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womenandwealth on How do you avoid advisor burnout?

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:30:08 -0400

Make it a habit to keep up physical fitness, otherwise your energy is not there.

I do this by scheduling at least one yoga class per week during lunch time. It is scheduled in my calendar in advance, so that I am not tempted to book client meetings and skip the important health benefits of taking care of ME. When I return to the office, I am more energized and ready to work.

MARTHA.PORADO on What's Your Niche?

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:04:48 -0400

Does anyone have an interesting niche client base? Film makers? Small Business Owners? Antique Dealers? We want to know about it!

MELISSA.SHIN.1 on How do you avoid advisor burnout?

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:37:16 -0400

What strategies do you implement to ensure you're always at the top of your game?

womenandwealth on How did you connect with clients during parental leave?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:09:42 -0500

When a client is on parental leave, I invite them to drop by the office with their baby. The clients are always nervous that the baby will cry and upset the office, but it's just the contrary. We love holding babies!

Also, to make things easier for our clients on parental leave, we offer in-home meetings so that baby can still have nap time, or have their own toys to keep them occupied.

MARIE.DELAURETIS.7 on What is the biggest impact your mentors have had on you?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:54:58 -0500

I was lucky to have the mentor that I did, albeit for a very short time. However, that being said, due to his patience and teaching I began to appreciate holistic financial planning as opposed to investment planning only. He helped me to understand that investments and investing was only a very small component of the discipline of financial planning as a whole. Not only did he train me (and give me the opportunity) to become a financial planner in conjunction with taking the required courses for the CFP designation, but he actually helped me to choose my ultimate career path.

Being fresh out of university, majoring in finance, at the time, holistic financial planning was not at the forefront in Finance Faculties of many universities across Canada. Knowing that I wanted to help clients, but still not 100% comfortable in being an investment advisor only, he helped me see a path that would lead to more self-satisfaction in terms of my career choice.

Besides the typical training given to a junior planner or para-planner, one key aspect that I learned from him was to always maintain your empathy, and to not lose that innate compassion for clients that most planners have.

Although his mentorship was a relatively short one, I am happy to say that I am still in contact with him regularly.

- mtd.

MELISSA.SHIN.1 on What is the biggest impact your mentors have had on you?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:28:32 -0500

Tell us about the lessons you learned and how they still guide you today. Have your mentors been lifelong contacts, or people that have helped out along the way?

MELISSA.SHIN.1 on How did you connect with clients during parental leave?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:26:27 -0500

Let us know your tips and methods for staying in touch with your team and your clients.

womenandwealth on What five steps must you take before firing a client?

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:41:34 -0400

If a client doesn't show signs of being triple A, we ask ourselves why. We look for solutions or acknowledge the reasons why they don't meet one of the attributes (and most times that's ok). We have an honest discussion with the client about how we can help them. If all else fails, we find a way to gently transition them to a better fit (either a new advisor, or their local bank branch). We never actually "fire" a client. It's all about finding what's right for everyone involved.

AAA attributes:

1) Assets - the right amount

2) Attitute - mandatory to achiving success. If the client has the wrong attitude, no amount of advice or financial planning will help them.

3) Advocacy - raving fans

MELISSA.SHIN.1 on What five steps must you take before firing a client?

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:58:45 -0400

It's not easy to let go of clients. How do you do it? Tell us your five steps.

MELISSA.SHIN.1 on Was gender a factor in your choice of successor?

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:55:45 -0400

How did you choose your successor? What tips can you recommend? And, was gender something that came into play?