In 2025, I had the pleasure of completing a four-month internship at Richardson Wealth, Canada's leading independent wealth management firm. Based in their Toronto office, I joined @The Wronski Cann Team as a Marketing and Operations Assistant. I had the opportunity to act as a consultant for the team, introducing a new branding concept and developing implementation strategies.
Overview
Context
The Wronski Cann Team primarily serves clients aged 55 or older, those who are already in or closely approaching retirement. Established in 1996, the team has been building relationships for several decades, with many of their clients having grown with them. Without intentional positioning toward the next generation of investors, their client base will continue to skew older. At the same time, the team itself is evolving. Their associates are younger and actively building their own books of business that include peers in their 30s and 40s. This presented an opportunity to expand the firm’s reach and appeal to a younger generation of clients, while continuing to serve their long-standing clientele.
Problem
The team’s existing brand identity reflected a traditional wealth management approach:
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Retirement-focused messaging
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Highly formal, corporate tone
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Minimal digital presence
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Limited storytelling about client success or advisor approach
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This positioning did not align with the mindset of younger, high net-worth households, who:
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Are balancing mortgages, children, aging parents, and peak accumulation
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Conduct significant digital due diligence before considering an advisor
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Expect a more collaborative advisor-client dynamic
My Role
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Performing an internal audit of The Wronski Cann Team's existing client-facing materials (digital and physical)
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Researching competitors to identify trends and opportunities for differentitation
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Developing a refreshed messaging framework that aligns with existing and next-generation clients
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Creating or revising marketing collateral, including, website content, information packages, and email templates
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Collaborating with senior team members to ensure compliance and alignment with regulatory requirements
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Presenting the new branding and implementation strategies to the team
New Brand Concept
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When auditing the team’s existing materials, one phrase stuck out: “We’re more than investment advisors; we’re financial architects”. It appeared as an unassuming line within a large paragraph, but I immediately recognized its potential to become something more. I developed this into a foundational framework, using the financial architect analogy to articulate the team’s approach to onboarding, implementing, and managing client portfolios. This resulted in a defined three-stage client journey as seen above. The new brand concept clarifies The Wronski Cann Team's process, reinforces their value proposition, and makes their services more approachable to existing and next-generation clients.
Website
Overall Navigation
Original
Updated
Working within Richardson Wealth’s pre-built platform meant that the website's layout and components were fixed; I focused on optimizing the content rather than modifying the user interface. The first update I made was to the overall navigation. By using standard labels, simplifying the number of options, and removing ambiguous or overlapping sections, the website became more intuitive, allowing users to find key information quicker.
Top-Level Carousel Navigation
Original
Updated
Implementation on Live Website
The original carousel presented broad themes with wordy headlines and no the call-to-action. As this is the first element on the website, it needed to quickly capture attention and guide users toward meaningful action. I refined the content to three focused prompts that resonated with investors of all ages, structuring each slide around the same objective: contacting the team. Beyond this, I reviewed the website holistically and integrated the Financial Architects branding throughout. I shifted the messaging away from retirement-focused language toward themes of growth, planning, and partnership, making the firm more relatable to younger investors while maintaining credibility with existing clients.
Information Package
Original
Updated
Updated (One Page Version)
I created a new information package centered around the Financial Architects brand. Although the updated document is longer, the content is organized more intuitively, with each page dedicated to a single topic as outlined in the table of contents, making it easier to navigate and digest. I also developed a condensed one-page version that highlights the most important information, providing prospective clients with a quicker overview.
Digital Presence on LinkedIn
Banner
For Kathleen
For Michael
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Metrics
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To support the goal of appealing to younger clients, I led efforts to expand the team's digital presence. LinkedIn is the most suitable platform, aligning with our professional positioning while enabling relationship-driven communication. As this was a new initiative, I focused on making adoption as simple as possible for the team. Beginning in late February, we dedicated ten minutes during the team’s twice-weekly meetings to draft posts, using four prompts that I generated: industry insight, storytelling, relatability, and call-to-action. I then scheduled these posts based on peak engagement times to maximize visibility. Within one month, the team saw significant increases in our analytics. Since my internship concluded, I have seen the team continue to build on this momentum by staying active on LinkedIn!
Outcome & Takeaways
My internship culminated in a final presentation where I shared the Financial Architects brand concept, along with supporting design work and a series of strategic recommendations. The proposal was received very positively and sparked discussion on how the team would evolve its messaging. As this was at the end of my term, I was not able to monitor long-term performance metrics. I have periodically checked in with the team online, and I am happy to see my recommendations reflected in their marketing efforts. Here's what I learned:
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Simplicity Improves Communication: Being an outsider to the wealth management industry allowed me to notice things that the team no longer saw. A big part of my work became translating the team's expertise into messaging that is more approachable to someone encountering it for the first time. Streamlining language, simplifying navigation and formatting, and refining visuals helped make the team’s expertise more approachable. ​​
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Own Your Expertise: As the only member of the team with a marketing background, I was the designated "marketing specialist". My first order of business was to audit the team's current materials. As part of this process, I printed and distributed copies to Kathleen and Michael for their personal edits. I asked "Would it be okay if I get this back by Friday?" and Kathleen was quick to correct me, "Iris, this is your project. You are in command. You can tell me what to do and when to do it". Her response caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected to be entrusted with that level of ownership as an intern. From this moment on, I built up the confidence to take ownership of my role and trust the value I brought to the table.​​​
