“I’m just an average guy doing my job,” says Kevin Cochrane, a financial advisor with Assante Financial Management Ltd. in Dartmouth, N.S. There is, however, nothing average about the job Cochrane does.

“Excellence is the key to success,” he says. For Cochrane, that involves being licensed in five provinces, helping clients with related issues such as their mortgages and being asked for advice on loans. Once he even went on a test-drive with a client looking to purchase a new car. “I learned — you help someone every day. That’s what I’m doing here,” he says.

To ensure he keeps getting better, Cochrane has hired a firm to do an audit of his business — from the client’s perspective. The audit will look at what is working and what could be improved.

Part of the audit will explore what other services clients need. One of those needs is already apparent: estate planning.

“For me, helping my clients and their parents with estate planning is the next big thing,” he says. “The main gist in this business is planning to transfer estates.”

— DONALEE MOULTON