STELLA NG, CIM®, CIWM, FMA, FCSI, CFP®, Financial Advisor, Raymond James Ltd. Richmond, B.C.

STELLA NG

"Providing peace of mind through ongoing trusted advice and personalized solutions"

When Stella Ng, CIM, CIWM, FMA, FCSI, CFP, Financial Advisor with Raymond James Ltd., first traveled to Canada, she never imagined where she would be today. Working as a successful Financial Advisor while taking in the blue skies and coastal vibe of Richmond, B.C., Stella’s priority is always to take care of people. “My mission is to provide my clients with peace of mind through ongoing trusted advice and personalized solutions,” she says. “We develop comprehensive, tailored, and streamlined solutions that address their full range of needs. Knowing their financial future is in good hands, my clients can focus elsewhere, spend time with their beloved families, and enjoy life to its fullest potential.”

It’s a commitment to holistic well-being Stella comes by naturally. However, she also professionally trained for it in her previous career that brought her to Canada from Hong Kong as a registered radiation therapist and certified medical dosimetrist. In fact, there are similarities in her work in the financial realm today that directly relate to her previous work in the medical profession, including helping people feel more relaxed and comfortable about their future.

“I was honoured to assist in planning and providing care and treatment for cancer patients in Hong Kong and then across Canada,” says Stella. “While working with one particular terminal cancer patient, I was mistaken for a social worker who was there to assist with the family’s financial needs associated with her care and passing. That incident taught me that finance is a major issue people are concerned about even in their last stage of life.”

That realization remained with Stella through years of patient care and resonates today in the financial realm. “If that client had had plans in place to prepare for that unfortunate outcome, she would have had peace of mind in her last days, and her family would have been better taken care of,” says Stella. “I’ve seen too many cases where a single disease can destroy people’s finances when they don’t have comprehensive financial planning in place. I’ve comforted people in their worst times, and I am here now to handle whatever financial needs they may have today, tomorrow, and for their next generation.”

That pivot occurred for Stella in 1995 as she increasingly sensed a career transition could allow her to help families in new ways that would have long-reaching positive impacts. Her inspiration? Her own Financial Advisor at the time. “I admired my Advisor very much, so one step at a time I started working through the courses and earning my license. I knew this profession was a good fit for my skillset and values, and that I could work at it as long as I wanted beyond the typical retirement age.”

Soon after, Stella landed her first financial advising position with National Bank. “I had an amazing manager there at the time,” says Stella. “He appreciated my potential, mentored me, and always encouraged me that I could do this. He truly gave me my first opportunity to start in this career.”

Stella then spent nearly 16 years with Scotia McLeod, working as a senior wealth advisor, before stepping into her financial advisor role with Raymond James Ltd. in Vancouver in 2018. During all these years, she never wavered from her foundational devotion to helping others. “Our team treasures the trust clients place in us to help manage their valuable assets and secure their financial future,” says Stella. “We respect that and serve our clients with the utmost personalized investment strategies and financial solutions. We provide prestigious private client service and they can expect a worry-free financial journey with us.”

In her role at Raymond James today, Stella helps clients plan for retirement or continue to be financially secure after retirement. Her clients include high-income earners, medical professionals, accountants, entrepreneurs, and immigrant families. When she meets new clients, Stella is always optimistic that it’s the start of a long-term partnership. Her initial meetings are a deep discovery process as she works to fully understand each client’s needs, background, cash flow and tax situation; their objectives, goals, concerns, and any fears each client family has that is unique to their household. She also considers their previous investment experience and where they sit on the scale of acceptable risk.

“Next, we sit down together to explain any shortfalls or problems we’ve uncovered,” says Stella. “We then educate the client around the strategies we can use to solve any problems and improve their situation. Taking all these factors into consideration, we design investment strategies personalized to the client’s unique situation. After this, we maintain total transparent communication with our clients as we execute the financial plan, as well as regularly update them according to changes in their personal situations and market updates. We maintain this open dialogue with every client as we regularly and proactively review their portfolios.”

In working with all these moving parts, Stella humbly credits the amazing team she works with. “We share the same mission, and we enjoy working with people,” says Stella. “It takes good team work to keep updating our knowledge around new technologies, tax laws and policies, economic developments, and political changes, as well as anticipating how all these things may impact the financial markets and affect our clients.”

At the same time, she and her team understand very well the emotional stress and anxieties often associated with financial issues. “Clients worry about whether they’ll be able to retire, whether they will be okay,” says Stella. “As they’ve worked with me over time, their worries are alleviated. They’ve eliminated their debt, sustained their cash flow much longer than they initially worried about, and they’ve grown it. This shows the resolve people can have when they have good guidance and planning on their side.”

In all of this work, Stella’s reward is seeing the results of her client partnerships. “It’s amazing to watch their worries subside over time and to see their happiness grow so much. I can literally see that difference,” she says. “Every time a client compliments our work and our service, it makes us proud. When they take withdrawals from their RESP or RRIF, the accounts have consistently performed so well that they end up with more money in the accounts than they need. We help people feel financially secure so they can live more carefree lives, help others in need, and plan around leaving their legacy in their wills.”

A lifetime learner and voracious reader, Stella has achieved an impressive collection of professional development honours in her field including her Certified Investment Manager (CIM®), Financial Management Advisor (FMA), Fellow of Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI), Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), and Certified International Wealth Manager (CIWM) licenses and designations. “The CIWM designation is recognized worldwide as a top credential in wealth management. It ensures financial professionals have the unique knowledge and skills to address the complex needs of high-net-worth clients,” says Stella. “All these exams helped me vastly improve my understanding on the international tax side of this business. With so many immigrants coming into Canada, I come across a lot of these clients. Especially because of my background coming from Hong Kong, I know exactly what that transition feels like. My international tax knowledge has been instrumental in helping these people and I better understand how to manage their assets here and their overseas assets. I can bring all of this together and provide the most efficient, effective financial advice and planning. It is my pleasure to help immigrant families to start a new life.”

Because working with her clients is so much more than a job to Stella, she says she cannot see herself ever retiring. “I enjoy these relationships so much – the meetings, working on the portfolio, cash-flow planning, efficiency planning, emergency fund planning – I feel driven to put everything I can into making things better for my clients,” she says. “Their time is precious, they come to us looking for help, and it’s our professional responsibility to do everything we can to put their minds at ease.”

In everything she does, Stella expresses deep gratitude for all the opportunities she’s had. “We are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful and peaceful part of the world,” she says. “The poor living condition and quality of life in third world countries is always on my mind. I support World Vision Canada in their charity works to improve water quality, food supplies, and medical care to less privileged people. Closer to home, I also support organizations including the B.C. Children’s Hospital, the B.C. Cancer Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. and diabetes research.”

Next on Stella’s horizon? Working with her daughter and current Assistant, Venetia, to become a fully licensed Advisor as the newest generation at the practice. “I am grateful,” says Stella.

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.

Stella Ng, FMA, FCSI®, CIM®, CIWM, CFP®

Financial Advisor

Raymond James Ltd., Private Client Group

Suite 2100 – 925 West Georgia Street

Vancouver, BC V6C 3L2

604.659.8325

stella.ng@raymondjames.ca