Why Rob Tétrault moved to Wellington-Altus
The choice and the Winnipeg connection
Tétrault notes that he had a long previous relationship with many of Wellington-Altus’ key leaders, including Founder & Chair Charlie Spiring and Founder & CEO Shaun Hauser. In his past career as a lawyer, Tétrault says he had known them and many of their colleagues. Moreover, he notes that Winnipeg’s smaller circle of financial professionals made this move feel like he was ‘getting the band back together.
Tétrault, who is an avid user of social media as an advisor, explained that he started his YouTube channel to combat some of the “crap” that investors can find on the internet. He wanted to offer valuable information that spoke to specific Canadian wealth topics for free. That strategy has worked for Tétrault as a public educator and as an advisor, with over 14,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.
Growth plans and institution building
Aged 45, Tétrault says he loves his work and he can’t imagine a world where he’s not engaging with his staff and solving problems for his clients. As much as he says he enjoys the investment side of the business, he finds real joy in breaking down complex concepts and finding plans that solve his clients’ problems.
Part of that growth will come from finding new clients himself, and some will come through the hiring of new associates who can grow the practice further. Tétrault’s team is currently 14 people, and he wants to grow that team, hiring people who score high on client care, what Tétrault calls his “give a s*it meter.” He says that new associates can help grow the business further and turn it into something that lasts beyond just his own career.
The decisions that Tétrault is making around his practice, his career, and the life of his business beyond his own working years rest on some of the reflective work he did while completing a PhD in Global Business and Leadership at California Intercontinental University. In that program he reflected on where he can add value, realizing that his best service to clients is in the advice he offers around difficult planning problems that clients reckon with.
