Behind the Advice

Kent Manderville is a former NHL hockey player who played over 700 career games for teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and Philidelphia Flyers. But while some of his teammates enjoyed multi-million annual salaries, that certainly wasn’t Kent’s experience. Mostly a 4th line grinder, he strung together several short-term contracts with a salary closer to the league minimum. After hanging up his skates, Kent, who studied business while playing hockey at Cornell University, obtained his CFP and CFA designations. He now works as a wealth advisor in Ottawa, where his clients are current and retired professional hockey players. Kent talks about how he balanced sports and education in his early years, what he learned from being one of the lower-paid players in the league and the unique challenges of advising professional athletes.

Tiffany Harding moved out of her mother’s house as a teenager. By the time she was 16, she had her own bachelor apartment and was dividing her time between school and night shifts at a restaurant to support herself. Today, she’s a long-time financial advisor who’s worked for big and small financial firms such as Royal Bank, Manulife, and, currently, Richardson Wealth.Tiffany speaks about her unconventional and financially precarious childhood, growing up in an environment of both abundance and scarcity, and how her challenging experiences helped her relate to clients today. 

Xin Lou's foray into the world of finance was a bit different. A self-proclaimed computer enthusiast, Xin became interested in investing during the first crypto boom in 2013. Fascinated with the technology’s potential, he and his friends started their own company, building supplies for the crypto-mining community. But after years of crypto volatility, Xin decided to pursue a more traditional path to finance. Based in Surrey, British Columbia, he’s currently a Wealth Planner at Coast Capital, and he previously worked at TD Wealth and RBC. Xin discusses what it was like to be involved in crypto during its early years, how his views on the sector have evolved over the past decade, and the impact that technology is currently having on the investment community.

Jackie Porter is a Greater Toronto Area-based financial planner with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Her practice focuses on cash flow management and tax planning strategies for businesses. She also co-authored Single by Choice or by Change, a book that helps single women prepare for their financial future. But Jackie’s career trajectory is anything but typical. Jackie shares the events that led to her becoming financially independent at a very young age, her long and roundabout route to becoming a financial planner, and why she now considers her personal struggles to be a professional superpower.

Behind The Advice is a new podcast about finanical advice and the people who give it. Episode 1 launches Sept 26.