Why advisors should watch out for 'Baby Shark'

Trophy-hungry Canadian advisors, watch out! “Baby Shark” is coming for you again.

Rosemary Horwood, vice president and investment advisor at Rosemary Horwood Wealth, Richardson GMP, is a two-time Wealth Professional Awards winner, claiming the Young Advisor of the Year in 2016 and Rising Star of the Year in 2017.

She is currently weighing up whether to go for a stunning treble at this year’s glitzy awards night on May 31 at the Liberty Grand, Toronto, and remembers her previous successes with fondness, especially how her first award resulted in an endearing nickname.

Taken aback by her moment of glory, she took to the stage with no speech prepared … and killed it.

She said: “I talked about the mistake of underestimating young people in our industry, which a lot of people make. Everyone knows the average age of advisors is much higher than my age; there can be cases where young people are underestimated

“So I ended the speech with a little saying that, ‘a baby shark is still a shark’ and it kind of invited some excitement in the crowd, which I found hilarious. The next day people started sending me emails saying, ‘congrats Baby Shark’. I got a flower arrangement with a shark drawn on the front of a postcard and that type of thing.”

She added: “That was such an incredible experience and I was extremely blessed, and wasn’t expecting it. It was a huge deal, so I was really excited.”

Horwood said the awards night is a perfect chance to celebrate the industry and, in particular, recognise the abilities of younger advisors.

“From my personal experience in the industry,” she said, “young people are severely underestimated, so it’s really challenging to be a young person who is constantly underestimated by their peers and frequently told they aren’t going to be as respected as someone with more experience.

“But I feel like I’ve lived the case of genuinely caring about my clients and trying to do the best job I possibly can for them. That’s what it takes to be successful when you don’t have as much experience. It takes a different approach, a level of hunger for sure and generally just a really good attitude with the right motivation as to why we are doing this.”

There are 23 awards up for grabs on May 31 and it’s quick and easy to nominate someone, or yourself, before the February 23 deadline. So what are you waiting for? Simply log on to www.wpawards.ca and follow the links.


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