She started her business by cold calling, hosting presentations, and doing trade shows. But she’s also written regular newspaper columns for one of the Vancouver papers and, in the past 13 years, done almost 700 weekly live radio shows on CKNW, discussing markets, real estate, and tax planning, and whatever other topics her listeners want to hear about.
“Educating the public – that’s my passion – and it’s fun to be on the radio and express my opinions on air. But I like protecting the Oma’s [and Opa’s] out there. That’s my goal: making sure they can make informed decisions,” said Pinkowski, noting that doing podcasts, radio, and various articles have not only helped to educate the public, but given her a strong brand in Vancouver.
Pinkowski has also built her business on transparency, particularly being upfront about fees. Early on, she’d advise investors to stay away from DSC (deferred sales charge) or back-end-fee mutual funds, while many other advisors were happily collecting their 5% commissions.
“I built my career on outing financial advisors who were doing that because I felt so strongly against it,” she said, noting that most clients who came to her didn’t know they were locked into the funds. She also worked to make investors aware of what they deserved from a good financial advisor. “The industry has changed a lot. It’s much better for clients than it was 20 years ago, and I just love seeing things continuing to improve.”
Pinkowski also actively manages her client’s portfolios, which is important for the retirees she serves.
