Allan Small

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Name:
Allan Small

Where do you live?
Midtown Toronto

Profession:
Investment advisor

Please explain what you do in your job:
I am a money manager. I manage people's investments to try and make their financial goals come true. Their goals may be retirement, buying a house or other big-ticket items. Whatever they want to work toward, I can help them save and grow their money. I also help with estate planning, which is helping individuals pass on their assets to their beneficiaries in tax-efficient ways.

List of accomplishments:
I have worked for a few places in my career, which has really helped me to understand the financial world.

I started at MRS Trust in their back office processing trades and working on the in-bound customer service desk. From there I moved to Mackenzie Financial where again I took in-bound calls relating to the markets and Mackenzie funds in the marketing services department.

My next employer was Royal Trust where I built portfolios primarily out of Royal Bank products and managed investors' portfolios. After Royal Trust I was a branch manager at Edward Jones.

I built the location from scratch obtaining clients and building the business. Edward Jones was the first full-service independent firm I worked at. Thus I provided investment solutions for my clients. Finally about five years ago, I moved to Dundee Securities Corp.

I manage money for more than 350 clients and continue to grow the business.

My title here is Investment advisor. I have clients all over Southern Ontario who I manage portfolios for with no restrictions on products I can offer.

I have my CSC, CPH, WMT, PFP, FMA, hedge fund courses completed along with my Level 2 Life License (I can sell life insurance). I have a bachelor of science In psychology from the University of Toronto.

I have won many awards while at Edward Jones for successfully starting and growing an ethical business.

How do you measure success in your profession?
I believe success in this business is measured by the size of your business, how well your clients respect and treat you and by how much you can help them. Helping may mean growing their wealth or perhaps it may just mean saving them some tax dollars.

How did you get your start in your chosen career?
I got my start in this career while I was in university. I had a relative working at MRS Trust and they gave me a part-time job working for them. From there I moved on and into different departments all while attending university.

Pros and cons of this job:
Pros: Fast pace, always different, deal with people. You have a large responsibility, which I like, and in this job you can make a difference.

Cons: It can be stressful if the markets are negative. Always hard growing the business (same for all careers I believe). Always have to know what is happening. You are always on. Very little down time.

Skills required for this job:
Patience, have to be good listener, have to read a lot, be willing to take courses to better yourself. Have to be able to do research. Have to like the fast-pace of the markets.

What can youth expect if they want to pursue this job?
Youth can expect to take a lot of courses before they can have this job. It is a lot more regulated now. Also it is hard to start with a large investment firm these days. You probably would start as a junior while you are obtaining your courses and go from there. You will have to start working for someone before you can manage your own money. It is hard to get your own clients.

Percentage of people who actually succeed in this field:
Difficult to say. There are a lot of advisors out there specializing in different things. Not sure the answer to that one. However if you work hard you should be successful.

Salary range:
Again, this depends as well. Sky's the limit.

Advice to youth who are thinking about pursuing this field:
This field is quite difficult to start in today. It was a lot easier back when I started. However, if you really want to start, take your courses, find an office that will be willing to hire you as an assistant and learn from them. Eventually you can branch off and do your own thing.

Anything else you would like to say?
For the most part, my profession has allowed me to experience the finer things in life. It has been difficult to get to my level and I am sure it will be even harder to get to the next level. However, if you work hard at anything, I believe success will follow and this job is no different.