Sandra C. Ramos, CFP®, RRC, Executive Financial Consultant, IG Wealth Management Inc. Barrie, ON.
SANDRA RAMOS
Sandra Ramos & Associates Private Wealth Management
In 1992, Sandra Ramos embarked on what would become a career spanning more than 30 years in the finance industry. Her affinity for numbers started even earlier. In fact, Sandra has always had a keen interest in economics and finance.
“I started my own company when I was 15. It was a bookkeeping company called Small Business Assistance,” says Sandra. “I helped small businesses, mostly contractors, look after their books.” Too young to drive, Sandra would get a ride to client meetings from her mom, who would wait while she worked. She was often greeted with a look of shock when new clients saw how young she was, but all doubts vanished once they realized she knew what she was doing. It was her enthusiasm for helping people navigate their finances that led her to her career today.
Sandra has been a part of Investors Group Wealth Management in Ontario her entire career. She has her Certified Financial Planner® and Registered Retirement Counselor designations and, as a part of IG Wealth, leads her own practice, Sandra & Associates Private Wealth Management. Her clients are primarily high net worth clients and business owners. Her forte, she says, is working with other professionals and corporate business owners – although her primary acumen is tax and wealth management, and she also focuses on estate planning and insurance. While she doesn’t cater to one type of client specifically, she prefers working with those who have a specific mindset: they are as invested in their own financial future and enjoy building something for the future, for themselves and for their families.
“I’m very involved with my clients,” she says. “I think of myself as a private CFO. A CFO helps gather information, listens to what the goals and needs are of the company, in this case, the client, and tries to create options and best remedies to reach those goals in a tax efficient manner. My approach is very hands on. If the client is just looking to throw money in once a year and doesn't value strategic planning, there's just nothing really of interest for me there. That’s not me.”
Born to do this
Sandra is someone who’s as passionate about people as she is about finance. This became crystal clear to her after a meeting with her own IG Advisor, and she was convinced to give the investment management business a try. It didn’t take long for her to know she’d found her calling.
“It was like a bomb went off,” she says. “I thought, wow, I was born to do this. It took my love of finance and my love of people and allowed me to make a real difference in people’s lives. It has always been very fulfilling, personally and professionally.”
Today, Sandra and her nine dedicated team members guide clients in growing, protecting, and managing wealth. Her holistic approach to wealth management – one that is both personalized and collaborative – recognizes that designing a financial plan is a very personal journey. She knows that the process requires introspection from the client and an advisor who asks the right questions at regular checkpoints, ensuring both the client and the plan remain on track as they work towards their goals. “Like any sports team, if you don't have a good coach, you're not going to get to your goal,” she says. “It's very easy to fall off the tracks if you don't have someone to direct where you’re going.”
Coaching clients is an aspect of her practice that Sandra enjoys, particularly when it comes to counseling business owners on corporate financial planning issues – no doubt a throwback to her own, early experiences as a teenage entrepreneur. It’s also important for her to educate, ensuring clients are knowledgeable about their investments, the markets, and the ever-changing economic environment. Sharing knowledge, she says, provides the greatest value to her clients. “I'm really a proponent for them to be the best advocates,” she says. “I'm protective over what I've helped them grow. Let's say I retire in 10 years and another consultant comes in and doesn't give them the best advice. The thought of that is devastating. This is why I have my own legacy plan to ensure my clients are protected in the future as well.”
Sandra’s desire to educate comes naturally – she’s constantly educating herself. In her rare downtime, you’ll likely find her on the couch reading about microeconomics or on her laptop, completing one of the online courses IG Wealth offers at its online university. “I’m always in school. I’m boring at cocktail parties because I love to talk about economics,” she laughs, adding, “I love to learn. I just want to get better every day.”
Recognition is good, gratitude is best
Sandra’s drive to always be better, combined with a passion for finance, her love for her clients, and her penchant for hard work have created a long career that continues to be as rewarding as it is successful. She’s been in the top echelon of IG Wealth Management for nearly her entire career with the company. She currently manages the biggest book of assets at IG, where she’s also been honoured with many prestigious awards, including the President’s Elite, one of the company’s highest attainable national awards. And in May 2023, Sandra placed 21st out of 100 on Canada’s Top Women Wealth Advisor ranking, presented by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine and SHOOK Research.
Sandra is honoured by the recognition. She’s proud of the awards and appreciates that her years of hard work are being acknowledged. But for Sandra, awards are secondary to the gratitude she receives from clients. “The goal is to do a fantastic job for my clients,” she says.
After more than three decades, it still comes down to helping people. “What fulfills me today is when people say, ‘Thank you – I don’t think I could have done this without you’.”
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Sandra C. Ramos, CFP®, RRC
Executive Financial Consultant
Sandra Ramos & Associates Private Wealth Management Inc.
Investors Group Wealth Management
138 Commerce Park Drive
Barrie, ON, L4N 8W8
Tel: 705.719.6673 Toll-Free: 866.949.1027
Sandra.Ramos@igpwm.ca