My foray into finance
The rags-to-riches story of Frank O’Dea, the Founder of Second Cup Coffee, sparked my initial curiosity about entrepreneurs and business. O’Dea’s story inspired me to educate myself about financial markets and industry by reading Bloomberg and CNBC.
In high school, my curiosity motivated me to take every business course offered. In grade 10, my accounting teacher challenged our class to invest money in a program that simulated the market. I managed to craft a portfolio of stocks that outperformed my peers. In grade 12, I started an initiative where I interviewed female industry leaders who shared stories about finding their passions to inspire 200 middle school students.
During the summer of 2022, after my first year of business school, I was given the opportunity to work at RBC Dominion Securities. I was elated when I received the call that Alan O’Hanlon, someone I knew to be a great investor and caring wealth manager, would hire me as an intern.
My experience at O’Hanlon Wealth Management
During my first summer in 2022, I learned what goes into creating a financial plan and how to advise clients on building wealth. Brendan Sinel answered my daily questions about financial markets. After I familiarized myself with holdings in client portfolios, he took the time to explain why the team held certain stocks and why asset mixes may vary from account to account to maximize a client’s return. Working with Alyssa Michaud has taught me that building a strong business results from delighting your customers time and time again. No matter the task, she handles each with a high attention to detail.
After learning so much during my first four months with the team, returning for a second summer in 2023 was a no-brainer. As my knowledge grew and the team trusted me more, I received more tasks. While watching the morning call daily and reading business news on my own time, I created morning newsletters for Peter LeMoine. In the letter, I highlighted specific news items, such as the prices of essential commodities and earning reports for companies held in client portfolios. This was one of my favourite assignments. I also worked on a project to make client accounts more secure. This task taught me how much the O’Hanlon team cares for each of their clients and takes action when they identify an opportunity to add value.
My takeaways
When I first joined the team, I was simply excited to read RBC research and learn about financial markets from some of the best in the industry. But I gained much more than knowledge during my eight months at RBC DS. While working with the O’Hanlon Wealth Management team, I saw how collaboration, merit, thoughtfulness, and intelligence could translate into generating long-term returns for families and businesses.