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By: Alex Nikotina
Published On: August 31, 2016If you enjoy what you do daily, your work becomes your lifestyle, and every day is filled with excitement and a strong desire to improve and grow. This is definitely true for Jay Panis.
Back in college, Jay did not know that he would end up pursuing a career in financial services. “I was leaning towards pursuing physio-therapy as my career. Around that time I took a finance course as an elective – and I really liked it. From then on, my career path has changed.”
Jay started his career in financial services in a banking industry, and after a few years of work there he was able to transition to financial consulting. “I worked my way up pretty fast,” says Jay with a smile.
Having spent 13 years in the industry, Jay is now working as a Division Director for the Investors Group. “I am currently working with both clients and consultants,” says Jay. “Whether it is training new consultants, meeting with the clients or attending networking events – every day brings something new and interesting.” For Jay, this variety is the best part of his job.
“As a financial consultant, I help clients get more out of their money, so they can get more out of life.”
Despite early success in his career, Jay never forgot about the importance of continuing education and elevating his knowledge and skills. “I believe that for the career of the financial planner, you absolutely need to have designations. The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation, for instance, is the one you should definitely have – the clients ask for it all the time,” shares Jay. “That was something I was trying to achieve in the last 4 years – it is great to now be able to have that on my cart.”
For Jay, getting the CFP designation was a bit of a journey. “I tried to do it twice on my own; but life got in the way,” he explains. “Self-study method definitely didn’t work for me, so I decided to enroll into the CFP courses at Ashton.”
“Studying when you work full-time and have other life demands can definitely be difficult, but I kept at it, as I knew the results would be worth it.”
“What I liked the most wast that my knowledge from the course could be applied to my work right away. Chances were, I had clients who were going through a similar situation, so it was always helpful to discuss different cases with other professionals at Ashton.”
Jay is really enjoying his work in financial services, and he has a bright outlook on his life and future. “There are a lot of opportunities to advance the career in financial services,” he says. “Whether I decide to aim for a higher position or become a senior financial planner, I know that I will be successful as long as I persevere.”
In fact, Jay thanks the time he has spent studying for teaching him how to stay the course and go towards his goals.
“It takes discipline to go through and finish a program: you know your end goal, and you know that getting there will take time and commitment. I’ve adapted the same mentality into my practice.”
When thinking about current students in financial services, Jay reminds them to stay disciplined. “Try to stay on top of your studies,” he adds, smiling. “If you are not, it can be difficult to play catch-up.”
“It is a great career,” shares Jay at the end of his interview. “I’ve enjoyed learning and growing in it, and I know that I will continue growing. In the meantime, I will also continue teaching other professionals as their mentor and coach. It is truly an exciting journey.”
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