Basic Training for Financial Recruits

Colleges and universities teach many things, but financial savvy often isn’t one of them. To fill this void and provide valuable coaching to the children of his clients, Paul Lermitte, Senior Wealth Advisor at the Assante Vancouver Centre branch, created a financial freedom bootcamp. The sessions are designed to help registrants achieve financial independence and personal growth.

On January 25, 2020 at the 13th Annual Financial Freedom Bootcamp, 25 young adults received a full day of instruction on protecting their financial flanks, attacking debt and creating spending boundaries to put them on the road to financial fitness. The popular event was at capacity, leaving a wait list for next year’s bootcamp. The program was built for the children and grandchildren of clients who have completed university, are 21-35 years of age, building their lives and may even be looking to buy a home. Basic training included the following topics and drill sergeants:

• Investment basics and tax
  • Carlos Arostegui, Financial Planner
  • Steven Joe, Financial Planner

• Investor behaviour
  • Adam Crompton, Associate Financial Advisor
  • Susie Howson, Financial Planner

• Risk Management
  • Ksenia Kovarsky, Financial Planner

• Career and life planning
  • Spencer Rolls, Financial Planner

• Cash flow planning
  • Russel Jarvis, Associate Financial Advisor

• Goal setting
  • Brittany Adamson, Financial Planner
  • Kerry Tichener, Associate Financial Advisor

Spencer Rolls, a financial planner at the branch said of the training, “The impact this bootcamp has on the young adults in attendance is immeasurable. Every year, I’m overwhelmed by the great questions and positive feedback we get from them. Equally important is the confidence this gives our clients in knowing their children and grandchildren are getting a foot up in a financial world that is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.”

These sessions taught participants to examine their financial behaviour, how to make investment decisions and mitigate risk, how to minimize impulse spending and look at the long-term picture, along with maximizing savings/contributions. With so much information and misinformation available online, this day was geared to giving attendees the tools to make properly informed financial decisions to build the foundation for a successful future.