AHMAD BAKHSHAI, CFA®, CFP®, TEP, FEA, CLU, FCSI®, and FP Canada™ Fellow; Associate Vice-President, Advanced Wealth Planning, Wellington-Altus, Toronto, ON.

AHMAD BAKHSHAI

 “The combined whole is so much greater than the sum of the parts.”

Driven by his desire to leave a meaningful and enduring legacy, Ahmad Bakhshai, CFA®, CFP®, TEP, FEA, CLU, FCSI®, and FP Canada™ Fellow; Associate Vice- President of Advanced Wealth Planning at Wellington-Altus, has built a career focused on helping others thrive over the long term. Peter F. Drucker, the “Father of Modern Management,” wrote, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”1 Ahmad exemplifies both. His mission is two-fold: to advocate for financial literacy, and to pass on knowledge through mentorship, leadership, and training.

Ahmad’s commitment to advancing financial literacy and education is celebrated in the industry. “I’ve received some awards and recognition, lately specifically related to financial literacy and advocacy that reflect what’s been going on in my life and in my professional career,” says Ahmad, who was awarded the FP Canada™ Fellow distinction in 2023. “I was over the moon because that honour is strictly based on giving back and volunteering. It was in recognition of all my financial literacy work.”

In 2024, he was named as a “Top 40 under 40 Rising Star” by Wealth Professional Canada Magazine. The list spotlights young Canadian professionals who are shaping the future of the industry through bold ideas, innovation, and approaches that prioritize clients. In June 2025, the publication recognized Ahmad with the “SIMA Award for Financial Literacy Champion,” recognizing his leadership and dedication to promoting financial literacy by educating Canadians to make better financial decisions.

“The more I learn, the better I can execute.”

Underlying it all has been his lifelong appreciation for, and constant pursuit of, education. “I grew up in an academic family and my father is a professor,” says Ahmad. “The value of education was ingrained in us growing up, and it comes naturally to me.”

It’s served him well as he’s moved through the wealth management industry. “The amount of responsibility on our shoulders is incredible. The industry does a good job in terms of regulating and supervising us, ensuring product suitability and that clients are taken care of,” says Ahmad. “But, early in my career, there were times I sensed a gap. Did I have the best solution for the person? Had I turned over every stone there was and explored all the options?”

Ahmad notes there is a disconnect in the industry when it comes to education. Understanding the long-term impacts of managing individual and family wealth, Ahmad compares the licensing requirements in wealth management to professions like law or medicine, which require residency or articling prior to overseeing a patient or client.

“We’re in the knowledge industry. We’re in the business of giving people advice and making tangible improvements to clients’ lives,” he says. “Just because extra education is not necessarily required, I don’t think that’s a good reason not to get it. The more I learn, the better I can execute from a technical point of view.”

Ahmad has proven the power of lifelong learning with his own impressive list of accomplishments. “A central requirement within our professional duty is to independently and objectively evaluate specific strategies and solutions,” he says. “That educational commitment drives our ability to do that. There are so many specializations involved – investment management, tax and estate planning, financial and risk management.”

Earning his Bachelor of Commerce with Honours at Queen’s University, Ahmad had an early interest in finance and consulting. “As I learned about this industry and the opportunity to marry the two, it struck a chord and made sense for me,” he says. “I quickly learned that the traditional finance learnings in post-secondary education are designed to make great employees, rather than personal finance managers.”

Identifying the missing personal finance management piece, Ahmad started working to fill it. “At the time in my career, I was managing money and investments. I wanted to become an expert on investments and analysis,” he says, adding that he worked on achieving his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation while concurrently working through the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) program. “Those couple of years were like a blur, but were worth it all because I gained the foundation to advise clients with high value. Completing my CFA charter was one of my proudest moments. It was one of the most challenging and meaningful programs I worked through.”

Next, recognizing the broad scope financial planning covers, Ahmad decided to master estate planning and trusts to better support his clients, earning his Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) designations. Most recently, he completed his Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) designation, a program for those specializing in the complexities in navigating family business wealth management and generational considerations.

“All of this education, when you can take from each and combine concepts with the others, provides a problem-solving mindset, the ability to see things in different ways, and come up with new ideas. The combined whole is so much greater than the sum of the parts,” says Ahmad.

“I truly love the experience of giving back.”

Ahmad believes that passing on knowledge through education and financial literacy is the best thing he can do for the industry and the clients it serves. “I focus on the maximum impact I can have. That might be working with my students, volunteering in society through presentations and other work, working with Wellington-Altus’s advising teams, or passing on my knowledge and experience to my team,” says Ahmad. “I look for opportunities to use my time most efficiently. I can spend 90 minutes one-on-one and help one person, or I can spend that same time transferring knowledge with 80 people for a larger ripple effect.”

To expand his reach, since 2008, Ahmad has stayed involved in academics in different roles and various capacities with institutions such as U of T and Queen’s, including more recently as an adjunct professor. “Teaching has been an enormously rewarding experience for me,” he says. “It fits my personality and purpose. Getting that first position and being trusted in it felt incredible. I truly love the experience of sharing my passion for finance with the young minds of tomorrow.”

Since January 2024, Ahmad’s role as Associate VP of Advanced Wealth Planning at Wellington-Altus has extended his opportunity to pass on his expertise coast-to-coast across Canada. “As part of the Advanced Wealth Planning Group, we are an extension of the Advisor’s team, the specialists they draw upon,” says Ahmad. “We see daily what the Advisors are doing and how it’s different from other firms. Seeing people so genuinely grateful and happy with the service we provide at the end of each engagement makes my day.”

The innovative spirit at the company allows Ahmad to work with Advisors and teams doing things their way and help each business create unique solutions. “Wellington-Altus is a disruptor in the industry, which was much-needed and couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Ahmad. “It felt like a great fit to come and be part of this amazing growth story and help shape the future of the industry.”

Ahmad says the company has nailed that disruptor role. “Wellington-Altus recognizes that nobody does this job better than Advisors. They’re attracting great Advisors and teams, allowing them the freedom to run their practices as they see best.” he says. “It doesn’t make sense to create obstacles and dictate to Advisors how to run their practices. They have an entrepreneurial mindset. They are as diverse as their clients and the needs they fill. We are here to support the Advisors by removing obstacles, creating solutions, and letting them do what they do best.”

While not even at the half point of his career, Ahmad says it’s funny how things come full circle. “I’m still in touch with my mentors on the academic and professional sides. These are great relationships,” he says. “And then with clients, it’s the referrals you get. You start working with their children and other extended family. Even when I’ve switched roles, there are always a number of clients who remain in touch with me, and that’s a testament to the depth of the relationships and the work that we do. It is so meaningful to me.”

1 Drucker, Peter F. The Effective Executive. New York: Harper Business, 2006

Ahmad Bakhshai, CFA®, CFP®, TEP, FEA, CLU®, FCSI®

FP Canada™ Fellow Associate Vice-President, Advanced Wealth Planning https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmadbak/

https://wellington-altus.ca/

Natalie Noble’s love of writing stems from her passion for hearing and sharing people’s stories. Over the years she has written for various business, real estate, and agriculture publications. At the heart of her work is a desire to continuously learn and connect.