Team Members

Just naturally Wayne has a deep and abiding interest in financial matters. At a young age he became interested in the unique nature of compounding and what it can accomplish over time.  This shaped his career direction. After spells in the military and working in industry as an engineer, he joined BMO Nesbitt Burns in 2001, and immediately founded our team, Sissons Wealth Advisory Group.  As the team grew, Wayne took on additional responsibilities in management within the firm which gave him a strong background in many facets of the investment industry.  
 
Today, Wayne focuses on our clients and being our team lead. He has been a discretionary portfolio manager for many years and has received awards for his work in financial planning.  He works with clients from many areas worldwide, but shares most of his office time between Calgary and Red Deer. Because of Wayne’s engrossing interest in financial matters, our team has focused on a holistic approach to client needs since the beginning. SWAG today is forward-looking and is one of the leading advisory groups within BMO Nesbitt Burns.
 
Wayne is a husband and father of five adult children. When not working with clients and steering SWAG, he also helps his wife look after cows and hay fields using sustainable ranching methods. Growing up and being rooted on a family ranch in Alberta, which has been in his family for over 100 years, he believes in hard work and simple values of honesty and loyalty. Often the whole family comes together and joins in to host youth group events and retreats.

Michael brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to our team having worked in the financial services industry for over 28 years.
 
After graduating from the University of Lethbridge in 1995, with a Bachelor of Management degree, Mike began his career in the financial industry helping his clients with their investing and lending needs.  In June of 2000 he started working with BMO Nesbitt Burns and in 2003 joined forces with Wayne to form the Sissons Wealth Advisory Group.
 
Throughout his years with Nesbitt Burns, Mike has attained many designations and continued to expand his knowledge as a Senior Wealth Advisor including attaining the CIWM, PFP, FCSJ & CIM.  He has been flexible and stepped up to help where needed, including spending time in branch management with Nesbitt Burns as an Assistant Branch Manager for a period.
 
Mike is client focused and passionate about service, loyalty & commitment.  He strongly believes in building lifelong relationships with his clients.  Providing insight & guidance to clients for building their wealth during their accumulation stage, through to preserving their wealth as they draw on their investments in retirement and ultimately in their transfer stage as they plan on transitioning their wealth to the next generation.
 
Mike resides in Red Deer and has been happily married to his wife Nicole for 22 years. They have three young adult children, two daughters and a son.  He is actively involved with all of his children and has been coaching youth hockey, baseball and softball since they were young.  He looks forward to continuing to give back to the community and coach for many years to come!

Brian was born and raised in northern Alberta in the community of Manning. His family owned and operated an oilfield service company as well as a grain farm. He and his wife moved to central Alberta in 1998 when they purchased a business.  The business was sold in 2005 and Brian entered the investment business that same year with BMO Nesbitt Burns.

Brian and his wife have raised 3 boys.  Two of their boys currently attend University of Alberta while the third is playing junior hockey in BC.  In their spare time Brian and his wife enjoy watching hockey, playing golf, and taking road trips.

Bretton has a passion for the markets; he bought his first stock in highschool and has been hooked ever since. They are the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up and the last thing he thinks about before bed. He believes there is endless opportunity for those who never want to stop learning and are willing to put in the work. That’s where he comes in, he puts his passion to work for you to make sure you get the very best.

Bretton understands that many financial issues affect us all: saving for retirement, minimizing taxes, setting aside funds for a major purchase, or to finance a child’s education. To reach your own financial objectives, he believes that combining consistent investment returns with a in depth personalized financial plan is the most effective route to achieving one’s goals.

After work, when the markets are closed you can find him at the gym, which keeps him in shape and gives him an outlet for his competitiveness. On weekends he likes to try and get out to the mountains; Be it hiking, backpacking, or dirt biking, he just really enjoys being out in the backcountry.

Bretton moved to Alberta in 2001, which he is very thankful for. He says "The opportunity, the people and the Alberta attitude make it a great place to call home". Bretton graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a Major in Finance in 2010 and completed his CFA designation in 2021. Presently, he is a member of the investment committee in the Sissons Wealth Advisory Group.

After over 10 years with BMO Nesbitt Burns, he still looks forward to coming to work, and gets a great deal of satisfaction helping clients achieve their goals. He says that he is "lucky to be part of a great team, we have a lot of positive momentum and despite already being one of the best performing teams in the firm we have a lot of potential to do more great things. The sky is the limit!" 

After completing her degree in Business, Arielle started straight away with BMO Nesbitt Burns. Her early roots started as an administrator for the Edmonton branch and has worked her way to an associate investment advisor for SWAG in our Calgary office.

Arielle is passionate about proactively meeting the needs of our clients and educating young clients the value of saving and financial management. 

Growing up on a ranch in rural Alberta, she learned the value of hard work and family legacy. Working in the family business has always been a great pleasure to her. 
Arielle is a newlywed, and when she's not in the office, she can be found dirt biking and hiking/backpacking with her husband or baking artistic cakes for friends and family. 

**Arielle will be on Maternity Leave beginning May 2024**

Laura joined the Sissons Wealth team in November of 2019, after graduating from the Donald School of Business in Red Deer.

The concept of compounding interest and how it can shape a person’s financial well-being in the long-term has interested her since she was in her teens. Having the opportunity to create robust retirement plans and help people achieve their financial goals is one of the main reasons why she loves doing what she does.

Laura was born, raised, and currently lives in Red Deer with her husband Riley and their dog, River. When she’s not in the office, you can find her outside hiking, kayaking, cycling or dirt biking in the foothills with her husband (and co-workers too!)

**Laura will be on Maternity Leave beginning July 2024**

Nicole brings a wealth of experience in administration, management, and customer service throughout various positions prior to her being a stay-at-home mom.  She loves her creative side as she spent some time as a florist and enjoys crafting and sewing.  
Nicole thrives on being impeccably organized and coming up with creative solutions to help solve problems.

Over the years, Nicole has volunteered on several non-profit boards, in varying positions, and loves being involved in the community where she can. 

In addition to her administrative support role on the Sissons Team, she also plays an active role in her three children’s lives and very rarely misses a chance to cheer them on doing what they love.

Mandy is the most recent addition to the team having started in March 2024. Mandy brings a wealth of experience in administration, management, and customer service throughout various positions in the railroad, petrochemical and healthcare industry. She loves to stay busy with her family and gym community when she isn’t supporting the Sissons Wealth team.

Mandy thrives on being organized and driven to get things done. She loves to meet new people and hear their life adventures. She was born and raised in Red Deer Alberta. Fresh out of high school, she started her career as the first female conductor hired on at CP Rail in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alberta. She discovered if she wanted to have a family, she would need a job with a more scheduled career. She has always stayed close to Red Deer, with her extended family still having roots around the Red Deer area.

Mandy and her Husband are raising their 16-year-old son on an acreage outside of Sylvan Lake, Alberta. When they aren’t working, they like to spend their time camping, traveling or road tripping discovering new adventures.