Growing up I always knew I’d end up in finance. There’s no one I looked up to more than my dad. He started with the bank when he was 19 and worked in the finance industry for 45 years. He held various roles within the bank ranging from mortgage solutions to community manager, to a high-net-worth advisor. As a family, we moved from Winnipeg to Red Deer and then back to Winnipeg as his roles expanded and evolved. I can recall visiting his branches and meeting his staff, attending company BBQs, going to bank-sponsored charity events, and being on the bank’s annual parade float. The energy of the industry always intrigued me – there was nothing in life that was not connected to it in some way – everything came back to money.

After high school, I promptly enrolled in finance at the university. After a bit, I found a yearning to explore, and I ended up spending the better part of the next three years traveling. As I traveled, I worked as a tree planter, bartender, hostel guest manager, tour guide, and ranch hand. I further learned the power of the dollar as I discovered what it was like living (and the monetary differences) in furnished apartments, cheap hostels, vintage vehicles, or even a sleeping bag on the beach.

When I returned home, I set out to work. I found my experience best catered to the customer service industry. While this was enough to provide for me for a while, I soon found I needed to do more. When the opportunity presented itself to work at the bank, I jumped at it. What better way to follow in my father’s footsteps than to join the very bank he worked for? There I was able to couple my learned relationship skills, with the passion I’d always had for finance. During my first year at the bank, I was quickly promoted through various roles before taking over a portfolio with exclusively high-net-worth clients as a financial advisor. As an advisor, I provided holistic planning and advice to around three hundred families. In addition to providing investment advice, I also assisted my clients with their credit and cash management needs, retirement and estate planning, and small business operations.

After years of working as a financial planner and investment advisor for the bank, I once again found myself wanting more – for me and my clients. As times changed, and markets fluctuated, I wanted to be able to provide my clients with greater options and flexibility than the bank allowed me to offer. I did my homework. I spoke with various banks, brokerages, and investment firms. That’s what eventually led me here. A firm where I was not straddled to any individual investment product. More importantly, however, I joined a team of qualified professionals where their highest priority aligned with mine – offering in-depth financial plans and investment recommendations based on each unique client situation with an emphasis on the importance of the client relationship.

I hold the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation granted through Financial Planning Canada and the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation granted through Canadian Securities Institute.