Heather Holjevac, a certified financial planner with TriDelta Financial Partners in Oakville, Ont., has a passion for making a difference in people’s lives. “If you do what you love,” she says, “it’s really not work.”
Holjevac, 45, a native of Saint John, N.B., is passionate about the financial issues that affect women, especially divorcees and the elderly. She has chosen to focus on these clients because, throughout her 20-year career, Holjevac has had the opportunity to help clients successfully confront the challenges faced by people in these situations.
Holjevac’s typical client has $200,000 in investible assets, but this is not necessarily the asset minimum for her practice. Holjevac says she will accept clients with fewer assets, depending on the individual situation.
Holjevac’s goal is to provide “complete financial peace of mind,” working with each client to customize a detailed financial plan that addresses the client’s investment, insurance, mortgage, banking, credit, tax and estate planning needs.
Holjevac offers a fee-for-service option for the preparation of a financial plan. Depending on the plan’s complexity, fees start at around $1,500. She usually waives that fee for clients who implement the financial plan using financial products provided by TriDelta, which offers access to a full-range of fee-based, discretionary products. “Client accounts are proactively managed,” Holjevac says, “and product selection is unbiased.”
In all cases, the introductory client meeting is complimentary.
Holjevac has relationships with a number of professionals, including a mortgage broker, lawyers and accountants, to ensure her clients benefit from the “best of all worlds.”
Holjevac believes in education and empowerment, not only for herself but for her clients. She started her career in the estate and trust department of Canada Trust shortly after graduating in 1989 with a bachelor of commerce degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax. She acquired the CFP designation in 1996 and has since acquired two other, specialized designations that allow her to serve her target groups better: the certified divorce financial analyst and the elder planning counsellor.
“Over the years,” Holjevac says, “I have relied on a four-pillar strategy to build my practice.”
The first pillar is that she has chosen to work with a firm whose values and product offerings are aligned with her own: “At TriDelta, I have found the perfect balance: investment freedom from corporate products and comprehensive financial planning support.” TriDelta provides no limits on product offerings and services, Holjevac adds, which means she can offer her clients a full choice of services and products that work for them — without pressure to provide her firm’s products. (Holjevac also benefits from access to TriDelta’s back-office, investment-management and insurance brokerage services, as well as its lead-generation system.)
The second pillar is the referrals from her centres of influence. “[Generating referrals] entails building trust,” says Holjevac, who exchanges referrals with her centres of influence.
The third pillar of Holjevac’s practice is networking — a strategy at which she excels. “I let people know what I can do to help them and how I can assist their clients or their businesses,” says Holjevac, who is involved with many community, women’s and seniors’ groups, as well as with charities and financial services industry organizations. Holjevac is a member of the Company of Women and Roaring Women, which are business networking groups; the latter has asked Holjevac to be its Canada-wide financial expert, providing financial education for its members. And she supports local charities, such as the Brampton Arthritis Society.
This past autumn, Holjevac received a $500 award from the Financial Planning Standards Council for her submission on ways to improve financial literacy among consumers. She then donated the cash to the Brampton Arthritis Society during its Diva Day event.
Holjevac leverages her two specialized designations — the CDFA and the EPC — to execute the fourth pillar of her strategy, which is the niche-oriented aspect of her practice.
In divorce cases, Holjevac works with clients and their lawyers regarding the separation of matrimonial assets, helping her clients “understand how the financial decisions they make today will impact their financial future.”
As an EPC, Holjevac assists her elderly clients with issues they face related to health, financial and estate planning; reviews available tax credits; and helps clients access resources and support to “find” money.
Holjevac works with a local group of 10 businesses in Mississauga, Ont., under the banner of Sunrise Senior Living Resource Group, that focuses on assisting caregivers and seniors deal with transition and health-support issues. “You’d be amazed by the number of referrals that seniors can provide,” Holjevac says, “often, to their children.”
Holjevac holds regular seminars and contributes to TriDelta’s monthly newsletter. As well, she uses social media, including LinkedIn and Twitter, to address issues of interest to her clients.
“We also have an annual client appreciation event,” she adds, “and I personally recognize birthdays, special occasions and life changes with cards and gifts. To ensure that we are doing a great job, we have our clients evaluate our services annually by completing a report card.”
Holjevac, lives in Mississauga with her husband of 18 years, Joseph, and their two children. She enjoys reading, travel and the arts. Her new passion is Nordic walking. “If you have a passion for what you do,” she concludes, “you will do well.” IE