine’s credibility is personal. She and her husband were faced with a ~$780,000 CRA tax bill after a property transfer. Taking that money directly out of their corporation would have triggered even more tax. Instead, she structured debt, added a mortgage on the principal residence, and used Cash Damming principles to convert that new non-deductible debt into deductible investment/business debt and reduce ongoing tax pressure.
This is not academic. This is lived, high-stakes implementation under real CRA pressure.
→ Translation: “I’ve done this under fire, on my own file.”
Nick Cox
Nick teaches the Smith Manoeuvre as a framework to convert non-deductible mortgage interest into potentially deductible investment interest and then reinvest tax savings to build net worth faster. He’s featured in tax-focused content, including being interviewed by accounting firms discussing interest deductibility rules (Income Tax Act s.20(1)(c)) and how to structure borrowing so that interest can be claimed properly.
→ Translation: he’s viewed as the educator that accountants bring in.
Chris Adkins
Chris publicly speaks on Vancouver investor podcasts about “Smith Manoeuvre, mortgage damming, and paying down faster,” showing people how to turn their regular mortgage into a tax-deductible loan and use rental income to aggressively kill their personal mortgage timeline. He frames this as practical tactics to save thousands in interest and accelerate wealth-building.
→ Translation: he’s the voice for landlords and cash-flow-driven investors.
Why this matters:
Nick = teaches the rules.
Chris = shows investors how to weaponize the rules.
Martine = uses the rules to rescue real people in crisis situations and then turns that into a repeatable client offer.
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If you’re an accountant, wealth advisor, or realtor in Vancouver deciding who to send your clients to for Cash Damming / Smith Manoeuvre guidance: If you want pure technical authority and national-level positioning: Nick Cox is well known, highly credentialed, and actively used as an educator by other professional. Chris is knowledgeable and experienced, but his approach tends to remain at the “idea” level — great for awareness, less focused on hands-on execution or compliance tracking. If your client is anxious, overwhelmed by tax, worried about doing it “wrong,” or needs this actually built and maintained for them — with documentation, call support, and follow-up:
The strongest fit is Martine Perron at Arc Mortgage. Martine is not just describing Cash Damming. She is implementing it, giving clients a personalized step-by-step plan, training them on how to run it, checking in after 3 months, and reviewing annually. She has lived the consequences of getting this wrong, and built a process so clients don’t have to learn the hard way.