
| MELISSA LEONG Personal Finance Expert, National Media Personality, Bestselling Author
Melissa Leong is one of Canada's best-loved authorities on personal finance. A sought-after speaker, national media personality, bestselling author, and award-winning writer, she is currently the resident money expert on CTV's The Social, Canada's leading daytime talk show. Leong is on a quest to help people better manage their money while maximizing their happiness. She delivers high-energy, informative, and practical talks about behavioural economics, positive psychology, and personal finance in her signature frank and funny style.
For almost two decades, Leong worked as a print journalist, reporting on a variety of beats including crime, politics, terrorism, arts, and business for The National Post, The Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail. She has interviewed thousands of subjects, including heads of state, royalty, and celebrities such as Hugh Jackman and Carrie Fisher.
Now, she is a go-to money expert for radio and television programs, appearing on CTV's The Social, BNN, CBC Radio, Breakfast Television, CP24, Global News, Canada AM, and Newstalk 1010 to name a few. She has also written articles on the subject, most recently as the personal finance writer for the Financial Post. Leong is also the bestselling author of the award-winning, feel-good finance guide Happy Go Money.
Leong graduated from Ryerson University's esteemed Bachelor of Journalism program.
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SARAH RIOPELLE Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager, Investment Solutions RBC Global Asset Management Inc. Since 2009, Sarah has managed the entire suite of RBC Portfolio Solutions which totals $180 billion in assets. She is a member of the RBC GAM Investment Strategy Committee, which sets global strategy for the firm, and the RBC GAM Investment Policy Committee, which is responsible for the investment strategy and tactical asset allocation for RBC Funds' balanced products and portfolio solutions. In addition to her fund management role, she works closely with the firm's Chief Investment Officer, ensuring that all aspects of the investment management function at RBC GAM are running smoothly. She is co-chair of the RBC Wealth Management Diversity Leadership Committee - Canada, as well as a member of the Dean's Advisory Board for both the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and the Faculty of Management at Laurentian University.
Sarah joined RBC Global Asset Management in 2003 and held roles in Investment Strategy and Canadian Equities before assuming her current responsibilities in 2009. Prior to joining RBC GAM, Sarah worked at RBC Capital Markets in both the Quantitative Research and Investment Strategy groups. She began her career in the investment industry in 1996 after graduating from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in Finance and International Management. She was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2001.
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| DR. AVERY SHENFELD
Managing Director and Chief Economist CIBC Avery Shenfeld is Managing Director and Chief Economist at CIBC, having been with the firm since 1993. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. A sought-after commentator with a focus on North America, Avery follows economic developments and their implications for financial and asset markets. He is a six-time winner of the Dow Jones Market Watch award for most accurate forecaster of the US economy. Most recently, he was recognized as the top forecaster of the Canadian economy by Consensus Economics for two consecutive years and was the top ranked economist in a survey of institutional investors. His prior background includes experience in management consulting, on the economics faculty at the University of Toronto, and lecturing in the summer program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. |