JONATHAN SCHULTZ, Wealth Advisor, Scotia Wealth Management, Peterborough, Ontario
- GARY MILAKOVIC
- Sep 14
- 5 min read
JONATHAN SCHULTZ
"Progress, Peterborough, and the values that connect us"
Jonathan Schultz, Wealth Advisor, Scotia Wealth Management, has built his practice on three things: trust, communication, and a commitment to excellence. As values go, they sound fairly good, like most buzzwords and slogans do; but to Jonathan, they aren’t slogans. He lives these values. Every single day.
Clients who meet him for the first time will hear these early on in their conversations with Jonathan, but they aren’t just said and forgotten. He’ll explain how they guide his approach to business, and what clients can expect from him. While the plan for everyone is different (a retired couple will have different needs from say a young professional) their experience will be similar because these values are Jonathan’s service standard.
He is clearly a person of great integrity – and that has a lot to do with how he was raised, and where he grew up.
Home sweet home
Jonathan was born in Peterborough, and has lived here his entire life, “though I left for about 30 seconds during my first year of university,” he joked. “I wised up quickly, transferring from Brock to Trent, which was where I belonged; I’m a Peterborough guy. It’s home.”
Peterborough is friendly; neighbourly. A place where people work hard and make an effort. Folks lend a helping hand because they can, not because they have to.
It’s where he wants to start a family.
“I love this community,” Jonathan said. “This town has given me so much, and I’m eager to give back. I’m on the board of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra, which is a beautiful local tradition. I’m a season ticket holder for the Petes, and I go to every game I can. I love our local restaurant scene – One Fine Food is a go to for client meetings, date night, and everything in between.”
When you’re speaking to him, a lot of what he says refers back to the community. It’s clear Jonathan feels a deep sense of gratitude for all the doors Peterborough has opened for him and wants to ensure he pays that debt back in full. Jonathan sees incredible potential for the town, and he wants to play an involved role in unleashing it.
Leading by example
Jonathan’s father Doug was also a strong influence. He was a role model, setting an example of how principles, determination, and courtesy can lead to success. Doug was an Advisor for almost three decades, but while Jonathan followed in his father’s footsteps, he had to open his own doors.
“We didn’t follow the typical map for a father and son going into this business. He started his business from scratch, worked his way up, leading with kindness, empathy, and knowledge, and then retired happily. I was still in school when he left the business, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. As I pursued my education further and had more conversations with my dad about his experiences in the business, it gradually became clear that this is what I wanted to do. It had everything: working with people, using my skills (and building new ones), and it offered the opportunity to strengthen the community I love. By graduation, the choice to go into wealth management became an obvious one.
While it’s true I didn’t take over my father’s business in the traditional sense, I surely assumed his legacy. I share his name, and I won’t let him down by doing anything less than my best to help clients achieve their goals.”
He watched his dad navigate raising a family, work through the challenges of the 2008 global financial crisis and managing a successful business. The balance was nearly impossible, but somehow, Jonathan’s father was able to maintain it.
That example is something Jonathan works toward every single day. Managing a successful life, and career, despite the ups and downs that come with both? That takes work.
From a business perspective, Jonathan has also followed his father’s lead by focusing on putting the needs of clients first to achieve success.
“Make that happen, and success for the client should follow,” Jonathan recalls his father saying. “I’m fortunate at ScotiaMcLeod, a company that has a broad range of solutions for every need. I don’t need to force clients into anything that might not be a great fit for them. I have the flexibility to provide customized options, and that’s something that really sets me apart.”
Jonathan and his dad remain close, and, even though he’s retired, Doug still likes to look in on his own investments from time to time. In fact, he and Jonathan worked closely to put his current portfolio together.
“You can take the Advisor out of the office, but you can’t take the passion out of the Advisor,” Jonathan joked.
Chatting with his dad about his portfolio is an opportunity for them to bond, certainly, but also an opportunity for Doug to see the Advisor, and the man, he’s helped Jonathan become.
Finding the right partner
Jonathan sees the Advisor-client relationship as more than just transactional; he sees it as a partnership, and one of the most important in a person’s life. After all, in the most successful of examples, it leads directly to a person’s dreams.
“It’s not easy, I know, entrusting someone with your financial future. I work hard to built trust with clients. I explain what we’re doing and why, because an engaged and informed client is more likely to be successful. The best Advisors, in my opinion, will bring you along gradually, meeting you where you are, and ideally guiding you where you want to go. If you have the sense that you could achieve something great with an advisor, dip your toe in the water, and work to build that trust over time.”
For Jonathan, there’s nothing more important than starting off a client relationship right: he listens to their needs and goals, focused on understanding them from the very beginning of the relationship. That extra effort is important because everything he does for clients is built on their goals. He doesn’t see it as his job to determine what their goals are, but rather to recommend the solutions that will help them get to where they want to be. It's the full-service approach Jonathan is becoming known for; and he never plans to give clients any less.
Jonathan prides himself on building strong local relationships in Peterborough, on giving back to the community that’s been so vital for his development, and being a man of whom his dad can always be proud.
ScotiaMcLeod®, a division of Scotia Capital Inc.
Scotia Wealth Insurance Services Inc.
Jonathan Schultz | Wealth Advisor
111 Hunter St. W, 2nd Floor,
Peterborough, ON,K9H 7G5
T 705-876-3705
M 705-313-1386
F 705-876-1045
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.”