Senior Financial Planner

Meridian Credit Union•Cambridge, ON

18h•Hybrid

About The Position

As part of the Wealth team, the Senior Financial Planner takes a proactive approach to help our Members achieve their personal financial goals. With a deep understanding of each Member’s financial situation, life goals and tolerance for risk, our Senior Financial Planners are skilled in recommending customized strategies pertaining to: investments, education, retirement & estate planning, risk management and basic tax issues. In managing a portfolio of Member accounts through the provision of relevant, effective advice, our Senior Financial Planner will earn trust and build relationships with our Members with the goal of becoming a Trusted Advisor. By leveraging relationships with internal partners including Retail Branch employees, Investment Advisors, Small Business Advisors, Commercial Relationship Managers, Insurance Representatives and Estate and Trust specialists, the Senior Financial Planner will ensure our Members’ financial peace of mind, through the crafting of holistic strategies that will help them accumulate assets today and preserve wealth for the future. The Senior Financial Planner will contribute to the Wealth growth objectives established for their partner branches and Meridian as a whole by building new Member relationships within your local market community while also building upon the relationships created with existing Meridian Members.

Requirements

Minimum of 7 years of financial services experience in a financial planning/advisory capacity with a focus on broad based planning in the financial industry.
IIROC licensing is required for the Senior Financial Planner. The successful candidate may be required to complete the necessary coursework to attain IIROC licensing.
PFP or CFP is mandatory.
Fulfillment of regulatory requirements to maintain all necessary securities registrations.
Strong business builder with the ability to source new business through internal and external sources
Have current in-depth knowledge of: the investment and wealth management industry, related wealth product solutions, risk management strategies, tax effectiveness strategies, Estate & Trust Planning considerations, Retirement, cash-flow and income planning concepts.
Excellent ability to confidently articulate your value proposition as a Meridian advisor and hold conversational discoveries with Members in order to build strong Member relationships.
Well-developed business development techniques and the ability to identify opportunities, plan and develop business to achieve business plans and goals.
Developed networking skills
Strong time management skills exemplified through the establishment of solid practice management processes and the ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a fast and dynamic working environment.
Demonstrated proficiency in utilizing basic software tools for contact management, investments, education and retirement planning.
Ability to travel inter-branch and flexibility with schedules.
Embedding & leveraging technology – Confidence and willingness to learn and integrate AI and emerging technologies into new ways of working. Experience with low/no code tools like the Microsoft Power Platform and generative AI productivity tools like Microsoft Copilot is considered an asset.
Critical Thinking – The ability to analyze, evaluate and interpret information from various sources and apply logic and problem solving to make decisions.
Data Driven– Leverage data and insights to identify, prioritize and improve member experience and business efficiency.
Curiosity & Flexibility – Comfortable navigating and embracing change and uncertainty, ask more questions, explore more options. Continuously learn and grow.

Responsibilities

Through effective discovery meetings supporting well-informed recommendations the Financial Planner ensures the financial peace of mind of Members by providing an action plan to achieve their financial goals.
Works collaboratively with the Regional Wealth Sales Manager, Senior Wealth Advisor and other licensed professionals as a member of a high performing team to establish a business plan to achieve sales growth and profitability targets, initiating course correction as necessary to increase the probability of achieving success.
Responsible to grow wealth penetration rates within partner branches through internal and external new Member business development activities in coordination with Retail, Small Business, Wealth and Commercial partners.
Through use of a thorough discovery process the Senior Financial Planner anticipates Member needs and provides a relevant plan to achieve their personal financial goals. When required, the Financial Planner will look to refer opportunities to relevant Meridian partners.
With the Member’s goals and best interests in mind, regularly reviews Member’s objectives and plans to determine whether life changes, economic changes or relevant planning metrics indicate a need for plan reassessment.
Educates Members on relevant investment options and investment costs and provides trusted financial advice and service, clearly articulating the rationale for recommendations complimented by a clear understanding of the risks involved.
Through a holistic view of the Members finances, the Senior Financial Planner helps Members balance the acquisition of assets against the need for liquidity to meet day to day expenses.
With the confidence that Meridian knows our Members best and can therefore best serve our Members, the Senior Financial Planner strive to bring our Members full financial services portfolio to Meridian thereby increasing Meridian’s share of wallet.
Possesses current knowledge of all key wealth and retail banking products and services, understanding the benefits and constraints associated with each and utilizes this knowledge to meet Member’s needs and gain a competitive advantage.
Prepares and interprets information for Members such as investment performance reports, financial document summaries and income projections establishing credibility and building trusting relationships through the provision of transparent, reliable and authentic advice that always reflects the best interest of the Member.
Takes ownership of problems, decisions and actions, arriving at solutions that balance both the best interests of Meridian and our Members.
Working with your branch partners, leverage internal resources to proactively identify internal and external business development opportunities in order to garner new prospects.
Provides consultation and expert advice to Branch Management and employees on technical, process or product related subject matter with the objective of educating others and generating awareness of Meridian’s wealth offering and elevating the profile of wealth with our Membership.
Shares expertise through the coaching and mentoring, as appropriate, of other Meridian Advisors building the capability and knowledge of the less experienced team members.
Guides discussion and provides assistance in resolving complex problems and finding creative wealth management solutions for Members.
Promotes Meridian Credit Union within the community, modeling Meridian values while acting as an ambassador of the organization.
Champions the delivery of seminars and workshops focused on retirement planning, estate planning and other timely financial planning topics with the objective of increasing Member awareness and attracting new Members and business to Meridian.
Fosters an environment where Member Focus and Wealth is a priority.