Sudarshana Chakraborty, PFP

It was a glittering night of fine dining and live performances at Keyano College, where community leaders, business community, local individuals all came together to pay tribute to six decades of excellence, growth and impact on our small and mighty community in Fort McMurray. The college began in 1965 as the Alberta Vocational Centre to provide job skills for Northern Albertans affected by the oil sands industry. It officially became Keyano College in 1975, a name aptly derived from a Cree word meaning "Sharing". Since then the institution has evolved into a comprehensive community college offering a wide range of programs in trades, health, business and arts. Keyano College remains committed to serving Wood Buffalo region. Keyano College is a big part of my career too. I wrote my first licensing exam in Canada at the college. Since then, 20 years down the lane, I have been back in the college, whether to write another exam or to be on different advisory meetings. It was even a better experience, when I found other friends and business leaders joined me at the Gala, Here is to another 60 years of grand success to Keyano!

"ONLY THE DISCIPLINED ONES IN LIFE ARE FREE"-Elliud Kipchoge New York Marathon is just finished, so is Marathon in Pittsburgh. These two photos are now my screen savers on my personal electronic devices. I do not know the runners personally, but every day I wake up, because of the inspiration these three runners instilled in me. The leader in the first photo is Eliud Kipchoge, who famously said "I don't run with my legs. I run with my heart and mind". Eliud is world's fastest Marathon runner. He ran 42.2 kilometers under 2 hours. Second photo is of two runners, holding hands, finishing a 42.2 kilometers race in Pittsburgh, together. They were the last two to reach the finish line. These two runners did not know each other. But their determination to finish strong and never to quit, brought them together. They were among that 1% population in the whole world, who finished a marathon race. It was a long race for them. They took over seven hours. But they finished the race and earned a finisher's medal each. It takes around 23 weeks to train properly to run a Marathon. Whether it is Kipchoge or these two runners finishing a Marathon, the key is consistency. Training every day for at least an hour, carrying on a balanced diet for half the year consistently, is indeed a hard job. It is not impossible. This is exactly where I find the biggest similarity of my job of helping individuals with their investments. Each market drawdown is unique in duration and intensity. But consistency of individuals who remain invested, is likely to be rewarded for their perseverance. Just like that steep hill on my running route, a market volatility, can really be signs of opportunity to add to portfolios. Sell offs in markets may feel intimidating initially, over time investors consistency helps you to be more comfortable with market volatility in the long run. My job, that I take very seriously, is to hold your hand just like the two runners here, and help you remain in the course. Every investment client, that I run this Marathon with, brings me heartfelt fulfillment of reaching a milestone. Persistency is the key to success in a long distance race!