Neela White and business partner Derek Rennie moved their practice, Blue Wing Advisory Group in Toronto, to Wellington-Altus Private Wealth Inc. earlier this month.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
On the Move is Globe Advisor’s roundup of notable hires and departures across Canada’s financial services industry.
Neela White works mainly with seniors, specializing in longevity issues and navigating Canada’s health care system. She sees this focus as essential to advisory practices for the future.
“It’s really being able to guide clients through the idea of what happens when a health care diagnosis [occurs],” the senior wealth advisor says.
She and business partner Derek Rennie moved their 150-client-household practice, Blue Wing Advisory Group in Toronto, to Wellington-Altus Private Wealth Inc. from Raymond James Ltd. earlier this month.
Neela White, senior wealth advisor with Blue Wing Advisory Group.iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Ms. White has worked in the longevity space for years and says she wanted more marketing and technology support.
“As demand grows for advice that goes beyond traditional wealth management, particularly in my specialty areas, we’re excited to have the resources and support needed to deepen our expertise and deliver even greater value to clients and their families,” she says.
Longevity isn’t an area of focus for many advisors, says Ms. White, who was a primary caregiver and advocate to her own parents for a decade, and worked in long-term care doing activation and assessments.
Advisors tend to focus on areas in which they’re comfortable and can thrive, she says, and the topic of aging pushes some out of their comfort zone.
“Unless we have a really strong, open relationship with our client, these are difficult conversations to bring up because the conversations can be quite emotional,” she says. “How far should our conversations extend? That’s one of the areas our industry is exploring.”
Nevertheless, some uncomfortable conversations are getting easier. Ms. White says cancer used to be a taboo word, but as treatments have improved, the conversations have become normalized.
Today, she finds a dementia diagnosis the bigger taboo, with discussions about what’s needed and developing a plan with family members particularly challenging.
“The subject is not taboo for us,” she says. “Whatever the client diagnosis, it’s still our client and we’re there to protect them.”
Other recent moves
On Nov. 3, Benjamin Felix was promoted to president of PWL Capital Inc., at which he will retain his role as chief investment officer. Mr. Felix will work with chief executive officer Cameron Passmore on the company’s strategic growth and major client initiatives.
Robert Noel, Hudson Noel and Scott Buhler from Alderwood Wealth Partners in Warman, Sask., have joined Q Wealth Partners from CI Assante Wealth Management Ltd. In Winnipeg, Dave Holt and Aaron Migie moved to Q Wealth, establishing Aleris Private Wealth at which they’re managing partners. Mr. Holt was previously at Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management Canada and Mr. Migie hailed from CI Assante Wealth Management.
Terry Wright incorporated his firm, LT Wealth Management Partners Inc., becoming an independent portfolio manager registered with various provincial securities commissions. He was previously with Raymond James Ltd., which remains the custodian for his client accounts.
Recently switched firms? Got a big promotion? Left to start your own firm? Or retired to start that side hustle? Send the details to: dgage@globeandmail.com and put “On the Move” in the subject line. We look forward to hearing about your next chapter.