Speakers

Creating the advisory practice of the future

Wayne Baxter,
IPC

After a successful career as a business consultant, thirteen years ago Wayne Baxter took over the clientele of a successful advisor who had been a client of his firm. In 1999, Wayne set out to create an approach which would reflect the needs of busy, demanding clients in a competitive world; at the end of 2007 he and his team provided a full range of advice to 350 clients, managing assets of $90 million. Wayne will talk about his experience in creating a process driven practice and how he's used strategic alliances to extend his reach into every aspect of his clients' financial lives.

Planning your way to results

Bill Bell,
Bell Financial / Manulife Securities

Bill Bell started his working life teaching math to high school students; four years later, he joined Paul Revere selling disability insurance, rising to become General Manager of the Toronto office. In 1996, Bill established an independent practice, using a comprehensive financial planning approach as the cornerstone of his business. Author of two books and numerous articles on personal finance issues, today he manages investments of $60 million and provides insurance solutions for 400 client households.

Attracting high end clients

Dodee Frost Crockett,
First Vice President - Investments, Merrill Lynch

After graduating from university and a short time working for her family's business, Dodee Frost Crockett became a financial advisor with the Dallas office of Merrill Lynch in 1980. Noted for her client first mindset and innovative approach to building a network of professional referrals, today she heads a team with assets of $1 billion and last year achieved personal production of $2.8 million. A major focus of late has been helping clients pursue initiatives in the charitable giving area. Ranked among America's top advisors by both Barrons and Research Magazine, Dodee holds the designation of "Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy". She is past Chairman of the Board of Dallas Social Venture Partners and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Dallas Foundation and the Shared Housing Center. In this talk, Dodee will outline the key decisions which have fueled her success and discuss how she obtains referrals from both traditional and non-traditional sources. She will also discuss how your natural market becomes your area of specialty and ultimately the market in which you are the local "expert" and how her recent acquisition of the "Certified Divorce Financial Analyst" designation has led to success in attracting clients.

From commodities to whole wealth

Kathryn Del Greco,
TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice

Kathryn Del Greco launched her career as an investment advisor four months before the crash of '87. Initially focusing on commodities trading, she has successfully transitioned her business to a comprehensive whole wealth management practice. She currently serves 125 families for whom she manages over $150 million. Kathryn will discuss the transitions she's made in her business, creating a service culture and the role that raising account minimums and parting company with clients beneath that minimum have played in her success. She will also talk about an innovative fund raising event which she launched three years ago and the impact of this event on her business.

Tapping the power of niche marketing

Michael Dorfman,
BMO Nesbitt Burns

At age 20, Michael Dorfman's first job after university was in the international private banking group of Citibank in New York. In 1992, he returned to Canada and joined Burns Fry. Today, he manages a downtown Toronto branch and runs a book of $280 million for 275 clients. Instrumental to his success has been the decision to focus on an underserved client niche - in his talk, Michael will talk about how to select and build profile against a defined client niche and discuss how successful advisors can orient their prospecting activity against a defined target community.

Partnering for success

Joanne Goodrich and Rick Livingstone,
RBC Dominion Securities

Joanne and Rick have each been Investment Advisors for about ten years and today manage assets of $160 million for approximately 200 households. Joanne and Rick worked together informally from a very early stage in their careers and established a formal partnership in 2003. They will discuss the events that led to the formation of their partnership, the role each plays, how they've made this arrangement work and lessons for advisors who are considering moving to a partnership model.

Structuring a high net worth practice

Tim Morton,
CIBC Wood Gundy

Tim Morton entered the investment industry 30 years ago at age 23; he currently manages a team of six with $700 million in assets. Commencing in 1999, Tim reduced his client base from 500 to 200 families, cutting assets by almost half in the process. In 2004, he further cut back to 50 families - he has since added 10 clients. Tim will talk about finding the right structure for your business, how to get paid reasonably for the work you do and ways to build a happy and motivated team. He will also share some thoughts on prospecting for clients at the top end of the market.

Running a conviction based business

Michael Mountford,
ScotiaMcLeod

Michael Mountford joined ScotiaMcLeod in 1989 directly from university; today he runs a four person team managing $500 million in assets. Michael's talks will focus on the beliefs and convictions which underpin his business. He will talk about how to build and manage a team, his approach to spending both personally and professionally, the reasons he�s in the office most Sundays and why he says no to clients that aren't prepared to do business on his terms.

Building a professional referral network

Peter Pomponio,
Assante Wealth Management

Peter Pomponio came into the business in 1993 and by 2001 had built a successful practice supported by four assistants. Today he manages two and a half times the book that he did seven years ago supported by just one assistant. He's achieved this by shifting his focus to a smaller number of high end clients. The key to making this transition was building referral relationships with key centers of influence in the Montreal area - he has averaged 15 professional referrals annually over the past three years. Peter will discuss what it takes to build referral relationships with accountants and lawyers and how to position your practice to deal with ever more sophisticated clients.