ACU Employee Spotlight: Getting to know Victor Lopes

The ACU Employee Spotlight series features some of the many people who work at the credit union, highlighting how their unique roles help members and the community every day.

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In this ACU employee spotlight, we talk to Victor Lopes, Senior Investment Advisor with Credential Securities, part of the ACU Wealth team. Working directly with members, Victor provides expert advice on how to achieve their life goals — whether that includes saving for education, a home, retirement or anything in between.

As part of the Wealth team, Victor sees the benefits that the credit union provides members and how his fellow team members work collaboratively to meet the needs of the community. Read on as we learn more about Victor’s path into his role in investment advice, and his advice for others interested in a similar career.

Question (Q): How long have you worked at ACU? 

I’ve been working with the credit union since January 2019.

Q. What is your favourite part of working at ACU? 

My fellow ACU employees and the whole organization collectively have always impressed me, as they consistently make our members and our community we live in the top priority.

Q. How did you get started in the financial industry?

In 1999, I started in the financial services industry just out of university. It began as a step in my career to get experience and an understanding of the real-world work environment.  

I ended up loving helping our members with important life events such as retirement, buying their first home, saving for children’s education and establishing credit. I also loved being able to see how our advice and services had an impact on improving people’s lives. That has kept me interested in what I do to this day.  

Q. How has your role evolved since you started? 

My role started primarily in the lending and general banking side of the business, but as I progressed in my career, I became much more interested in the wealth management and financial planning side. Investing and, more specifically, helping guide people’s investment goals, was something that interested me tremendously.

That is what made me refocus on that side of the industry going forward. Going forward from there, financial planning and providing investment advice has been my focus now for the last 15 years.  

Q. What advice would you give to someone interested in a job like yours?

If you’re interested in a similar career, it’s imperative to focus on your practice and what value you bring to the member. Concentrate on providing top notch service and guidance to your clients.

If you have done the hard work of understanding what you are advising your members or clients, that will benefit both you and them for the long term.  

Q. How have you seen members make improvements in their financial lives?

It’s very rewarding seeing members who were previously uncertain if they could retire, pay for their children’s education or buy their dream home (or even first home) become confident in their futures thanks to the guidance that ACU has provided. We have given our members clarity in terms of being able to make major life decisions, and having the confidence that we’ll be there to guide them along the way.

The peace of mind that we have been able to provide our members by asking the right questions and working on options for them is what puts a smile on my face.

If you’re interested in speaking with Victor, get in touch with him directly at 204.958.8483 or by email at vlopes@acu.ca.

To speak with any other member of ACU Wealth about your finances, call us at 204.958.8588 (toll-free at 1.877.958.8588) or book an appointment online.

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