Vince Herlaar,

Education

• Bachelor of Arts with Distinction (General, Economics and History)
• Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder
• Certified Financial Planner

How I ended up working in finance

My mother was a financial planner and brought me along on two of those ‘bring your kid to work days’ back in the early 2000s. I didn’t think it was for me.

Fast forward to 2008 and the day Lehman Brothers went bankrupt. I was sitting in ECON305 (Money and Banking). The professor pretty much changed the curriculum on the spot. We got to study the collapse in real time. I was hooked. After that I couldn’t read about finance, economics, and economic history fast enough. I never looked back.

Favourite part of the job

Two things make my job great.

First, like Carey, I learn something new from clients every single day. Without them I wouldn’t have a job and I’ll never take that for granted.

Second, financial planning is hard. Nobody knows anything about the future, and yet our clients trust us to navigate the path forward. As a result, I need to know a lot about everything. On any given day I might need to be a guidance or grief counsellor, or a business coach, or a historian, or a political scientist, or a journalist, or a story teller, or do math for hours. There’s always something new to focus on. I also need to do all this while providing the best client service possible. I like the challenge and I think clients appreciate it.

When I’m not working

I’m a proud member of the James Bay Athletic Association, so you’ll usually find me at MacDonald Park in James Bay on Saturday afternoons. I'm also fascinated by the study of wine. But most importantly, this is my job and my passion. When I’m not working, I’m usually working. Thankfully, my wife, Carley de Goede, and my feline friends make sure I take a break from time to time.