Audrey Lopez de la Osa has a lot to say about her role as an advisor. In just a few questions, she gets to the heart of the matter, because the advisory aspect of her job is key for her.
Audrey has been with fdp since 2011. She started off supporting the wealth management advisors in their work. In 2014, after obtaining the financial planner designation and with the skills acquired from her work experience, she herself became a wealth management advisor. She has since developed expertise with young health professionals, whom she supports at all stages of their professional and personal lives.
Audrey won the Inspiration award at fdp in 2019 for her motivation and dynamism, and was just recently in the Spotlight of the Institut québécois de planification financière.
At fdp, because we’re a private management firm, supporting our clients is a core value. Explain to me how this translates in your everyday work?
Audrey – For me, good support boils down to attentive listening. Asking the right questions, being available, proactive and adapting to each client and fully understanding their issues, their priorities and their goals. My clientele is composed of professionals starting their careers. My role is to guide them well so that they can make sound choices. We set up a personalized plan that will enable them to achieve their ambitions.
My approach is based on integrity and trust. I establish lasting relationships with each of my clients and I follow their development, so I can intervene at the right time. This is important because these decisions will have repercussions throughout their professional and personal lives.
Professionals are under a lot of pressure early in their careers, aren’t they?
Audrey – At the start of their career, professionals are faced with many ambitious projects: buying a home or an income property, opening a practice or an office, incorporation, marriage, starting a family… I help them by defining their priorities with them, taking into account the financial obligations of the profession, such as setting aside money for taxes and instalment payments.
In my first meeting with a client, we discuss all matters relating to financial planning. I consider each of my clients to be unique, so my advice must be personalized. Just like doctors who don’t prescribe the same treatment for all their patients, I tailor my advice to each client.
Can you give me some examples? What situations do you see most often?
Audrey – Some clients bought services and products that weren’t right for them, often certain insurance products.
Incorporation is another example. Before embarking on such an undertaking, an analysis is required to fully understand the client’s situation. They also have to know all the ins and outs of the process.
The same goes for buying a first home. It’s important to make a budget that includes all the new expenses involved in order to assess the impact of this purchase on their cash flow. This is a major life project, but at the same time they have to make sure they have the cash to maintain a life balance. Spending all your income on mortgage payments can result in a very stressful lifestyle.
And, of course, you have to have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses.
What do you prioritize in your work with your clients?
Audrey – I would say, first, a good budget, because that’s the basis of a sound financial plan. Having a clear idea of your cost of living enables you to set up a good savings plan, which in turn helps you achieve your goals, whether short, medium or long term.
The other essential element is follow-ups. It’s essential to maintain a relationship of trust that allows me, when life goals change (hard knocks or positive developments) to review strategies and adapt them to the new reality.
For professionals just starting out, closer follow-ups are needed, because there’s a lot going on during this stage of life. Everything is interconnected in a plan, one aspect of life affects another and the finances must keep pace. Supporting my clients well and taking the necessary time is key for me.
And then, being proactive. We know the reality of our professionals very well, so we can anticipate the next stages in their lives. This allows us to gradually adjust their action plan for future stages. Retirement is a good example. It seems a long way off at the start of a career, but it’s never too early to start planning for it.
For you, what matters above all is the people you serve…
Audrey – I serve my clients as I would like to be served. I take great pride in their success, because it’s based on mutual trust and reflects the quality of the work we’ve done together. My personal satisfaction is the success of my clients.
At fdp, this is the type of relationship we want to have with our clients, this proximity and this understanding. That’s our reason for being and our vision.
