By Nancy Dorrance
with photography by Ian MacAlpine
Early in her career, Kingston financial planner Jane Lapointe was told she’d never be successful if she didn’t play golf with the men. To which she replied simply, “Watch me!”
That answer — and her unquestionable, golf-less success in this male-dominated field — reflects not only the positive outlook which has carried Jane through good times and bad but also the tenacity of someone who thrives on getting things done.
A partner today in The Lapointe Fitzgerald Group of CI Assante Wealth Management, Jane spent her first few years after university in a succession of “interesting but diverse” jobs, which worried her parents, she says, but gave her a broad base of life experience. Then a stint as a “para-planner” for financial advisor Jim Martin of Fenlon Financial provided an appealing taste of that world.
“I quickly realized that this job is about more than numbers,” Jane continues. “It’s about helping people solve problems and reach goals. You need to be continually learning, be a good listener and have a vision with measurable steps toward an end goal. Money may be about discipline, but it’s also about emotion.”
Feeling drawn to the non-profit sector, however, she left that position for a contract with the KFL&A United Way. . . .
