Personal journey from Uganda to Ontario informs Manish D. Kanani's approach and genuine care for clients
This article was produced in partnership with Q Wealth Partners.
For Manish D. Kanani and Nanda Kanani, co-founders of MNK Financial, it’s all about family. Their childhood of moving from Africa to England, to Canada, created the core values of MNK Financial; being family-orientated and creating good financial habits for generations.
MNK Financials recent move from a large, traditional institution to independent Q Wealth Partners has given Manish not only a chance to realign his book of business, but to also reflect on where he can have the most impact.
Manish saw the move to Q Wealth Partners as an opportunity to segment his business. He carefully selected and partnered with another likeminded firm to manager 500 clients, representing over $10 million in AUM. “I picked somebody who would be a good fit and take good care of them,” he said.
The remaining clients consist of about 120 families – a key distinction – and 540 accounts. What differentiates MNK Financial is Manish’s ability to offer financial planning services as well as a strong insurance offering. By streamlining his book, Manish can go back to the core values he instilled when he started the business 36 years ago - serving families.
“Most of my time is spent planning and that’s what I enjoy doing - planning for clients,” he said. “But when you have so many clients, you're not proactive anymore, you're reactive. Q Wealth has given me an opportunity to realign [my values and my block] and make sure that I now have the capacity to do planning again.”
Moving firms was not a decision Manish and Nanda, and the team, took lightly. The catalyst was when their previous firm made a change to their back-office support, but it was meeting the Q Wealth and aligning on priorities and values that sealed the deal.
The first thing that attracted them was that the firm is run and owned by partners, allowing MNK to have a genuine say in its future direction. Like MNK, Q Wealth also has a clear financial planning focus and was built on the foundational belief of putting clients first.
“They didn't care about how much money they would give me or how much I would make for them,” Manish said. “No, they were interested in the client relationship. That was the foundation I could understand and appreciate. It is a good fit.”
Once Manish and Nanda learned more about Q Wealth’s state-of-the-art technology, hands-on support, and in-house industry leading marketing team, they were ready to make the change. They officially moved over in May.
The Q Wealth executive team recently attended an MNK client event announcing the move and Jared Rabinowitz, CEO and founding partner, said it confirmed the calibre of the practice.
“We were truly impressed by the quality of the people we met, and the depth of their relationships with Manish and [his wife] Nanda,” he said. “That kind of loyalty and legacy – families with two or even three generations dealing with MNK – can only come from a place of genuine care and exceptional service. It was clear that MNK really epitomizes the values we look for when considering new Partner applications, and we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome the MNK team to the Q Wealth collective.”
Another important attraction of becoming a partner at Q Wealth was the flexibility MNK would have on a client-to-client basis.
“I enjoy my work; this is what I want to do and what I have chosen to do. And I have the education, training and experience,” he explained. Manish is also employed as a registered Portfolio Manager with Q Wealth. In his role as PM, he can also manage his client’s investments directly.
“If I recognize that a client has a higher level of sophistication, I can easily provide access to more advanced portfolio options. Not every firm offers that flexibility. Many people assume they do, but that’s not the case.”
From Q Wealth’s perspective, upon meeting Manish and Nanda at a conference held by MGA Barrington last year, they were immediately struck by the couple’s focus on succession planning and desire to bring their own children into the business, and their strong family values.
“They are also two of the nicest people you could possibly meet in the world,” said Stephen Gasparek, chief marketing officer, head of partnership development and executive partner at Q Wealth. “We just couldn't pass them by. They have strong family values that align with us and are always looking out for the betterment of their clients. Putting clients first is their big thing, so that aligns with us perfectly. They’re the poster firm for what we’re trying to do.”
