Business program a pathway to rewarding investment career

When Jake Cullen graduated from high school, he didn’t know what he wanted to do for a career. “Right out of high school, I worked for Manitoba Hydro for just about two years,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to go back to school and further my education, but I wasn’t exactly sure what that was as soon as I graduated. So, I took a couple of years off, worked with my hands a little bit, and then I went back to Assiniboine in 2015.”

Jake entered Assiniboine’s Business Administration program, but still wasn’t certain where that would lead him. “I went into business thinking I would probably go down the financial services road,” he said, “but I wasn’t 100 per cent decided on that.”

“One of the nice things about the program at Assiniboine was that the first year is kind of general, in the sense that you take a little bit of everything. Some accounting, some marketing, obviously some financial services courses as well. And then you make your decision after that. I really appreciated that aspect of the program.”

During the summer between his first and second years of the program, Jake worked with Investors Group (now IG Wealth Management) in Brandon. That led to an opportunity to continue working with the firm throughout his second year, and after graduating in 2017, “that turned into a full-time associate role— a really good way for me to get my foot in the door and have a career after school.”

Two years later, he joined Cardinal Capital Management’s Brandon office. He is now a Wealth Advisor and Client Relationship Manager with the firm, specializing in comprehensive financial planning. He holds both the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designations.

“A lot of people who come to us feel lost or maybe confused about their finances. I’m a firm believer that financial literacy is lagging in Canada, and I try to keep that as one of my focuses when speaking with clients— getting them to wrap their heads around ‘the why’. I find that usually leads to better engagement and commitment,” said Cullen.

Smiling, he said, “It’s really satisfying when you sit down with someone and start to educate them on things and show them what their path could look like with a few small changes.”

During a typical work day, Jake will often spend a couple of hours working on financial plans for clients, along with one or two meetings with clients throughout the day.

“The other role that I have in our team is I am licensed on the investment side of things, as a discretionary money manager. I have my chartered investment manager designation, so I use that to do the investment suitability for all the clients in our office.”

Reflecting on his time at Assiniboine, he says “I had a great experience,” adding that “Probably the thing that I really appreciated the most about the program is that it had more of a close-knit feel than maybe if you were in a big university, in a lecture hall with 200 students. For me and my personality, that fit really well and I really appreciated my time there.”

For current and future students, Jake says that “Assiniboine is a great spot to go and find your path. They’re going to do a good job of giving you the skills you need to be successful when you get out there. The rest is up to you, but you form some great relationships along the way.”