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In a climate defined by geopolitical unease, disruptive technology, macroeconomic instability, and evolving investor priorities, Canada’s best financial advisors are embracing their roles not simply as portfolio managers, but as trusted navigators through financial complexity.
They listen more than they speak and, above all, they help clients feel not just wealthier, but wiser. In doing so, they are restoring the personal dimension to wealth management – one conversation at a time.
Wealth Professional selected the 5-Star Advisors of 2025 after readers nominated the best advisors across Canada and rated them over five criteria. From over 500 nominees, the final list was chosen based on quality of service regardless of AUM.
For Rob McClelland, founder of The McClelland Financial Group and a respected finance educator, market volatility is simply part of the terrain. Whether contending with the uncertainty of Canadian federal elections, the implications of US trade wars, or the competitive pressure from banks and robo-advisors, seasoned professionals view disruption not as a threat but as a constant.
“It’s not dramatically different than it always is,” McClelland explains. “Whether it’s 2025, 2020, or 1995, there’s always something happening in the world that distracts people from their investments.”
This message is echoed by veteran investment advisor Shafik Hirani, who heads a private wealth practice and observes the mounting demands placed on financial professionals to interpret a complex global picture with clarity and composure.
He says, “Advisors are expected to connect numerous dots and explain what’s happening in a way that’s coherent and reassuring. That’s a difficult task in an uncertain environment.”
In addition to external pressures, Canadian advisors must contend with sweeping internal shifts such as:
rapid advance of AI and digital advisory tools
rise in younger and more gender-diverse wealth holders
increasing prioritization of ESG and sustainability goals
more rigorous compliance demands from banks and brokerages
Despite these shifts, both McClelland and Hirani emphasize that the essence of effective financial advising has not changed.
“Technology is evolving and markets are shifting, but being a financial advisor hasn’t changed dramatically,” McClelland says. “The fundamental responsibility is the same – to serve your client well. They can hire you and fire you, so your advice must be consistently good.”
To that end, both advisors are advocates of a high-touch service. McClelland feels meeting clients two or three times a year for extended sessions of at least an hour should be standard, with even more frequent engagements for high-net-worth clients.
Hirani offers a philosophical framing on the need to focus on service and connection to clients, rather than being fixed on investments.
“It’s not about who has the farthest telescope as top advisors often point the lens inward. They prioritize service and self-awareness over prediction,” he says.
Among the 2025 cohort of 5-Star Advisors, Beau Banerjee, vice president of wealth strategies at The Heritage Group – Private Financial Services, has emerged as a notable figure championing human-first service.
Banerjee embraces technology – but only as a secondary tool, not a substitute.
“My focus is understanding my clients,” he explains. “In today’s tech-saturated world, we risk losing our humanity. The real value lies in the conversation.”
Banerjee’s clients seek human connection, not automation. “They come to me because I’m the antithesis of a robo-advisor. They want someone who looks them in the eye,” he says.
While he acknowledges the utility of digital platforms in disseminating information, he warns against conflating data with insight. “Information doesn’t equal knowledge. If a tool doesn’t deepen the relationship, I won’t use it.”
For Maja Bekic, founder of Redline Wealth Management, emotional intelligence is as vital as investment knowledge. The 5-Star Advisor’s client base is composed predominantly of professional women in their 40s – many recently divorced or previously excluded from financial decision-making.
“They’re successful but often embarrassed they haven’t been involved in the family finances,” she says. “My mission is to build their financial confidence.”
Bekic’s own history informs her empathetic approach. Having once struggled to understand opaque financial advice, she resolved to become the advisor she never had.
“I don’t use jargon. I talk to clients one-on-one. I always say, ‘It’s your money, your life, your choice.’”
She crafts plans around goals – retirement, a second home – but recognizes the emotional weight many clients carry. Emotional release is common and so are tears.
“I’ve cried with clients. That connection allows us to create a real plan – built on trust, not fear.”
Her work begins with the same common refrain: “The number one thing I hear? ‘I wish I asked more questions.’ That’s where we start.”
