BRITTNEY RAMPERSAD, Financial Advisor, Investia Financial Inc., Toronto, Ontario
- CARMEN MORGAN
- May 29
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 4
BRITTNEY RAMPERSAD
“There's no such thing as a dumb question, especially when it comes to your money. You should be asking any question you think of.”
"My dad always says, 'Don't be a know-it-all, be a learn-it-all.' I try to apply that to everything in my work and life, says Brittney Rampersad, Financial Advisor with Investia Financial in Toronto, Ontario. “When people over-complicate things, they lose me. When I talk to clients, I keep it simple and keep it relatable.”
When Brittney was 16, working her first retail job, her dad sat her down and walked her through what to do with her paycheque. Years later, that advice has fed her passion for financial advising, and helping a demographic the wealth management industry largely overlooks: people at the front end of their careers and life.
"If I can help younger people get themselves into a good financial position by the time they're 30, or even earlier, that's really my goal," says Brittney. "Money management is not a priority in the education system, and I want to empower people to understand their potential to manage their finances early in their life.”
Brittney grew up around the financial advisory business. Her father has been an Advisor for more than three decades, and Brittney watched him work from the sidelines. But she didn't assume she'd follow in his career path.
photos credit: Emma Spring Photo
She enrolled at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and graduated in 2017 from the Ted Rogers School of Business Management, where she studied retail management, Canada's first university degree program dedicated to retail. Her plan was to become a buyer. But by graduation, she had changed course and was showing interest in the world of finance.
She started off cold calling and doing paperwork, learning the mechanics of running a financial practice. She earned her mutual fund and her life insurance licenses, but three years in, decided to forge some of her own path.
"I don’t think we can learn everything from our parents or family, and it was important to me to go learn from others in the industry, too.”
Brittney joined one of the big banks where she spent nearly three years on the sales team, selling investment funds to financial advisors. The job gave her a different and new vantage point, sitting across from advisors, hearing how they thought about clients, watching how products were positioned.
It also gave her clarity. "I decided I didn't enjoy that side of the business," she says. She returned to Advisory side of the business in 2023 with new skills, insights and confidence.
“As an Advisor, the question I get most often is ‘How much should I be saving every month? How much should I be investing?” Most of Brittney’s clients want to buy a first home. Some want to get married or are thinking about starting a family, and many just want to know whether they are starting their financial journey off right.
Brittney’s answer always starts with reassurance. "It doesn't matter if you have lots of money or a little bit of money. As long as you're putting something away and you're starting, that's a huge advantage."
For first-time homebuyers, she leans heavily on the First Home Savings Account (FHSA), the federal registered plan that combines the tax-deductible contributions of an RRSP with the tax-free withdrawals of a TFSA. Eligible Canadians can contribute up to $8,000 a year, to a lifetime limit of $40,000, and qualifying withdrawals to buy a first home come out tax-free.
One of Brittney's first FHSA clients was a young man who opened an account with the goal of buying a home. She guided him, helping him to build up the balance, one contribution at a time. Three years later, he bought his first home and redeemed the account.
"For me, that was nice," she says. "Putting that money aside actually helped make a difference in somebody's life. It helped them achieve a big goal. That's rewarding."
Financial advising is just as much personal as it is about saving and investing in the future. "I always say, 'Don't be afraid to bug me. Even if it's weekends, evenings, you're never bothering me.'" Quarterly catch-ups are about portfolio review, interest-rate decisions and global events, and how those might be affecting investments, but a large part of the conversation is about things that aren’t related to financials, but just life.
She also keeps in touch with her clients and drums up a following through Instagram. She set up an account in 2025 aimed at the demographic she most wants to reach. The format is deliberately mixed: a reel explaining what an FHSA is, followed by a post about going to a Blue Jays game; a primer on the difference between a TFSA and an RRSP, followed by a story about her favourite spring patios.
"I wanted to be relatable," she says. "I see a lot of real estate accounts on social media, but I never really see a lot of investing or financial accounts that explain these things in a way that doesn't overwhelm people. Instagram is a great opportunity to open up that conversation."
Brittney's content is designed to close that gap without judgment. Even her closest friends have started reaching out. "They've told me, 'I actually had no idea about that,'" she says. "If I can teach somebody one thing, even if they don't go ahead and invest right away, if I'm helping educate people, that's a good thing, I believe."
Her father has been giving financial commentary on Toronto's NEWSTALK 1010 for five years, and Brittney believes he reaches one generation through one medium, and she's reaching another through hers.
When Brittney talks about what surprises her most about the work, it's not market volatility. It's people. "How many of them just don't know where to start," she says. "Or they think you have to be buying stocks, and that's all you can do. The number of people who get overwhelmed surprises me, and that's a huge goal of mine — to help people feel less overwhelmed and guide them along their financial journey. It doesn't have to be scary."
The best question, she insists, is the one most clients are afraid to ask. "There's no such thing as a dumb question," she says. "Especially when it comes to your money, you should be asking any question you think of."
Carmen Morgan is a skilled business writer and storyteller, collaborating with business owners and executives to tell their stories and share perspectives on growth and success, as well as perseverance and adversity. Over two decades she has refined her interview, writing and editing skills to capture the nuggets and captivating details that engage readers and make a story memorable.
Brittney Rampersad
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The comments contained herein are a general discussion of certain issues intended as general information only and should not be relied upon as tax or legal advice. Please obtain independent professional advice in the context of your particular circumstances.
This article was prepared by Brittney Rampersad, Investment Fund Advisor with Investia Financial Services Inc. Mutual funds are offered through Investia Financial Services Inc. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees, and expenses may all be associated with mutual fund investments.