JONATHAN DAVIES, CFP® Senior Financial Consultant, IG Wealth Management Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
JONATHAN DAVIES
"Building A Rock-Solid Financial Foundation"
American newscaster, David Brinkley, once said, “A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” We expect our homes to have a firm foundation – it is impossible to feel safe if we live in a house that is built on sand. Senior Financial Consultant, Jonathan Davies, owned a construction company for eight years before he entered the financial services industry nearly 13 years ago – he has spent all of those years at IG Weath Management. He knows what it takes to build a rock-solid foundation – one brick at a time.
A rock-solid foundation is also needed to keep our financial house in order. It is impossible to build, manage, protect and pass along wealth without one. Thanks to his education and experience, Jonathan knows what it takes to provide holistic financial advice. “When done properly Financial Planning is holistic in nature. Topics often intermingle; what happens in one area impacts other areas. People often get caught up in the investment and return pieces the most. Without training, it is easy to miss important foundational elements like estate and tax planning which provide the biggest value-adds,” the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional says.
The constantly evolving financial services industry is extremely complicated as well as highly regulated. It is therefore important to stay current. In addition to his Bachelor in Business Administration (Majors in Marketing & Management) from Bishop’s University, Jonathan continues to upgrade his technical skills. “I’m always trying to put another tool in my tool belt in order to give the best possible advice,” he adds.
Philosophy & Approach
“When it comes right down to it, we are in the people business,” Jonathan says. “We spend the necessary time getting to know the people with whom we work. We want to know why they are building wealth, their hopes, dreams and blind spots as well as all of their important personal and professional relationships. It’s all about what’s important to that specific individual.”
In his Forbes Magazine article, author Dennis Jaffe, says, “There are just a few elemental forces that hold our world together. The one that’s the glue of society is called trust. Its presence cements relationships by allowing people that live and work together to feel safe and belong…” But, as the Dalai Lama reminds us, “…You can’t buy trust in the supermarket.”
According to Jonathan, “Clients need to know that they are making solid financial planning decisions. This gives them peace of mind and the confidence they are going to achieve their goals. A key part of my job is to provide options, and to point out the advantages and disadvantages of each. The care, time and effort that goes into each plan directly translates into a stronger relationships. This increases trust, reliability, confidence and wealth.”
Clients appreciate his structured team approach, the backing of professional designations, and the team’s four decades of cumulative, hands-on financial experience. “The professionals, self-employed individuals and pre-retirees that we work with understand our multiple step process, from the initial introduction, data collection, analysis of the various strategies, to the implementation of a comprehensive financial plan.”
Clients appreciate this. One satisfied client says, “I had been investing with one of the banks for years and was growing tired of the personnel changes, minimal to losing returns and lack of advice. Jonathan turned my investments around with higher than average gains and helped me utilize my once underperforming RESP to get a car and tuition for my daughter. I'd highly recommend him.”
All of his recommendations are customized to reflect the client’s specific goals and risk tolerance. Not only does he believe in delayed gratification, he is also one of those rare individuals that likes to under-promise and over-deliver. “A lot of people measure financial success on how well their investments are doing. This is likely because it is easy to track the rate of return. But, if you live or die by just rate of return you are missing many of the other important financial building blocks. That is why I believe that investment returns are less important to the overall plan. I have the expertise and designations to back me up. All of these things make me a better financial coach,” he says.
He is also very detail oriented and a great listener, “The magic is in the details,” he says. “I remember watching Jerry Seinfeld talking with Jerry Lewis in an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. One of the things the two comics discussed was a scene from The Bellhop. To an untrained eye, it looked like Lewis was just walking through an empty ballroom. Seinfeld observed that Lewis played eight different characters during that one scene. Lewis replied the reason people found the scene funny was because it was filled with specificity. That’s exactly how I operate. I’m very good at remembering all the little details. If someone told me how much they paid for a car I would probably remember that,” says Jonathan.
Satisfied clients like Sandi and Paul appreciate this. “There are a multitude of qualities found in a successful financial advisor. Exceptional knowledge of the ever changing market, preparedness for client interactions, consistent communication, a proactive approach and ultimately understanding the needs and goals of the client. Jonathan Davies has provided two generations of our family peace of mind and well-earned trust with his counsel for life changing events for over 15 years, offering advice and guidance enabling us to consistently meet and exceed our financial goals.”
Jonathan is ably assisted by his associate, Ben Manubay, two assistants, Cathy Dexter and Julie LeBlanc, as well as in-house corporate insurance, portfolio construction, security selection mortgage specialists. The team’s multiple step process involves understanding the individual and their expectations, and developing recommendations as well as a flexible Financial Plan.
This process is a little different for everyone, because no two people, even spouses that have been married for a long time, think or act exactly the same.”
Up Close & Personal
Jonathan is always looking to improve clients’ situations – slight changes over time can have a dramatic impact in the long run. He loves all outdoor sports played with a ball, especially golf and hockey. If he isn’t with clients, watching or playing sports, or doing something with family you will probably find him building, renovating or refinishing furniture.
In terms of giving back to the community, Jonathan sponsors World Vision and Salvation Army backpacks for underprivileged school kids. At the encouragement of his ten-year old daughter, Hadley (10), a huge dog lover, artist and swimmer, Jonathan also supports the CNIB’s Seeing Eye Dog project. “I am happy and proud to do. this. It blew my mind to learn it costs $50K to train just one dog.”
His son, Hank (8), loves hockey, cycling, skateboarding and playing video games like Mine Craft and Pokémon. Jonathan coached Hank’s baseball team, for the last couple of years. He and his partner, Andrea, love to travel, explore and spend time together. Jonathan relies on her love and support personally as well as in his career.
As a last word, Jonathan says, “Similar to building a house, your Financial Plan has to be carefully thought out and put together correctly from the beginning. A great financial plan continues to be updated and improved upon over time as new innovations, ideas and materials become available. Constantly striving for precision helps clients feel more confident about the future and their ability to withstand the test of time.”
Suzen Fromstein is the author of Suits and Ladders, Ten Proven Ways to Keep Your Job Safe - with a few jokes thrown in. Suits and Ladders was an Amazon Best Selling Book in the Career Guides Catagory.
Jonathan Davies, CFP, CLU, RRC
Senior Financial Consultant
200-7001 Mumford Rd.
Halifax NS B3L 4R3
Office – 902 423 8294
Cell – 902 441 5693
Jonathan.davies@ig.ca