How to choose your Wealth Manager? Here are three pro tips.

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[Image: Waist shot, 3/4 profile, of a man in a suit sitting on a stool. There is a tripod in the foreground to the right.]

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Xavier-Laurens Amany: You’ve made your decision. You want to establish a long-term financial strategy or invest in the stock market.

Excellent choice. But where should you start?

[Light yellow text centred on beige background: Which investment advisor should you choose?]

[White text superimposed on part of the green Desjardins logo: Xavier-Laurens Amany, B.B.A., Associate Advisor, Brossard Group, Desjardins Securities]

Xavier-Laurens Amany: In addition to providing valuable advice, the advisor’s role extends far beyond investments and long-term financial planning.

They can also help you carry out important projects while staying on budget, maximize the tax efficiency of your investments, advise you on building up an emergency fund, create a repayment plan for your debts and optimize your capital.

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Xavier-Laurens Amany: Simply put, an advisor takes your goals and dreams and translates them into numbers and dates.

There are many investment options out there, and financial products evolve quickly.

Making investment decisions on your own, without expert advice, can have unforeseeable consequences.

[Light yellow text on beige background: Did you know?

Most financial products and services firms don’t charge for the first meeting. Take advantage!]

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Xavier-Laurens Amany: Choosing a qualified advisor is an important decision.

There are 3 things to consider when choosing an advisor. Number 1: their level of interest. Number 2: their level of expertise and area of specialization. Number 3: their references and their team’s expertise.

First, let’s talk about their level of interest. At the first meeting, they ask you about your personal situation, such as your age, annual income, assets and liabilities, among other things, and they draw up a temporary investor profile.

They also try to get an idea of your goals and retirement plans. They explain from the outset how they are paid (which will guide their decision-making process), how many meetings to expect per year, and other useful information.

Next comes their level of expertise and area of specialization.

Not only should they have a degree in business administration, economics or a field related to the financial sector, they must also be a member in good standing of a professional order or an organization that oversees the distribution of financial products and services.

For example, if they have a degree from the Institut québécois de planification financière, they are also authorized to use the reserved title of financial planner.

Each year that they work in the financial sector also adds to their experience and credibility.

[Image: Waist shot, 3/4 profile, of a man in a suit sitting on a stool. There is a tripod in the foreground to the right.]

Xavier-Laurens Amany: Finally, there’s their references and their team’s expertise.

Think you’ve found the rare gem? Now it’s time to find out more about their team.

There’s a simple reason for this. The financial sector is vast, intricate and constantly changing.

For this reason, professionals choose 1 or 2 areas to specialize in so that they can stay up to date and provide the best possible services.

So when the time comes, for example, to check certain tax aspects of the financial strategy they created for you, they need to have some degree of expertise in that area.

Request face-to-face or phone meetings, which will make it easier for you to tell if you feel comfortable with your advisor.

If someone you know recommends an advisor, that’s a great sign, since a satisfied client is the best proof of a top-notch advisor.

In conclusion, whether you want to build your dream cottage, take a trip around the world or enjoy life to the fullest with your children and grandchildren, finding the right advisor always comes down to building a trusting relationship with a professional who has the expertise and experience to guide you through every stage of your life.

[Light yellow text centred on beige background: Brossard Group, Desjardins Securities. Xavier-Laurens Amany, Brossard Group, 1 Place Ville-Marie, Suite 1970, Montréal (Québec)]

[Image: Desjardins logo]

[Text on screen: Wealth Management, Securities]

[White text on black background: Warning. Each Desjardins Securities advisor named on the front page of this document or at the beginning of any subsection hereof certifies that the recommendations and opinions expressed herein accurately reflect their personal views about the companies and securities that are the subject of this publication and all other companies and securities mentioned in this publication that are monitored by the advisor. Desjardins Securities may have published opinions that are different from or even run counter to those expressed in this document. These opinions reflect the different points of view, assumptions and analytical methods of the advisors who wrote them. Before making an investment decision based on any recommendations made in this document, the recipient should consider whether such recommendations are appropriate, given the recipient’s particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances.

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