ANGELA ODDO, Hon. B.Sc, MBA, CFP®, CFDS, Financial Planner, Fiducia Financial Solutions Inc. Regina, SK
ANGELA ODDO
"Moving Forward"
When you first meet Angela Oddo, Hon. B.Sc, MBA, CFP®, CFDS, of Fiducia Financial Solutions Inc., there are a few things you’ll notice immediately. First, you’ll notice her passion for life and everything in it. She loves her work, meeting people, throwing herself deeply into every problem and finding a solution, and being a changemaker, regardless of the situation. Angela doesn’t hold back. Second, Angela loves hearing people’s stories and takes every opportunity to learn about them. She really engages in the discussion, listening to understand their story and perspective, and isn’t afraid to offer her perspective and experience as it relates. Third, Angela is authentic, lively, and full of energy – her positivity is infectious. It’s hard not to crack a grin after interacting with her for a short while.
These are some of the things you might notice when you first meet her but there’s so much more to learn about Angela than what you see on the surface.
Driven to excel
Angela knows that the primary ingredient of success is hard work.
It’s about putting your head down and navigating through every obstacle that comes toward you; sometimes you need to go around, and sometimes you need to don a helmet and go through those obstacles, but success means letting nothing stand in your way.
When it comes to hard work, Angela had no better teacher than her mom, Pina, was originally from Italy and came to Canada to build a better life. She raised three children, under the age of nine, by herself. She learned English by reading the newspaper and watching the local news. She worked. Hard. Building a daycare business from the ground up and providing for her kids.
“It was difficult watching my mom struggle, but she always made it work,” Angela said. “It wasn’t ever easy, but I saw her discipline and her drive. No matter what, she always moved forward; even if it was an inch or a millimeter, she never stopped pushing. She made me who I am today: driven, self-sufficient, and confident; she instilled in me a work ethic that nobody can match, even to this day. I hope that I can set a similar example for my two girls.”
She initially directed that drive into a career at a large insurance company. Not long after, Bombardier knocked on her door and, on point with her zest for new ways to feel challenged, she did a complete career change. Recruited to work with Bombardier to implement a pilot training program, Angela quickly climbed the ranks into a senior executive role. With her confidence and emotional intelligence, she was able to thrive, even in this male dominated environment. While this career provided her with security and advancement opportunities, Angela knew she wanted more from life. She wanted to be challenged, and that challenge was starting her own business from scratch.
Just like her mom did so many years ago. And, since starting, she hasn’t looked back.
Excellence comes with active relationships
Recently, Angela has shifted the focus of her business, and she couldn’t be prouder of the results. “I came to the realization that you can only manage so many relationships in life – and make no mistake, the client-advisor connection is a relationship – and I needed to ensure everyone in my life was getting the attention they need and deserve,” Angela said. “So, I made the decision to right-size my business; this means maintaining my client list to about 100 households. I’ll work intergenerationally, with parents and kids, brothers and sisters, and so on, but by narrowing my focus, I’ve been able to maintain these relationships the way I really want to, with high-touch, boutique service that few others can offer.”
Working with clients to effectively manage that intergenerational wealth is one of Angela’s areas of expertise. She understands the intricacies of wealth transfer, tax implications, estate planning, and all the complexities that come with trying to keep more of a person’s money in their pocket, where it belongs. Angela knows how hard clients work for their money, and she knows her first job is protecting it.
For Angela, client relationships aren’t transactional, or sales focused. Angela joked that “I’ve had meetings where the first 45 minutes were a catch-up on life and current events; talking about an exciting trip, or a new job. Sometimes I don’t even open the file until the one-hour mark. I’ve even driven two hours each way to wish a client good luck before surgery. This is more to me than just business. It’s my life.”
Charting the right course
One of the things that make Angela’s service unique, is that she’s been where clients are, at so many stages of life. She’s known financial struggles, working multiple jobs to make ends meet and put herself through a high-quality education, but she’s also known financial success, where smart decisions and good planning have built a foundation on which her future rests.
It’s that breadth of experience that makes Angela such an effective advisor for clients, regardless of their stage of wealth or life. She knows how to map a course that is going to take a client from their starting point and leads toward their overall life goals.
When a prospective client walks through Angela’s door, her first step is to ask questions. She wants to understand their current state of financial health and identify any potential gaps. Angela focuses on active listening, ensuring she’s providing a welcoming ear for clients who are looking for her help.
Once that exploratory phase is finished, Angela can provide the support and direction a client needs to move forward. Angela wants to meet regularly, no less than once a year, and communicate more than that. Sometimes things can change rapidly, and Angela ensures clients know she’ll be there if she’s needed. For her, it’s an unspoken understanding that’s built on trust.
Success means giving back
Angela feels fortunate that she’s been able to excel in a career she loves and make a meaningful difference in the lives of the clients she serves, but her contributions to the community extend much further than that. She’s seen a gap in the education system when it comes to simple money matters and financial literacy, and she’s looking to help. “I do financial literacy presentations geared toward young people for the children of clients, and I’ve adapted it for a broader audience of kids. It includes a lot of things kids should know, but may not, like how to build a solid budget, what investments and liabilities are, what is a credit card and what are the consequences of debt – these things, which too many adults have needed to figure out on their own, can be life-changing if taught early. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with these kids and support their journey to a bright future. It’s just like when I help a client reach a milestone or achieve a dream: there are few better feelings than that.”
Gary Milakovic is a veteran writer with more than a decade in the public sector and corporate communications. He has covered a wide spectrum of topics and his work has been featured by large and small organizations across Canada. Gary is passionate about communication, his writing often focuses on uncovering the “story behind the story.”
Angela Oddo, CFP®, CFDS
Financial Planner
Fiducia Financial Solutions Inc
3434 Regina Avenue
Regina, SH, S4S 7J9
306 - 522 - 4898