Kevin Cochrane is a family man. “I don’t have a million-dollar client,” says the financial advisor with Assante Financial Management Ltd. in Dartmouth, N.S. “I have 325 families.

“It’s thrilling for me to watch these families grow,” he says. “I know the kids. I’ve gone to their graduations.”

In most cases, he has increased the assets placed under his management, which now total roughly $27 million. Many of the families with which he deals are small clients by most financial advisory standards, but, for Cochrane, they are lifelong clients. “The ‘book’ says you should hand those over to a junior advisor. I can’t do that,” he says. “I’m a GP; I still do house calls and work nights.”

Sometimes, Cochrane admits, that penchant for personalized service affects the bottom line in the short term. But in the end, going the extra mile for a client is never bad for business. “It’s not the most efficient way to make commissions, but I’m dealing with people I really like,” he says. “And all of these people are going to inherit in the next decade.”

Many of them will probably look to Cochrane to manage that money: his branch is ranked among Assante’s top three, both in terms of volume and assets under management. It’s a job he takes seriously — and one he is approaching with a new investing philosophy. Prior to the market crash in 2000, Cochrane’s strategy was guided by the goal of making his clients as rich as possible, with acceptable risk. This would have included conservative leverage, he says.

Now, the 53-year-old advisor’s philosophy is to make clients as rich as they need to be, with minimal risk. “For most people, that does not include leverage,” he notes. Why the shift? “I saw the shock and uncertainty and fear in my clients’ eyes from 2000 to 2003. If you don’t need to subject yourself to that, why would you?”

As an advisor, he adds, the impact of such downturns cannot be imagined. They must be experienced firsthand — and they must be factored into the advice given to clients. “Unless you live through that, you don’t learn anything from it,” says Cochrane. “The big risk is that it can happen again. In hindsight, it looked obvious.”

Pensions are another important factor. “I’ve learned to appreciate the value of clients’ pension plans,” he says. “You can’t screw it up.” In fact, the need to take care in this area is only going to become more crucial. “Our jobs are going to become more important because there are fewer good pensions out there. We have to protect clients from themselves.”

Part of that protection comes in the form of insurance, which Cochrane is licensed to sell. Since 2001, he has sold it with greater fervour. That was the year the retina in his left eye detached, leaving him blind in that eye — and without an insurance policy in place.

“My life changed in one day,” he says. “If you’re talking insurance, don’t put it off.”

The experience, he adds, has made him a much better financial advisor. “Your life can change overnight. You have to spend some of your money today. Take your kids to Disneyland. We need to enjoy life.”

Cochrane, however, is working harder now than he did before the market slump. “Up until 2000, I took seven to eight weeks off a year. It was a wonderful lifestyle,” he says.

The emphasis is on the past tense. Today, Cochrane spends more time and money meeting with fund managers across North America. “I want to get a better idea of their discipline,” he says. “I spend more time learning about where my clients’ money is invested.

“I’m a big believer in a core portion of people’s savings being in balanced funds,” he adds. “It will give them a lower rate of return, but it will allow them to sleep nights.”

Financial advising is Cochrane’s third career. He started in accounting, working his way up to finance director at Northwoodcare Inc., a large not-for-profit long-term care and community outreach centre for seniors in Halifax.

From there, Cochrane moved to radio sales in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. He eventually worked his way up to sales manager. “That’s when I realized I’m not a good manager,” he says. “I’m a good salesman.”

@page_break@A client in Saint John who worked for Investors Group Inc. once told Cochrane to call any time he was back in the job market. Cochrane called, and spent the next six years with Investors Group in Halifax. He then joined the Berkshire Investment Group Inc. in 1998, the same year he received his certified financial planner designation. Eight years later he joined Assante.

There will be no more moves and no more careers, says Cochrane. Financial advice is what he does best — and what he loves. “The numbers came easily to me, and I found I could meet people and gain their trust. If people really believe that you care about them as people, then you will gain their trust.”

Cochrane also likes to strike it big outside the office. When not at work or at home with his wife, Pam, and their three kids, now grown, he can be found on the baseball diamond, at bat or playing catcher in a slow-pitch league. Or you might find him in the bowling alley, taking aim at the pins. That aim can be deadly. His average is 106. IE