FEATURES
TOP 50 ADVISORS 8
MARVIN J. SCHMIDT
6
Practice: The Schmidt Investment Group Firm: CIBC Private Wealth Location: Edmonton, AB
In high school, Marvin Schmidt was often teased by basketball teammates on road trips for studying the business pages, investment research reports and tips from the world’s best investors. It’s fair to say he’s having the last laugh. With a mission to simplify wealth for clients, Schmidt has built his 30-plus-year career around a fierce desire to positively impact the lives of his clients, his team and some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Named Canadian Advisor of the Year at the 2020 Wealth Professional Awards, Schmidt also dedicates himself to Expand Hope, a charity he co-founded with his wife, Leah, which works to eradicate poverty in vulnerable communities. The Schmidt Investment Group serves Canada’s affluent families, and the practice’s aim for 2022 is to continue to build out its family office division. With current AUM of $885 million, the team is also looking to hit the $1 billion milestone. The pandemic certainly hasn’t derailed these plans. “When it comes to challenges that our clients have, we have always viewed them as opportunities that allow us to add more value to their lives,” Schmidt says, “and we navigated the COVID-19 pandemic in a similar way, choosing to focus on the opportunities that this unprecedented challenge presented.”
7
JAMIE SWITZER Practice: The Switzer Group Firm: Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management Location: Vancouver, BC
Jamie Switzer more than doubled his AUM in 2021 – and he credits this success in part to not deviating too much from his method, despite the impact of the pandemic. As soon as it was safe to return to the office, he made in-office work a priority. Zoom meetings were introduced, of course, but lines of communication with clients remained strong. Switzer is drawn to the entrepreneurial spirit of the wealth business and loves the fact that each day is different. “I find the numerous factors at play at any given time fascinating and love doing my best to adapt to challenges in the markets and the economy,” he says. Switzer’s aim now is to continue to grow organically and build on the “amazing group of clients I’ve assembled to date.” Outside the office, he gives back to charity and is the youngest honorary director at Lions Gate Hospital. “I love coming to work, have terrific clients, and I am so proud of the team I’ve assembled around me,” he says.
32
THANE STENNER Practice: Stenner Wealth Partners+ Firm: Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management Location: Vancouver, BC
A wealth management veteran of 33 years, Thane Stenner grew up immersed in the investment business. His father was an advisor for almost half a century, and that enabled him to meet industry icons like Sir John Templeton, Peter Lynch and Warren Buffett. “They inspired me to join and stay committed to this amazing industry in which we can have such a positive impact on people’s lives,” Stenner says. “I find it intellectually challenging to both make clients money and protect client capital during bull and bear markets, while also building deep relationships to endure for the longer term.” Stenner works solely with $10 millionplus households across Canada and only takes on a few new relationships a year. His AUM stands at $720 million, but with the addition of the right clients and portfolio performance, he’s aiming to cross the $1 billion threshold by the end of 2022. Ranked number two on WP’s Top 50 Advisors list in 2017, Stenner and his colleagues were also named the top-ranked California-based team on the Barron’s Top 50 Institutional Consultants List in early 2020 before moving their practice back to Vancouver. He has also served on the advisory boards and committees of more than 15 organizations, which he describes as “very rewarding.”
www.wealthprofessional.ca
14-35_Top 50-SUBBED.indd 32
24/02/2022 3:40:00 am
