JEFF RASK, CFP®, Senior Investment Advisor, Wellington-Altus Private Wealth, GreyWolf Wealth Mangement
JEFF RASK
CFP®, Senior Investment Advisor, Wellington-Altus Private Wealth & CoFounder, GreyWolf Wealth Management Team
"Our team mentality has been the foundation of everything we’ve built,
what we’re doing today, and where we’re going."
Jeff Rask, CFP®, Senior Investment Advisor with Wellington-Altus Private Wealth and CoFounder of the GreyWolf Wealth Management team, has an endless capacity to build and grow. Born and raised on the farm near Shellbrook, Sask., Jeff recognized early the value in hard work. As a young hockey player, he quickly realized the endless potential when that drive is matched with a strong team effort. That innate determination and life experience continue to guide Jeff in his successful career where building something great is a part of each day.
Today, at GreyWolf Wealth Management in Saskatoon, it’s no different.
“It’s our team focus that creates balance and supports our continued growth today,” says Jeff. “Our day-to-day work is divided up amongst this highly collaborative team so we can continue to ensure every client gets nothing but the best service. In our world, it’s by emphasizing a team mindset that we ensure everyone on our team is supported. That energy translates to happy clients who appreciate that atmosphere here.”
Jeff’s success in the financial world is influenced by his prairie and entrepreneurial roots, his sportsmanlike mindset, and big-picture vision. But it’s all amplified through his natural inclination to be a strong leader for both his team and their clients. “When I look back at my childhood, I realize we worked hard and that work ethic is instilled right from youth,” says Jeff. “This value transitioned over to my professional career on the finance side. We lead by example through our work ethic and drive. Team sports really offer the opportunity to learn to work in different roles, support everyone, and work to be a great leader. It’s very important to understand that at GreyWolf, it is not about the individual; we truly are a team here. That team mentality has been the foundation of everything we’ve built, what we’re doing today, and where we’re going.
Great career journeys rarely follow a straight line. Instead, it typically takes a professional who can spot an opportunity while having the courage to go after it. When Jeff left the farm after high school to play hockey in the U.S., he did return home after a year to work the family farm. However, a pivotal career shift in 2003 changed his trajectory as he entered the financial world, to work with Clarica Insurance, which later joined Sun Life Financial. “I spent 13 years with them helping to build up their operation at two offices with eight advisors and five support staff,” says Jeff. “We became one of the larger operations in Western Canada.”
Satisfied with this achievement, Jeff was ready to create his next venture. “I had the opportunity to look at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth early on before they launched,” says Jeff. “I signed on early. I was the next guy in line to join behind our founders.
So, Jeff sold Aurora Financial Solutions, his Sun Life practice, to four of the group’s senior advisors. He then turned his attention to building the GreyWolf Wealth Management team, excited to leverage some of the big draws Wellington-Altus Private Wealth had to offer. “I really believe it’s important to bring an insurance background to financial planning and wealth advising. They had created Wellington-Altus Insurance Inc. and access to that platform attracted me,” says Jeff. “Additionally, they offered their open wealth platform on the IIROC side, something I was really looking forward to leveraging in order to grow our wealth business.”
The ability to access a wide range of investments at a brokerage firm like Wellington-Altus Private Wealth aligned with Jeff’s vision.
With that, GreyWolf has been charging ahead for five years with a strong team of seven in Saskatoon. Still, true to Jeff’s constant focus on expansion, “I’m looking to grow and branch out into more offices in various communities in Western Canada,” says Jeff. “We’ll continue to grow the Grey Wolf Wealth Management team within Wellington-Altus Private Wealth.
In this growth, Jeff says the entrepreneurial vision at GreyWolf is key. “I’m an entrepreneur at heart and that certainly attracted me to Wellington-Altus Private Wealth – they have an incredible openness to looking at different ideas, exploring ways to grow the business, all the while allowing us the freedom to grow our individual businesses in the way we like.”
For Jeff and his team, everything centers around the client and starts with a strong financial plan. “Building out that comprehensive financial plan gives us a complete perspective on what each client is looking for and what they want to achieve. That looks different for everyone,” says Jeff. “Some are focused on their retirement needs and there’s often a big legacy piece; others are setting up charitable offerings.”
Once the team understands the client’s vision and the financial plan has been created, they get to work managing the client’s wealth to meet their plan. “We then turn to that open platform at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth as a true broker with no biases influencing where we place funds,” says Jeff. “We use the financial plan and discover the best tool to achieve what the client wants their money to do, and we select the ideal products to do it.”
GreyWolf Wealth Management clients tend to be high-net-worth individuals, often business owners, retirees, or those transitioning to retirement. Referrals currently drive a lot of their growth, but they’re open to creating new relationships if they’re a good fit. “We have to ensure clients are like-minded in what we’re trying to achieve together and how to get there,” says Jeff. “I believe in understanding a client’s full situation to make the strongest recommendations. We have to be in it for a long-term partnership, not a one-and-done product-driven presentation.”
Which goes back to that priority to the financial plan. “We don’t just manage wealth based on weighing the lowest fees against the best returns,” says Jeff. “When people don’t understand what they’re buying, things can go wrong. Our comprehensive financial planning process allows us to have a deep understanding of the client and their goals, which means we can do a better job while also helping clients better understand the process as we guide them through it.”
That’s why the GreyWolf team takes their time in an intensive build-out process, often spending 30-60 days to get to know the client, their situation, what they need and their goals. “Of course, after a plan is set up, life can change,” says Jeff. “So, we take the initiative to touch base quarterly with our clients. They also know they’re welcome to reach out anytime anything comes up for them. I am very much a “glass half-full” kind of guy, but we always like to plan for the unexpected and what-ifs. If they never come, we’ll be better off with what we have.”
The foundation of Jeff’s client-centric comprehensive planning is built upon his commitment to life-long education. “Everything in this industry continues to change, even more quickly than in the past – tax laws, interest rates, the investments we use, all of this,” says Jeff. “It’s important to educate our clients too. We’re here to quarterback for them, working to keep them abreast of changes, what’s happening and the strategies we create. The Certified Financial Planner® and other industry designations are a big part of enhancing the qualifications of our entire team and what we have to offer our clients.”
Jeff’s career success continues to be inspired the people he’s surrounded with. “I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built with my clients,” he says. “I’m also proud of the teams we’ve built—previously at Sun Life and now at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth. We recently received recognition from Wealth Professional Canada as a 5-Star Advisory Team and look forward to continuing delivering value to our clients.” 1
That pride for his previous team continues today at the GreyWolf Wealth Management team. “It’s rewarding for me to see these advisors come and join our team,” says Jeff. “With teams prior and today at GreyWolf, to watch these advisors grow and have professional and financial success has been one of the most rewarding things. I look forward to where we’re taking our business here in the next phase of the Wellington-Altus Private Wealth journey. We’re now well-established and running optimally so the next phase I’m focused on is watching everything grow over the next several years.
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.
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1 Wealth Professional Canada, 5-Star Advisory Teams 2022 (https://www.wealthprofessional.ca/best-in-wealth/5-star-advisoryteams-2022/367250)