Ambitious professional, who has already reached key AUM milestone, credits work ethic, proactivity, and mentorship
Growing up in a small town north of Quebec, Maxime Clements had an interest in finance from a young age. He devoured articles on the subject, eventually meeting a mentor in the industry who introduced him to wealth management. Hearing more about the ins and outs of the business and realizing there is a deep client-servicing aspect to the role further stoked Clements’ passion, and he’s currently the youngest investment advisor for Manulife Securities Inc. and one of the youngest advisors in the industry overall to have $110M AUM — maybe even $115M by the end of the day, Clements adds with a laugh.
“What makes a difference between the advisors that truly have success in the industry and those who don’t is work ethic,” Clements, who joined Manulife Securities in 2018, says. “There’s no secret recipe, there are no shortcuts: it’s the hours you put in and the dedication to your work that you demonstrate. Clients feel when you’re passionate about your work, that gains their trust, and that’s how you build a good practice.”
Clements knows of what he speaks. He built his book of business from scratch, first by cold calling — “There were people that didn’t know about us: we just started presenting to them what we do,” he says when asked how he was so successful with this method — and then through word of mouth as his reputation began to precede him. Last year, mostly through client referrals and despite the down market, his team brought in over $45M in new assets and Clements was awarded Manulife’s annual awards for Top Work Ethic and Outstanding Growth in his office. Though he’s proud of the tremendous growth in 2022, it’s the hard work he put in that gave him the tools to achieve it and that’s why the Top Work Ethic trophy means the most to him.
“I loved receiving that award,” Clements says simply, adding that during volatility there is opportunity and advisors need to be proactive, not reactive, in making the changes necessary to take advantage of it. Clements and his team are also committed to providing first-class service, promptly performing client requests and providing speedy answers to any inquiries they receive.
“What the clients really like and the reason we’re growing so fast is because of the attention to detail we provide. In the industry, there’s a lack of transparency about what clients are provided by their advisors. We make it as tailored as possible: we take the time to understand a client’s situation and build recommendations based on that.”
Clements’ ambition shows no sign of slowing: when it comes to growth, his main focus is to reach $250 million AUM within three years and looking at existing clients, his goal is to surround himself with more great team members to scale that renowned client care by providing more services.
Clements is also setting his sights on mentorship, an important facet of his business. Currently working with a group of junior associates, Clements is looking forward to hiring many more who are ready to put in that hard work to help Canadians and Quebecers with wealth management. He’s always on the hunt for young advisors willing to get into the business and learn from him. Distilling his advice to a few words, Clements says he tells up and comers it’s about having a vision of where you want to be, writing down your objectives, and after that just putting in the work.
Looking ahead, Clements will be doing a lot of the latter. Being proactive will continue to be critical throughout 2023 as volatile markets persist, and Clements points to past recessions in 2000 and 2008 as examples of how “what you do during those hard times makes a huge difference on the portfolio long term.”
“And that’s what we’ll be focusing on this year,” Clements says. “Taking advantage of those opportunities.”
