TWMG Inc. is a different kind of dealership with ambitions for growth 

Nathalie Missakian had long dreamed of owning her own dealership, with a clear vision of what she would do differently based on the mishaps she experienced while she worked as a trader, branch manager, and compliance officer. So, when the opportunity presented itself to launch TWMG Inc. in 2011, she embraced the challenge and became the firm’s founder, president, and CEO.

“I’m not trying to build an empire,” she says, “but a safe home that acknowledges humanity and welcomes financial advisors and financial planners who embrace the same values – which are to serve our community with honour, integrity, honesty, care and love, and to ensure that all aspects of our clients’ financial needs are met. We’re building and protecting wealth.”

TWMG Inc. aims to be a one-stop shop, offering the investment, insurance, retirement, tax, and estate planning that is traditionally provided by well-rounded financial advisors, financial planners and Certified Financial Analysts, and providing under-the-same-roof access to complementary professionals such as notaries, accountants, tax lawyers, mortgage brokers, realtors, immigration consultants, and more. 

Missakian, who serves a client base of 500 in addition to running the dealership, is committed to leading differently from many in the industry. Her client-centric mission is to prioritize service over sales, alongside making it as easy as possible for clients to access all the professionals they need to accomplish their financial and life goals. 

“What’s important for me is really to serve a community, thriving on the love and service we’re providing, where the clients are well taken care of,” she says. “We all have a purpose in life, with gifts we are blessed with. Doing what we love to do and then putting a smile on clients’ faces, providing them with a peace of mind — then we know we’ve done our job for the day.” 

Missakian credits lessons from her parents for her success. Her mother told all three of her children that the only gift she wanted from them was for them to achieve, at a minimum, an undergraduate degree because, as a scholar, she believed education was extremely important. Her father taught her to never allow fear to block her from accomplishing her goals and to be confident that she could do anything she put her mind to.

“As a female leader in the industry, I’ve been underestimated many times,” Missakian says. “Did I overcome challenges? Yes, and it’s not because I focused on material gains. It was the integrity, honesty and care that allowed me to stand out in this industry. I did not give up. I had faith. God will always guide us to walk the path of righteousness in discovering our greatness. Humbleness will lead us to greatness. Greatness will lead us to humbleness.”

As TWMG Inc. expands, Missakian is looking for similar traits in the advisors who join the firm: integrity, honesty, kindness, and compassion, and an approach to working with clients that puts service first. 

Anthony Santaguida is a second-generation advisor with TWMG Inc. who exemplifies those qualities. He followed his engineering degree with an MBA and a CFA and joined the firm within his father’s practice, which he took over following his father’s death three years ago. He credits his dealership as a “driving force” that helped him retain 99% of clients through the succession process.

“They were with us every step of the way. It was very seamless, and that was very appreciated, especially going through that difficult time,” says Santaguida. “We’ve grown considerably since then. The back-office support has been phenomenal.”

He especially appreciates that TWMG Inc. verifies compliance on every trade and works directly with investment firms whenever there appears to be a mistake or discrepancy. 

“That saves me time, which allows me to give better service to our clients — especially for transfers, [which] can take weeks or months to follow up on. I simply send an email to the back office and the back office follows up for me. By the end of the day, I’ll have a path forward.” 

When his assistant handed in her two weeks’ notice earlier this year, just as Santaguida was planning to go on a post-RRSP season vacation, his first move was to call Missakian. She was able to quickly refer someone with the right qualifications. The new assistant was in place in time for Santaguida’s departing assistant to provide training. It was another seamless transition.

Santaguida adds that being with an independent dealership gives him access to the broadest possible range of products to meet his clients’ needs. Meanwhile, being part of a tight-knit group of advisors with low turnover means that everyone knows one another, is on good terms, and is motivated to help the business grow together. There’s even potential for referrals in both directions with the on-site professionals in related fields.

“It’s a small enough dealership that it’s agile, so we can adapt, and they’re open to innovating,” Santaguida says. Management, he adds, “always includes us in any important decision-making matters. They definitely value our input.”