Q Wealth Partners' Canadian Panel went deep on an existential question facing many Canadian advisors today
At Future Proof Festival 2025, the Canadian Panel, sponsored by Q Wealth Partners, engaged in a deep conversation about the direction of Canadian advisors and the challenging path to independence. Christine Rodrigues, COO of the National Bank Independent Network, drove the conversation around the increasing movement of advisors leaving big institutions to chart their own course.
Joining her on stage were three advisors who made that leap: Sam Rook of Birds Eye View, Colin Andrews of Canvas Wealth, and Brian Ginsler of Ginsler Wealth.
Breaking away from the banks
For Sam Rook, the decision came after years of frustration within a bank-owned wealth management firm.
“I worked for 20 years for a lion-branded firm,” he said. “As I tried to push my own business into a more modern style, I kept running into roadblocks. The worst one ever was when I asked to offer fee-only financial planning. I was told compliance wouldn’t allow it. That was the moment I said it’s time to go.”
The move wasn’t easy. Rook described an 18-month process, including legal reviews, risk planning, and a complete rebuild of his client base with only “tombstone data — name, phone number, email address.” But looking back, he has zero regrets: “My business is now my business. I’m an actual business owner, not just an entrepreneur at a bank firm.”
Colin Andrews echoed that company culture was his breaking point. After 25 years at CIBC and ScotiaMcLeod, he realized the bank environment was the opposite of what he wanted for himself and his team.
“It sounds so cliché, but culture was the reason we left,” Andrews said. “The old brokerage names are disappearing, replaced by bank brands. The history is being erased. That didn’t align with us.”
For Brian Ginsler, the story was different. He hadn’t been at a bank, but years of senior roles in investment management, family offices, and alternative lending firms led him to realize he needed to do things his own way.
“I couldn’t turn my brain off from helping clients more holistically — insurance, cash flow, budgeting, everything. Eventually I realized I had to go out on my own. Four years in, it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done, personally and professionally.”
The personal sacrifice
“But,” Ginsler cautioned, “there are also a lot of reasons you might not want to do this.”
Andrews underscored the financial uncertainty of going independent with a story about his children.
“When I made the decision, I sat my family down. My kids were 21 and 19. I said, ‘Look, I don’t have any income for a while, and I don’t know when I will. I need you not to spend.’ Months later my daughter asked, ‘Dad, are we still broke?’ I said, ‘No, we’re okay.’ But I didn’t want to say it too loudly or the spending would start again,” Andrews said with a laugh.
Rodrigues highlighted this anecdote as a reminder that independence isn’t just a professional decision — it’s a family one, with long-term implications.
Winning clients on trust, not brand
One of the biggest challenges Rook faced was overcoming Canadians’ deep attachment to bank brands.
“There was a lot of unfounded attachment to the brand rather than the person they’d dealt with for 15 or 20 years,” he said. “But once clients saw how other advisors at the bank treated them, they realized it was really about the relationship. That cemented our bonds. Those who came with us are happier than ever.”
Ginsler added that independence itself has become a brand differentiator. “Being independent is a big attraction in the Canadian market, because most families’ assets are at the bank. Many clients come specifically because they want the independence.”
Andrews took a different tack by investing in design and branding. With his partner Steve Molina, he created Canvas Wealth to reflect a culture and identity beyond individual names. “Now clients refer to us as Canvas, and that clout matters,” he said.
Building and rebuilding
The transition also meant tackling infrastructure, compliance, and client transfers — tasks banks typically handle behind the scenes.
“I wanted unbelievable control,” said Ginsler. “That meant compliance, technology, portfolio systems, everything — from the ground up. Brick by brick, we built it.”
Andrews acknowledged that, for his firm, he didn’t have the energy for a full rebuild. “I needed to outsource that stuff. Infrastructure, regulation, account transfers — those are huge challenges. Repapering alone cost us hundreds of thousands in transfer fees.”
Rook stressed the importance of preserving and cultivating client data. “Data matters. Planning data — clients’ goals — that’s what we focused on preserving. We had to rebuild much of it manually, but it made the transition smoother.”
Redefine service and value
Independence has allowed all three panelists to reimagine how they serve clients.
“At the bank, your niche is basically anyone with a pulse and money,” said Rook. “I don’t want to serve everyone. Independence lets me focus on cross-border families and build true expertise.”
Andrews said his team’s investment philosophy and planning focus didn’t change, but the tools did. “At a bank, you’re given a toolbox and that’s it. Now we can choose better tools and better software. That’s liberating.”
For Ginsler, it’s about long-term value. “Infrastructure costs money, but once it’s in place, every additional dollar drops straight to the bottom line. That’s where the value grows.
“Succession planning is still ahead of me,” Ginsler said, “but controlling my own destiny was the point.”
What is the biggest benefit to going independent?
Asked by Rodrigues to sum up ‘independence’ in one phrase, the panelists didn’t hesitate.
Rook: “It’s my business, and I can build it the way I want.”
Andrews: “Happiness. That’s it.”
Ginsler: “Control your own destiny.”
