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Who is Sands & Associates

Sands & Associates is British Columbia’s largest firm of Licensed Insolvency Trustees focused exclusively on personal and small-business debt and insolvency services.

Sometimes known as Proposal Administrators and Bankruptcy Trustees, we are the people you should call when you need a plan to deal with your debts. Founded in 1990 and now operating from a network of local offices throughout British Columbia, Sands & Associates has a caring and knowledgeable team of debt experts here to help you solve your financial challenges.

What We Do

We are licensed debt help professionals, with a mission to help people understand their options for dealing with debt. At Sands & Associates we specialize in filing bankruptcies and making debt proposals for both individuals and small business owners – known as Consumer Proposals. Our Proposal Administrators and Licensed Insolvency Trustees (formerly known as Trustees in Bankruptcy) are fully licensed and qualified by the Federal Government to administer the legal remedies available under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, and we are proud to have a large, and growing, team of Qualified Insolvency Counsellors and Insolvency Estate Managers.

We recognize there are many situations that can make visiting our offices in person challenging, and we’re here to help you with a streamlined process in the manner that is most comfortable and convenient for you. Sands & Associates can take you from consultation to debt-free all from home, or from your local office. Our debt help, Consumer Proposal and bankruptcy services are easily accessible by telephone or video conference anywhere in BC.

Our caring Licensed Insolvency Trustees and Estate Managers work with residents across BC. Book your free debt consultation or simply call us toll-free at 1-800-661-3030.

Why We Are Different

Simply put, “our strength is our people.” We are proud to be locally owned and operated and we are committed to the communities we serve. Our team is comprised of individuals who are passionate about helping people achieve a financial fresh start.

Financial stress and the situations that cause it do not define you – we believe that money problems can happen to anyone and we pride ourselves on our non-judgmental and empathetic approach to helping people. We want to ensure that everyone who reaches out to us is given great service, expert debt help about their situation, and treated with respect and understanding in every interaction.

We are not a large, national accounting firm that focuses on corporate clients and just happens to do Personal Bankruptcy and Consumer Proposals too. We believe that our focus on helping individuals and small businesses in financial difficulty sets us apart and has helped us become the firm of choice within BC for Consumer Proposals, Personal Bankruptcy and debt consolidation services.

Why Choose Sands & Associates

Our job is to help you understand your debt options, and we will do this for free.

When you connect with Sands & Associates, you will be given clear, practical explanations of your legal debt options to get out of debt. You will work with a qualified member of our debt service team whose focus will be on understanding your situation and advising you of your legal rights and debt solutions. There is no pressure for you to commit to any process, just an opportunity for you to gain information and take back control of your financial situation.

Since 1990 we’ve been helping people get a fresh start in BC. To hear directly from some of the people we’ve helped, we invite you to read their testimonials here.

Our debt experts are approachable, experienced, and friendly – take some time to connect with us and understand the available solutions that can address any financial problems you may be facing. Book your free debt consultation today, it’s the first step towards being debt-free!

Find Your Local Office or call us at 1-800-661-3030 to connect with a Sands & Associates representative directly.

Award-Winning Client Care

Sands & Associates is proud to be recognized as best in class. For twelve years in a row we have received the Consumer Choice Award (CCA) for business excellence. We could not be more thrilled or humbled by this recognition. Our greatest sense of reward comes from helping individuals and business owners overcome their debts and achieve debt-free futures. This award symbolizes our commitment to our clients.

Unlike other business-related accolades, the Consumer Choice Award distinction cannot be bought – it must be honestly earned through dedication, hard work and superior customer service. Why is this important to note? Because if you are looking for assistance, seeking advice from qualified, licensed professionals who you can trust is the critical first step.

Managing a challenging financial situation can feel overwhelming, confusing, and even hopeless. You need not add to your stress by feeling uncertain about who to turn to for resolving your debts. Choose the organization that has been consistently recognized as Vancouver consumers’ choice.

Contact Sands & Associates now to set up your free, confidential, one-on-one consultation.

What Qualifications do our Debt Professionals Hold?

At Sands & Associates, the team of debt experts is comprised of the following professionals:

Licensed Insolvency Trustees

Licensed Insolvency Trustees are the one type of debt professional that has the authority and knowledge to help both individuals and businesses with legal debt solutions including Consumer Proposals and personal bankruptcy.

In order to qualify as a Licensed Insolvency Trustee, a rigorous multi-year course of study demonstrating comprehensive knowledge and proficiency in applying insolvency and related insolvency laws must be successfully completed, followed by several examinations and an independent Board review. Once these qualifications have been met, the Federal Superintendent of Bankruptcy grants a license to practice as a Licensed Insolvency Trustee.

All licensing, fees and regulation of Licensed Insolvency Trustees is overseen by Industry Canada, through the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, the Federal Government body overseeing all Licensed Insolvency Trustees.

Licensed Insolvency Trustees are audited each year by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. This helps to ensure debt professionals maintain high standards of professional practice, complete transparency to these processes, and adherence to laws.

Currently around 1,000 debt experts across Canada hold the designation of Licensed Insolvency Trustee.

Estate Managers

Sometimes referred to as Insolvency Administrators or Insolvency Estate Managers, these debt professionals play an integral part in assisting consumers and businesses with debt solutions.

When a person files bankruptcy or a Consumer Proposal, the official process and filing becomes known as an “insolvency estate”.

In order to become qualified as an Estate Manager, candidates must be officially sponsored by a member of the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals “CAIRP” and successfully prove competence in administration and understanding of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and proper handling of insolvency estates and working in an insolvency environment.

Estate Managers working with a Licensed Insolvency Trustee may be accredited to provide key debt help components to individuals and businesses such as: debt consultations and debt assessments, financial counselling sessions, facilitating Consumer Proposal and bankruptcy administration, with the Licensed Insolvency Trustee being the final authority and responsible party.

Qualified Insolvency Counsellors

Much like Estate Managers, Qualified Insolvency Counsellors work with Licensed Insolvency Trustees to provide financial counselling sessions. Insolvency Counsellors are only permitted to counsel clients after they have successfully completed a specialized course through the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals and performed at least one hundred hours of supervised counselling over at least a 12-month period of observation and evaluation. Many Qualified Insolvency Counsellors are also Estate Managers.

As part of a Consumer Proposal or bankruptcy process, two financial counselling sessions will be provided. This gives the person an opportunity to learn new money management techniques, credit warning signs, and steps on how to rebuild their credit.

These two credit counselling sessions may only be conducted by a Qualified Insolvency Counsellor who is registered with the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy.

When you entrust your debt problems to a firm of Licensed Insolvency Trustees, you can rest assured that you’re in good hands. At Sands & Associates our team is made up of caring, dedicated individuals who are passionate about giving everyone a financial fresh start. Since 1990 we’ve helped tens of thousands of people who were in debt achieve a more hopeful tomorrow.

Learn about what you can expect during your confidential free debt consultation with a qualified Sands & Associates debt help expert.

Debt-free starts with a free debt consultation – connect with a Sands & Associates representative today to get your financial fresh start!

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