How Discipline Shapes a Life and a Practice
Racing down mountains, logging kilometres in the dark, and spending more weekend mornings in cold arenas than he could count — none of it was accidental for Nick Steele. The through line across all of it — competitive skiing in his youth, ultra-marathon running now, and two athletic sons he and his wife have raised — is a commitment to showing up fully, regardless of conditions.
That commitment is equally visible in the practice he helped build. As a founding member of the Selkirk Wealth Management Group and licensed Portfolio Manager with Wellington-Altus, Steele has shaped a career around a principle the industry does not always reward: consistency in service above sophistication in presentation.
“Sports drive discipline,” he says. “You have to show up to compete, whether you feel like it or not.” He took up ultra-marathon running in recent years because he understands, practically and physically, that the mind sharpens when the body is challenged.
Building Selkirk from the ground up gave him something credentials alone cannot: the freedom to do things his way.
“You feel proud that you have created something you can call your own,” he reflects. “It also allows you to run a business the way you think best serves the client.”
Among a small group of investment professionals in Canada, Steele can manage fully discretionary portfolios for high-net-worth individuals, business owners, executives, retirees, foundations, and trusts — and holds the Certified Financial Planner designation alongside that authority.
Yet when a first meeting begins, those credentials step to the side. “We really don’t get into the weeds of the investment discussion,” he explains. “We worry about the investments, so they don’t have to worry about choosing what to invest in.” That shift — from transaction to conversation — creates space for something the industry too often forgets: the person sitting across the table.
Steele is candid about what he believes is missing from wealth management at large. “If you can be honest and approachable, that is what clients want. No question is a bad question.” Listening, he insists, is not a soft skill. It is the foundation. And returning calls promptly? That, in his experience, may be the single most important thing a practice can offer.
His client roster spans executives navigating stock option plans, retirees, foundations, and business owners — different circumstances, but a common expectation. “Everyone wants decent returns with quality investments,” he says. “And they want good service.”
The engine, he notes, is the same regardless of the complexity.
At home, the weekends belong to his sons and the rinks they fill. The sidelines, it turns out, teach their own version of the same lesson. “These passions are great to keep disciplined no matter what age you are,” he says. “It helps both mentally and physically to always keep challenging yourself to reach new heights.”