Michael Thakkar

Michael bought his first stock when he was sixteen years old, and instantly fell in love with the markets.  After completing his MBA in Finance from the University of British Columbia, and then working in the Canadian Diplomatic Service as Vice Consul at the Consulate General in Milan, Italy, Michael entered the Wealth Management business in 2000.

Since that time, Michael has worked with families across Canada helping them define and achieve their financial goals.  Michael focusses on the four pillars of wealth management: building net worth through careful portfolio construction; implementing tax-efficient strategies; protecting what matters; and leaving a legacy. 

To get there, Michael has based his career on two passions.  The first is his view that his relationship with his clients and their wealth is a sacred trust.  As a result Michael seeks to dive deeper in understanding his clients, and he applies the principles of behavioral finance to help them uncover their investing blind spots and truly understand risk.  The second is rooted in his experiences as a young investor, and that is his love of the markets.  Michael is constantly reading, studying, and seeking to understand domestic and global markets, and he brings that deep knowledge to the construction of his clients' portfolios.

Michael holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designation and is one of the few Investment Advisors at TD Wealth with the Portfolio Manager title. As a result he can offer both discretionary portfolio management along with traditional brokerage models to his clients.  Michael is also a Life Insurance Advisor through TD Wealth Insurance Services and by engaging TD specialists he can offer his clients access to a full suite of wealth products such as will and estate planning, banking and credit services, and investment planning.

Michael is married to an amazing woman Clara, who serves as an Anglican Priest to a parish in North East Calgary, and he has two adult daughters that are the pride of his life.  He is committed to giving back to the community through charitable causes and sport.  Michael works with refugee relief in Calgary, and he is an active member of the Canadian Ski Patrol, and was the Past President of the Association of Shotokan Karate. He also plays guitar in a local band in Calgary, and enjoys climbing, fishing and camping in the beautiful Alberta Rockies.

 

The Ballendine Thakkar Group is a part of TD Wealth Private Investment Advice, a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. which is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.