“When Shelley first met with me, she wasn’t sure what role I would play,” says Jason, a Senior Financial Advisor with CIBC’s Imperial Service. “I did my best to make her feel comfortable and then explained what I do and how I could help her. I think she felt reassured knowing I’d been at the bank a long time and had the experience to help as her dedicated financial advisor.”
Finding common ground and developing rapport with clients is something Jason feels very strongly about. “It’s very important to me that clients can see I’m genuine and trust they’re getting honest feedback and advice.”
Jason and Shelley spent a lot of time discussing her goals for the life she wanted, like working less, owning a private catering business and generating income for her future by purchasing an investment property. Jason also pinpointed challenging aspects of her portfolio due to economic conditions and addressed the fact that Shelley would need to continue working longer than she’d originally hoped.
“Once Shelley was able to articulate how she wanted to live her life differently, we built a plan with our Financial Planning Consultant on the team to help her do that,” says Jason. “Even though it means working for a while longer, she has been able to change the way she works, which has really helped set up their future.”
Once Jason helped Shelley understand what financial freedom was, that's when things changed for her. She began to think about how to make decisions based on what she wanted to do, like taking a short-term job at a ski resort, which gives her more time to spend with her wife and to travel.
“Finance is very intimate to many people,” says Jason. “It’s gratifying knowing that the advice you’re providing is valuable and that you’ve made a real difference in someone’s life. In the end, it’s not about selling products — it’s doing the right thing for the client.”
