Summit 2016; Millennials & Volunteerism

Over the past week I was sharpening the saw at Summit in Montreal, along with 600 financial planning professionals from across the country. I learned from very successful individuals but also gained an incredible amount of respect for my firm, Freedom 55 Financial, and the work that we do.

While I learned a great deal about market conditions, tax changes, and technological advances coming to advisors within my firm, one talk stood out among all others.

Joe Roberts is currently a motivational speaker (Skidrow to CEO) as he literally went from living on the street to CEO of a Vancouver-based multi-media agency & a millionaire before the age of 35. He is now pushing a shopping cart across Canada to raise awareness and funds to eradicate youth homelessness in Canada through the Push for Change initiative. Joe was the impact speaker at the end of our conference, and made it clear that if his father had worked with a financial security advisor before he died, then Joe would have lived a completely different life.

I was heavily involved in the SFU community and I have been exploring how I can best positively impact the community at large, as a financial planner and in other capacities. Joe's genuine passion for his cause and his desire to give back meaningfully to our country resonated with me. What I've found is that young professionals want to contribute to causes that they are passionate about, but that many NFP's are having trouble engaging with our demographic. Joe engaged with us and if not for profits can tell their story like him, I'm sure that they will have no problem recruiting young professionals to join their teams.

I am on my way back to Vancouver and while there is so much that I've learned, the biggest take away is a re-ignited fire to continue helping others. As a financial security advisor, I have the ability to impact the lives of others so that more inspirations like Joe can thrive, instead of struggle when things don't work out as hoped. As Joe so masterfully noted yesterday, if you can shift your paradigm, your adversity can be your strength.