Natalie Jamison of Scotia Wealth Management is part of this year's Wealth Professional's Women of Influence.
Natalie Jamison
Wealth advisor and associate director of wealth management
The Jamison Group
Scotia Wealth Management
Natalie Jamison was ahead of the curve. While many in the industry are hastily trying to adopt a holistic approach as CRM2 comes into effect, Jamison was offering that to clients 20 years ago.
“I think what women investors value that I bring to the table is a slightly different approach than the traditional old-school stockbroker,” Jamison says. “I really focus a lot on conversations about their life and their dreams and their family, so we’re not just having discussions about stocks and asset allocation. The key to my success is that I didn’t start doing this last year. I started doing it 20 years ago.” Starting out in the industry at a time when most advisors were primarily stock pickers, it would have been easy to simply follow the norm, but “I immediately said it’s not how I’m going to do things,” Jamison says. “I put myself in the shoes of my clients. How would I want to have a conversation about my finances? I just always approached it that way.”
Are you seeing any improvements in gender diversity in the industry?
Absolutely, I’m seeing improvements. I’m super thrilled that women graduating university today are seeing wealth management as a viable career choice. Even more exciting is that the industry is embracing them. What we’ve seen are wealth management firms recognizing there are benefits to having gender diversity, and those benefits are to both our clients and the bottom line. It’s slow – it’s maybe slower than we might wish. But we are going in the right direction, and it’s exciting.
What advice would you give the next generation of female advisors?
First, they need to hone their networking skills and practice public speaking. If you can’t do those two things, I don’t think you’ll do well in this industry. The second thing is to invest in yourself, your business and your brand. I’ve always been a proponent of hiring help. Don’t hesitate to hire a business coach to help with branding or website creation or your social media profile.
I would also advise them to have an investment philosophy and to stick to it and to be able to clearly explain that philosophy to clients. Only take on clients you actually enjoy working with and who match your ideal profile. If you take a client you don’t enjoy or who doesn’t actually match your profile, you will end up regretting it, and nobody wants to be in a position where they have to fire a client.
Wealth advisor and associate director of wealth management
The Jamison Group
Scotia Wealth Management
Natalie Jamison was ahead of the curve. While many in the industry are hastily trying to adopt a holistic approach as CRM2 comes into effect, Jamison was offering that to clients 20 years ago.
“I think what women investors value that I bring to the table is a slightly different approach than the traditional old-school stockbroker,” Jamison says. “I really focus a lot on conversations about their life and their dreams and their family, so we’re not just having discussions about stocks and asset allocation. The key to my success is that I didn’t start doing this last year. I started doing it 20 years ago.” Starting out in the industry at a time when most advisors were primarily stock pickers, it would have been easy to simply follow the norm, but “I immediately said it’s not how I’m going to do things,” Jamison says. “I put myself in the shoes of my clients. How would I want to have a conversation about my finances? I just always approached it that way.”
Are you seeing any improvements in gender diversity in the industry?
Absolutely, I’m seeing improvements. I’m super thrilled that women graduating university today are seeing wealth management as a viable career choice. Even more exciting is that the industry is embracing them. What we’ve seen are wealth management firms recognizing there are benefits to having gender diversity, and those benefits are to both our clients and the bottom line. It’s slow – it’s maybe slower than we might wish. But we are going in the right direction, and it’s exciting.
What advice would you give the next generation of female advisors?
First, they need to hone their networking skills and practice public speaking. If you can’t do those two things, I don’t think you’ll do well in this industry. The second thing is to invest in yourself, your business and your brand. I’ve always been a proponent of hiring help. Don’t hesitate to hire a business coach to help with branding or website creation or your social media profile.
I would also advise them to have an investment philosophy and to stick to it and to be able to clearly explain that philosophy to clients. Only take on clients you actually enjoy working with and who match your ideal profile. If you take a client you don’t enjoy or who doesn’t actually match your profile, you will end up regretting it, and nobody wants to be in a position where they have to fire a client.
