I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know we were at the University of Montana this last weekend to see Emma receive her Masters degree in Communications.
She is now off to University of Utah to go for her doctorate. She has been offered a teaching position while she works on her PHD so we should be off the hook for any more major financial help (fingers crossed)
The really cool thing is she graduated from U of Montana with no student debt whatsoever which, I think is in a really large part thanks to you, I certainly couldn’t have done that without your help…..so a HUGE THANK YOU Brad from both Chris and myself.
R&C, client since 2008
Brad Brain listened carefully and respectfully; he gently challenged our reasons and choices and invited us to align those choices with the underlying values they represented so they would be congruent and we were encouraged and given the tools and information to develop short, medium and long term plans for our future.
I always felt it was important to Brad to help us (the fancy current word, I think, is to “empower us “ ) to make the most informed choice. Equally important, he helped my spouse and I learn how to have a respectful and constructive conversation on a topic that is notoriously difficult to discourse upon because of the emotional icebergs that lay just beneath the surface in the way of different or even divergent attitudes or philosophy toward money. Thanks to Brad’s help we are able to share and to respect how we may approach things differently and we have developed the ability to give careful consideration to each other’s thoughts on a particular subject. Over time we have been able to harmonize our respective values and philosophies (well, most times) and we are, individually and, as a couple, healthier and stronger and for that I am most grateful!
D.B., client since 2005
Brad Brain’s uniqueness lies on the fact that he can relate to just about anyone and he cares. Whether if it’s with a doctor or to someone who’s spent 30+ years in the oil patch, he can relate and have them feel at ease. Because he is able to do this, people trust him, respect him, and want to do business with him. More importantly, they want to be friends with him. When Brad believes in something, he stands his ground. I count on Brad for guidance, advice, and to be my role model. Our profession has few people who are true problem solvers to clients, and people who serve as role models to the next generation of financial professionals. Brad, whom I consider a friend and mentor, exudes this in every way.
H.W., protégé
I find that Brad Brain has a talent for putting a person at ease in a conversation. Brad has vast knowledge about his profession but does not portray it in a superior manner when discussing it with a client. Brad wants to ensure that decisions that are made are done so from a position of understanding. If he feels that a certain strategy is not a good one he will take the time to explain the information until the point he is trying to make is clear and a better course of action is determined. On the other hand, he is willing to work with a client to build on an idea and make it both safe as possible and functional, ideally finding that balance between what a client wants and needs.
S.S., client since 2007
Brad Brain has been more than a financial planner, his role in our family has been “visionary”!
Explaining the various services and economic factors involved would have been helpful enough, but Brad’s approach has always been to get us to really think about what is truly important to us in the bigger picture. Through Brad’s counsel, my husband and I have learned how to work together for goals that we ourselves have identified as meaningful. The “why” has always been made more important than the “how”, and Brad is on top of the “how” , as well.
B.D., client since 2005
Brad has acted as financial adviser to my wife and I for almost nine years. Over that time there have been significant changes in our financial circumstances and Brad has helped us to discuss these developments in a way that allowed us to realize how “money“ is nothing more than a vessel that contains our individual goals, hopes and values.
It is sometimes said that the only truly taboo topic is money. Brad has turned that taboo on its head for us as a couple. With his help we have been able to share and exchange our views as to the vision we possess as individuals and that we share as a couple.
Brad is always available for a quick consult or a 90 minute sit-down. It is clearly important to Brad that I, as his client, come to a deeper understanding of how money is essentially a tool i.e. a means to an end but not an end in itself. Although Brad has an impressive set of credentials he is, thankfully, not prone to financial jargon and he uses terms and examples that ordinary folk easily relate to. Brad has assisted me greatly as an investor but, more importantly, he has allowed my wife and I to better understand both our individual and our mutual values, goals, priorities and aspirations .
Mr D. client since 2004
Brad serves both the Insurance and Financial Services profession and his clients and community with care, attention, and diligence and brings an intelligent and thoughtful perspective to any discussion. It is always a pleasure to work with Brad Brain on any project or issue.
Lawrence Ian Geller, Advisor to Legal and Finance Professionals
Brad embodies true wealth management with his powerful and convicted belief in ethical , unbiased, and time-proven advice. His depth of knowledge and consistent support have also made him an incredible mentor. You don’t need my recommendation. Results speak for themselves.
Meagan Balaneski, Mutual Funds Advisor at Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.