Another 2025 5-Star Advisor, John Soutsos, takes a similarly client-first approach, grounded in frequent, transparent communication in running IPC Securities. With four decades of experience, he meets each client every four to six months and sends a detailed weekly newsletter.
“My clients know exactly what I’m doing,” Soutsos says. “Many have told me they’ve never experienced such clear and consistent communication.”
Concerns about succession have also been addressed. His son, Alexander, has joined the practice, providing assurance to clients that their relationships, and trust, will endure.
“I never asked him to join. But now that he has, I know my clients will be looked after long after I’ve stepped back.”
Soutsos, who holds discretionary portfolio management (DPM) status, also brings a macroeconomic lens to investing. His core portfolio, named Med-Wealth Defensive Growth, was initially structured with a 50/50 split between medical device companies and consumer staples.
“I realized that within the menagerie of subsectors of healthcare that medical devices were the best growth options, with a tremendous trajectory given the global demographics of the population,” he explains.
The portfolio is concentrated on US stocks unhedged to the US dollar, so clients can benefit during periods of Canadian dollar weakness. While many retail PMs use a blend of stocks and ETFs, Soutsos’s core model is 100 percent stocks, and he is responsible for both stock selection and trading. The typical clients are medical professionals and those aged 50 and over who have discretionary savings of $500,000.
In 2024, market shifts led to a restructure of his portfolio, with the revised version outperforming the index in the fourth quarter, only to be adjusted again in early 2025.
He says, “Adaptability is key. Darwin didn’t say the strongest survive; he said those who adapt do. That principle has guided me. My adaptability has been an integral part of achieving the success I have.”
Bekic has also found that financial conversations differ significantly by gender. She says, "Men often ask for investment specifics – standard deviations and performance metrics. Women want to know: how will this impact our lives?”
She stresses that this does not indicate a lack of interest, but a different framework of values. “We trust advisors to choose the right investments. What we want to understand is the outcome – what it enables, not just what it earns.”
Maintaining his strong focus on ensuring communication is delivered in the most appropriate manner, Banerjee has a rule: if an email is more than a couple of paragraphs long, then it’s not worth typing.
“It means I need to pick up the phone and schedule a meeting with that client,” he says.
He also underlines how having more meetings in the current climate of upheaval and disturbance is a sign of trust. Banerjee’s approach in these times is to remain calm and isolate for clients what has changed and which lens to filter the situation through.
“If I didn’t have reciprocal relationships and wasn’t having back-and-forth with clients over the last 12 months, that would be a bit concerning for me.”
While metrics such as returns, asset growth, and tax efficiency remain essential, Canada’s top advisors are increasingly measuring success through the quality of the client relationship.
Banerjee sees organic growth as a leading indicator: “It’s easy for someone to share a bad experience, but it’s much harder to share a great one. Referrals are the most powerful validation we have. There isn't a stronger tool that I can use to measure how we’re doing than, ‘Are my clients so happy that they want to share my name with somebody else?’”
Soutsos, for his part, keeps a trio of figures on his desk: Winston Churchill, along with philosopher Aristotle and poet Homer. “They remind me to filter out the noise, listen to the signals, and make decisions.”
Bekic balances emotion with economics, considering the intangibles. “I ask myself: is the client more confident? Are we growing their net worth? Are we saving on taxes? That’s the true measure.”
In an industry defined by numbers, the 5-Star Advisors 2025 are doubling down on something less quantifiable but more vital: human connection. They remind us that financial guidance is about listening, adapting, and being fully present. And in uncertain times, that may be the most valuable investment of all.
Wealth Professional conducted its fourth annual search for 5-Star Advisors in Canada. Our goal was to answer one question: Who are the best advisors when it comes to acting in their clients’ interests? From a diverse cross-section of financial professionals, we got the opportunity to spotlight remarkable examples of passion, dedication, and commitment.
From January 6 to 31, the WP team undertook a rigorous marketing and survey process, leveraging its connections to thousands of readers across the country. Readers were asked to nominate the advisors who gave them the best support based on five key criteria.
From over 500 nominations and with input from the WP editorial team, a shortlist of 50 advisors was created. The 5-Star Advisors are recognized based not on AUM but rather the quality of service provided to their clients.