Linda Shick, senior portfolio manager and senior wealth advisor with Family Wealth Counsel Advisory Group at Raymond James Ltd. in Toronto.Supplied
In the Behind the Advice series, Globe Advisor asks advisors about their relationship with money from a young age, lessons learned over the years and how their experiences influence the advice they give clients. Behind the Advice is also a podcast: You can find episodes from all four seasons here. Stay tuned for Season Five coming in late September.
Linda Shick, senior portfolio manager and senior wealth advisor with Family Wealth Counsel Advisory Group at Raymond James Ltd. in Toronto, talks about “teaching” a classroom full of stuffed animals as a child, lessons from her father’s career reinvention and why longevity is reshaping financial services.
Describe your first money lesson.
My parents taught me from a very young age that nothing comes for free and that money is earned through hard work. My siblings and I all had weekly chores and responsibilities around the house, including making each other’s lunches.
When I was 14, my mother became ill. By that point, my older siblings had already moved out. I took on much of the responsibility of running the household, including cooking, laundry and other chores.
Although it was a significant responsibility at a young age, it taught me independence, accountability and a strong work ethic – qualities that have stayed with me throughout my life and career.
What experiences with money growing up impacted how you work with clients today?
As children, we were encouraged to save a portion of any money we earned in a silver piggy bank – a keepsake I still have today. The concept of ‘paying yourself first’ resonated with me from an early age. It’s a principle that many adults still struggle to put into practice.
Delaying gratification today to build a stronger financial future can be challenging, especially when there are so many competing demands on our income. Yet, setting aside money consistently to save and invest remains one of the most effective ways to build long-term wealth. It’s the foundation of my work with clients: helping people understand how to make their money work for them, not the other way around.
What did you want to be growing up and how did you get into financial services?
I originally wanted to be a teacher. My dad set up a blackboard in our basement and I would spend hours ‘teaching’ a classroom full of stuffed animals.
As I got older, I decided to pursue a business degree and that path led me into commercial banking. But over time I found myself drawn to the human side of finance, which led me into wealth management.
That’s what excites me and I suppose it ties into my original passion for teaching. Although I didn’t become a teacher in the traditional sense, a large part of my role today involves educating clients, helping them understand their finances, make informed decisions and build long-term wealth.
What’s the single most important move you made to build your business?
Building my business through partnership. When I made the transition into wealth management, my first business partner was my dad. At the time, he was managing the IT consulting practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers and there was still forced retirement in Ontario.
In his 60s, he found himself retired and still wanting to work. We took the Canadian Securities Course together and I joined him as a partner in an advisory practice at Nesbitt Thomson, at which we worked side by side for eight years.
That experience taught me the real value of partnership: how shared capacity, perspective and resources can enhance the client experience meaningfully. It’s also a pretty incredible lesson about the ability to reinvent yourself and start a new career in your 60s.
When my dad eventually retired, I was able to apply those lessons in choosing my next partner, which was one of the most important moves of my career: 30 years later, David Angas is still my trusted partner at Family Wealth Counsel Advisory Group.
What’s a significant change you see coming for the financial services industry in the next five years?
Longevity will be one of the most significant forces reshaping financial services. As AI automates more technical and time-consuming tasks, the true value of advisors will shift toward integrating financial planning with health care considerations, emotional well-being and multi-generational caregiving. It also means navigating increasingly complex issues such as mental capacity, legacy planning, inheritance readiness and more.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to enter your business?
Be prepared to work hard to serve your clients. This is a relationship-driven business in which clients’ needs must always come first and trust is earned over years, not through shortcuts or sales tactics.
Which famous person or fictional character would make a great financial advisor and why?
Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham and matriarch of the Crawley family in the fictional series Downton Abbey. As the family’s strategist and steward of its legacy, she leads with empathy and is committed to protecting the estate for future generations. She also adapts to change. It’s this combination of wisdom and discipline, coupled with the ability to keep pace with the times, that would make her a great financial advisor.
This interview has been edited and condensed.