The Money Finder

Stephanie Holmes-Winton chuckles, recalling how her company name was devised.

“At the end of each client’s financial plan, I’d write, ‘Money Found’,” says the bubbly sole proprietor. “One said to me, ‘You’re the money finder.’ That’s how my business got its name.”

Today, The Money Finder keeps men and women on the right track. In many cases, it gets them back to financial stability.

“Stephanie actually looked at every part of my financial life, from budget and income to goals, and prepared a comprehensive plan,” says Peter Andresen, a Hantsport businessman. “The way she handles people is above and beyond any other financial advisor I’ve had.”

Her background is also anything but typical for a financial advisor. Stephanie is a Dartmouth native who dreamed of being a veterinarian, earned an animal science degree at Nova Scotia Agricultural College, and then worked on a farm in Western Canada. She returned home eight years ago and joined a financial company sales team.

"I learned a lot but was presenting product-related advice, not financial advice, which I knew I could do," says Stephanie in her Bedford Highway office. "I wanted to teach people how to deal with their finances."

In sales, she discovered her role was to get a commitment for a sale and move on. But Stephanie worried how a client could afford the purchase, at that time and in the future. “It would be useless to them if they couldn’t keep it up, or not have something to cash out at the end,” she says.

With an effervescent smile, she says, “As a kid, I was always curious and asked questions. Today, I dig and make calls and ask until I get the right answer.”

She says there are keys to sound financial planning. People must know how much discretionary spending they have available. They must understand there is interest on their debt. They must manage their finances in a tax-minimizing way.

Stephanie admits she herself wasn’t always strict financially. “As a student, I once called home and told Mum I had run out of money. She sent me some peanut butter and bread with the words 'Good Luck.’"

When she became a financial advisor and realized earning more money wouldn’t solely fix her finances, Stephanie put herself on a cash allowance, removing necessary expenses from her net income, and taking 10 per cent of the earnings for spending on discretionary things. If she didn't have the money, she didn't get what she thought she wanted. And she'd usually have money left over each month.

Using herself as an example for her clients, she convinced them to think more about their spending, to prioritize, and maximize their savings .

“She did a tremendous job for us,” says Charles Aubie, who runs four graphic design, printing and signage companies in Nova Scotia. “Stephanie has a common sense approach and puts things in the right financial perspective.”

He calls Stephanie a “leader. Through the networking group she founded, she helped me make connections. She makes things happen.”

Stephanie says she's at the top of her game working with people 10 to 15
years from retirement. "The client’s greatest financial risk, and the core of retirement planning, is often overlooked. Understanding and controlling spending now is the best way to create a successful retirement plan. Many people live for today, probably unaware what they're spending each month. They think they can spend less each month in retirement, but many costs will remain the same as when they're working."

Stephanie regularly speaks to school, community college and university groups. When she asked one high-ranking university official why basic financial management courses weren’t taught at that level, the response was, “It’s the parent’s responsibility.”

Stephanie grimaces. “Can’t we assume, with the state of today’s economy, parents don’t know either?”

She insists she can help Nova Scotia work, economically, by keeping people here, and even drawing more to the province, by making people smarter with their dollars. “If money isn’t an issue, why would they move away? And with what Nova Scotia has to offer, why wouldn’t they come here?”

So, does this dynamic young woman, who balances a full-time job and a home life with a husband and toddler son, regret not becoming a veterinarian?

“I’d probably still be in school if I’d gone that route,” she smiles. “Then I’d earn money and make the (financial) mistakes I’ve learned not to make. No! I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”