Future of Wealth Management

When a business owner decides to sell, it’s often the most significant financial moment of their life - and the most vulnerable moment for the incumbent investment advisor.Too often, advisors lose long-standing relationships at this stage because they’re not positioned as part of the transition conversation.The M&A process moves fast, other advisors get involved, and before they know it, the client relationship is gone.Join us for a conversation with Vince Valeri, Family Enterprise Advisor and Grant Wallace, Partner, Investment Banking, for a discussion on how advisors can stay indispensable through a client’s business transition.We cover:Why business-owner exits are the point of highest risk for advisors.How to position yourself as a trusted voice before the sale.What to look for when helping clients choose an M&A advisor.How to stay connected through the transaction.How to capture the post-sale opportunity.If you advise business owners or high-net-worth families, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

What does it actually take to build and scale an investment counselling firm in Canada? In this live fireside conversation, senior leaders from Wellington-Altus Private Counsel, Verecan Capital Management, and Renno & Co share practical insights on launching, structuring, and growing a modern investment counselling platform.This is a candid discussion on what works, what does not, and what serious operators need to think about in 2026.In this session, we cover:The investment counselling registration process and navigating the regulatory landscape. Designing a differentiated value proposition in a competitive wealth market. Funding and capitalization strategies, from self-funded to institutional backing.Technology decisions that enable scale and operating leverage.Organic growth versus acquisition, including structuring deals for advisory teams and books of business.Scaling culture, client experience, and infrastructure as assets growWhether you are:An advisor considering registering an investment counselling firm.A portfolio manager exploring independence.An existing IC firm owner looking for scalable growth strategies.An investor backing wealth management platforms.This discussion is designed to give you clarity, structure, and actionable insight.

This series is a set of 1-on-1 conversations with the principals behind some of the fastest-growing wealth advisory firms in Canada. In this episode, I sit down with Ben Wilson, Head of M&A Architecture at PWL Capital, one of Canada’s most distinctive and fastest-growing independent wealth management firms. Following PWL’s partnership with OneDigital, a US financial services consolidator with more than 200 acquisitions, the firm is entering a new phase focused on acquisition-led growth.We discuss why PWL shifted from purely organic growth to M&A, what the firm looks for in acquisition partners, and how they are building an integrated independent wealth management platform in Canada. Ben also shares insights into the importance of culture, evidence-based investing, financial planning, enterprise value creation, and why PWL believes the future of wealth management will belong to firms that can scale without losing alignment.The discussion focuses on what actually matters when building through acquisition: cultural fit, advisor incentives, integration risk, succession planning, valuation frameworks, and maintaining organic growth while scaling nationally.About My GuestBen Wilson is Head of M&A Architecture at PWL Capital. He joined the firm in 2017 after beginning his career on the compliance side of the wealth management industry. Over time, he transitioned into advisory and leadership roles, helping build PWL’s client experience platform before moving into M&A leadership following the firm’s transaction with OneDigital.Ben holds a BCom from Carleton University and is both a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®). At PWL, he plays a central role in sourcing, structuring, and integrating acquisition partnerships across Canada.PWL Capital has become widely recognized for its evidence-based investing philosophy, financial planning expertise, and the global audience built through Ben Felix’s YouTube channel and the Rational Reminder podcast.Connect with Ben Wilson:• LinkedIn:   / ben-wilson  Learn more about PWL Capital:• PWL Website: https://pages.pwlcapital.com/your-nex...• PWL YouTube Channel:    / @pwlcapital  Follow PWL’s thought leadership:• Rational Reminder Podcast: https://rationalreminder.ca/• Ben Felix YouTube Channel:    / @benfelixcsi  

This series is a set of 1-on-1 conversations with the principals behind some of the fastest-growing wealth advisory firms in Canada.In this episode, I interview a key partner to firms pursuing acquisitions in the sector. We unpack how they support buyers through sourcing, structuring, and closing transactions, and how they help ensure integrations actually deliver value.The discussion focuses on what works in practice, where deals break down, and how the best acquirers manage integration risk, cultural alignment, valuation, and transition risk.About My GuestTyler is a graduate of the University of Guelph, where he earned an Honours degree in Economics and Finance. He began his career in the banking industry in 2016, focusing on supporting goodwill M&A activity across Canada. By 2018, Tyler used this experience to execute the first transactions for a large Canadian bank to the Wealth Management sector and continued to spearhead the growth of that program. Driven by an entrepreneurial mindset and a collaborative approach to working with people, Tyler joined CLG, the ideal fit for the Advisor lending program to support Wealth Managers, Advisors, Planners and Dealers across Canada.

This series is a set of 1-on-1 conversations with the principals behind some of the fastest-growing wealth advisory firms in Canada. In each interview, I explore how these firms have identified acquisition opportunities, negotiated and structured transactions, closed deals, and most importantly integrated advisors and clients in a way that actually accelerates value and scale. The emphasis is on what worked, what failed, and what changed along the way. About My GuestChris Arthur is the Founder and CEO of Bold Wealth. After starting his career as a financial advisor, he identified a gap between what independent planners needed to succeed and what the industry was delivering — a realization that led him to build Bold Wealth as a platform providing institutional-quality portfolios and operational support to growth-minded advisors.Recognized by Wealth Professional Canada as a Top 40 Under 40 (2025), he is focused on modernizing the advisor experience by reducing operational friction and helping firms scale with confidence.

This series is a set of 1-on-1 conversations with the principals behind some of the fastest-growing wealth advisory firms in Canada.In each interview, I explore how these firms have identified acquisition opportunities, negotiated and structured transactions, closed deals, and most importantly integrated advisors and clients in a way that actually accelerates value and scale. The emphasis is on what worked, what failed, and what changed along the way. Integration risk, cultural alignment, valuation nuance, and transition trust are recurring themes.About My GuestEpisode one features Arif Kanji, CFP, CLU, CIM, co-founder of Qopia Financial, a firm that has grown by being selective, disciplined, and uncompromising when looking to grow through the acquisition of advisory practices.Qopia Financial, a Calgary-based, integrated financial services firm built around a simple but demanding idea: deliver holistic advice under one roof without compromising trust, quality, or client experience. Since 2012, Arif has advised Canadian families across financial planning, insurance, estate strategies, and investments. He holds the CFP designation and is a registered Portfolio Manager, with a practitioner’s lens shaped by hundreds of real client transitions.Founded in 2016, Qopia Financial was designed to integrate investment management, financial planning, insurance and group benefits into a single platform. With more than 75 years of combined team experience, and a team of over 20 professionals, the firm has scaled by prioritizing long-term alignment over short-term transactions.