How BIPOC advisor carved a niche as a cross-border specialist

“The moment I started doing that, the world just exploded in a very positive way,” he said. “We got a lot of unique, complicated planning situations, so we tend to be brought in on those more complex situations for families.”

Ahmed broadcasts his experience through his blog and YouTube channel, where he also addresses millennials’ issues, such as dealing with inflation for the first time. He also addresses issues like sudden wealth syndrome, where they may have received inheritances, lottery winners, or a pro athlete’s first contract. So, he’s attracted people in various stages of their career – either moving to the U.S. to launching or returning for family or the healthcare system later in their careers.

“The cool part is you get to deal with people at different stages of life,” he said. “It could be at the earlier stages, such as during a start-up, or people who are winding down and going into the final stages of life where they want to stop working and spend time with family or travel or whatever floats their boat.

“So, we’re dealing with property or moving investments, and dealing with their taxes. But, we’re also dealing with family trusts and other situations. It just depends on the individual’s circumstances.”

Ahmed, who is the son of immigrants, doesn’t think the fact that he’s a BIPOC millennial has influenced his cross-border work. But, he’s proud to be part of that demographic since he believes it gives him another strength in the industry, even though “I was raised in a way where I was fairly colour blind”. He said he saw a shift for about a decade after 9/11, where even travelling could be difficult, but now it as seen as more of a plus as the industry tries to develop more diversity.