What makes the Advisor of the Year?

It’s your last chance to get in your votes for the Advisor of the Year, so what makes a worthy nominee?

“Intelligence, integrity and passion.”

Those are the three keys to being a candidate for the Wealth Professional Advisor of the Year award, according to Frank Laferriere, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Mandeville Wealth Services Inc. and Mandeville Private Client Inc.

He should know what he’s talking about too. After all, Laferriere has extensive experience of his own in the industry after being a board member at Berkshire-TWC Financial Group, which had more than 700 advisors across Canada and $12.7 billion in assets under management prior to its sale to Manulife; and he has also served on a host of industry boards including the board of directors for the Investment Dealers Association of Canada (predecessor to IIROC), the Mutual Fund Dealers Association Policy Advisory Committee, and the board of directors for the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI).

However, most notably, he is now at Mandeville, an investment dealer and member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada as well as a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Mandeville Private Wealth Inc. provides a full range of investment wealth creation services to retail investors and is also the sponsor of this year’s Wealth Professional Advisor of the Year award.

“We believe we are a champion for the advisor in Canada,” commented Laferriere. “There is a lot of change in the industry at the moment – such as with the introduction of CRM2 legislation – and we want to promote advisors that really stand above the crowd.”

So what makes one financial advisor stand above another? According to Laferriere, it’s not just about providing a service: it’s about offering a philosophy.

“People who are always considering others and putting their clients first are at the top of the list,” said Laferriere. “It’s about foregoing compensation for the benefit of the client, embracing a philosophy and a framework, and having a passion for the industry. We want to see advisors that live a fulfilled life and are fully engaged in the industry – those who give back to their clients.

“In our view, good deeds need to be rewarded and that’s why we’ve chosen to sponsor this award. Yes there are people in our industry that we need to protect the public from, but the reality is that the majority of advisors are doing noble work by helping people to have a brighter future. There are very few vocations that do that – and these people should be celebrated.”

It’s been described as the “Oscars of the financial advice industry” and the chance to get in nominations for this year’s Wealth Professional awards has almost expired – last entries will be accepted on March 30. So if you haven’t already had your say, for Advisor of the Year and a range of other awards, vote now.

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