In her twenty-third year as an investment advisor, National Bank Financial Ltd.’s Susan Lévesque manages more than $165 million in client assets, is a member of the bank’s President’s Club and her book of business is been in the top performance quartile for one, three, five and 10 years. But these accomplishments are just part of her life.

Lévesque approaches life in the same balanced way in which she manages her clients’ assets. She complements her commitment to her work with hobbies, physical activity, charitable works and personal relationships. Diversifying her experiences is not just fun — it’s necessary to her.

“Our business is a dynamic one. It’s never the same from day to day. You have to make logical decisions, you are very responsible and the results are obvious. You have to prove yourself,” Lévesque says. “But you also have to take breaks from that.”

As well as regularly attending the opera and the theatre, Lévesque finds reprieve from the work world as a patron of the visual arts. She is a member of Fem Art, a group of women who pool their money to purchase artwork by women artists, then rotate the works among their homes. Lévesque currently displays two originals in her Toronto home. The works are more than purchases; they’re investments.

“I’m a great promoter of the arts. I try to focus on young people who are getting involved in the art world,” she says. “It’s nice to learn about the artists and have the chance to network with women who are artists.”

Art is only one of Lévesque’s interests. She also finds creative outlet in hiking, walking and photography — and, for three seasons of the year, tending to her own backyard.

“When the azaleas come up in my neighbourhood in April, that means it’s time to start working in the garden,” she says. “I’m very active in planting, pruning and watering.”

Not all her activities are as enjoyable as encouraging her garden to grow. Getting up at 6 a.m. to work out with her personal trainer can be difficult, but she’s convinced the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

“It is the one thing I call my luxury,” Lévesque says. “Because I have that personal attention, I set aside time in my week. I think it’s really important. I have bones that creak and that sort of thing, but the personal training helps keep me flexible and maintains a good balance in my life.”

By carefully managing her time, Lévesque is able to participate in the activities she enjoys. And when she runs out of time, she finds other ways in which to contribute — such as fundraising for the United Way. Well aware that she doesn’t have the time to commit to organizing fundraising events as many of her friends do, she set up an account for the United Way and encourages her clients to donate.

“There isn’t ever a time I don’t discuss charitable giving in estate planning. For some clients, it’s a priority; for others, it’s not,” she says. “Even before [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper changed the tax situation of capital gains, I always advised clients to donate stock to charity.”

In recent years, Lévesque’s charitable fundraising has included the PACT Youth Crime Reduction Program, part of the Canadian Foundation for the Prevention of Family Violence. To date, her clients have donated more than $250,000 to charity.

The two roles closest to her heart are those of daughter and mother. Lévesque’s days are punctuated with conversations with her mother, who also lives in Toronto, and her months are highlighted by visits with her 30-year-old daughter, who lives in Montreal.

“I’m very fortunate to have a mother who is still with it,” Lévesque says. “If she walks into a room, she’ll draw the best-looking man, the cutest child and the most intelligent person to her. She’s just dynamic. I stopped trying to compete with her a long time ago.”

As a mother, Lévesque says, her life has been greatly shaped by her relationship with her daughter — from swimming lessons and school plays to encouraging her daughter to live her own life and move on to pursue interests of her own. But Lévesque anticipates that the cycle will start all over again with the birth of her first grandchild in June.

@page_break@Lévesque isn’t ready to slow down any time soon. She would love to polish her game of golf and travel to Buenos Aires. And she is definitely not ready for retirement.

“I’m going to stay healthy, mentally and physically, so I can continue working with clients,” she says. “I have no intention of retiring. I have a number of good years left in me.”

The next thing on her agenda, she says, is learning how to answer multiple-choice questions again for her upcoming vice president’s exam. She’s eager to step into the vice president’s role in order to mobilize more women to enter the investment industry.

She says there are only about 100 women financial advisors out of a total of 750 at NBF, a ratio that’s typical of the industry.

“I want to encourage more women into this business,” she says. “It’s a business that doesn’t demand muscle, but it does demand good minds, experience and honesty. Those are characteristics many women have. It’s also a business that involves a fair bit of caring and, for many women, that intuitive side is really there.”

Even with two new roles — vice president and grandmother — on her horizon, Lévesque says, she will find a way to maintain equilibrium. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I can’t imagine all work and no play. You have to have balance in your life,” she says. “And, as a baby boomer, I try to keep myself physically and mentally healthy. We need to find balance in our lives. It’s critical.” IE