Geoff Michie was on top of the world at his graduation ceremony this past May at the CN Tower in Toronto. He was one of 25 advi-sors from across Canada comprising the first graduating class of CSI Global Education Inc.’s new chartered professional strategic wealth designation.

The Ch.P strategic wealth designation covers all asset classes and planning issues such as taxes, real estate, estate planning and saving. Michie chose the group learning program, which runs for 18 months and consists of classes, online study, case studies and an oral presentation. A self-study version is also available, to be completed at the student’s own pace. The designation emphasizes building relationships with clients and providing access to a network of professional specialists.

Gaining the new wealth-management designation fits perfectly with the direction that Michie, 51, is taking in his career: this past April, he joined RBC Dominion Securities Inc. in Oshawa, Ont., after a 31-year career with TD Bank Financial Group, at which he eventually became vice president and market leader of a private-client services centre at TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice in downtown Toronto.

But the desire to have a practice and clients of his own — in his own community — led Michie to DS. Now he is intent on building long-term relationships with clients while networking in his community with local professionals.

So, Michie has been building his book of business from scratch. He finds clients by networking, cold-calling and keeping his eyes open for marketing opportunities. Michie Wealth Management Group has already acquired 40 clients since its inception.

“It’s about getting word out and dealing with individuals who didn’t have an advisor before,” he says.

He also networks with local professionals as much as he can. “I’m constantly learning,” he says. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a coffee or a lunch meeting at which I didn’t talk to professionals about current issues or industry changes.”

Getting out of the office and talking to people is nothing new for Michie. While working in Toronto, he was part of the Toronto Estate Planning Council, professionals who meet for dinner once a month to discuss estate planning issues. When the bank moved him to the city’s north end, he found few networking groups. So, in January 2006, Michie and two lawyers created the York Region Professional Advisory Council, which meets monthly to discuss topics of interest to professionals who work with high net-worth clients.

Education is another priority for Michie, who was among the first to complete the personal financial planner program in 1997; he became a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers in 1979, when it was an undergraduate course, and again in 1996 as part of his executive MBA.

Michie’s other designations include certified financial planner, fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute, financial management advisor and the specialist trust institute. He is also licensed to sell life insurance. “I’ve always tried to keep up to date. That helps my business and my clients,” he says.

Michie began his financial services career when he joined Toronto-Dominion Bank at the age of 19 as a management trainee. After taking the FICB course at night school at York University in Toronto, Michie moved on to various branch positions, and then to the divisional office in finance and sales. The next step was to branch manager, for which he relocated with his family to Whitby, Ont., 56 kilometres east of Toronto, in 1989.

“I started getting into wealth management,” says Michie. “It was the early 1990s and we didn’t have investment advisors at the branches. But T-bills and mortgage-backed securities were coming in, so I got involved with those.”

In the branch environment, Michie built his knowledge of the investment side of the business. He oversaw the conversion of a commercial banking centre into a large retail branch, while maintaining his branch management responsibilities. In 2000, he assumed his role at TD Waterhouse.

“This gave me the opportunity to work with business owners and others with significant net wealth,” he says.

His decision to move to an advisory role at DS was partly driven by a desire to work in the community in which he lived. He also wanted to build his own practice.

“The frustration of my previous position was that, although you brought the client in, you didn’t build the relationship,” Michie says. “My new role allows me to build relationships and execute integrated wealth management.”

@page_break@His target market is small-business owners between the ages of 50 and 55, with average net worth of $500,000. “They are thinking about retiring but have not yet done so,” he says. “They have not done a lot of planning because they are very busy in their day-to-day lives and have just started thinking about what they should do to prepare.”

Michie’s clients face asset management, business succession, tax and intergenerational wealth transfer issues. Many own several properties and assets in other countries.

Michie’s other designations gave him the technical know-how to serve high net-worth clients, but he found the Ch.P strategic wealth program seriously tests participants’ knowledge and expertise. Candidates defend their wealth plans in an oral presentation before industry experts.

“It’s not the designation that gets you the business when a prospective client walks into your office,” says Michie. “It’s your ability to show how you will bring the plan together, and your ability to work with other professionals.”

Michie’s sons are following in his footsteps: Nick, 25, works for an investment dealer; and 22-year-old Jay is at a bank.

As much as Michie enjoys networking and building his business in his community, he also loves heading to the family cottage on Horseshoe Lake near Kingston, Ont., where years ago he met his wife of 30 years, Linda.

Michie and his sons have recently taken up scuba diving, taking courses in Tobermory and in the Thousand Islands region. IE