Luke Kratz, CIM, FMA, BA
How I Built The Kratz Financial Group
"Thirty-five years ago, I started with a simple conviction: the best financial decisions aren't made by chasing performance — they're made by building clarity around what matters and what can be controlled. That belief has never wavered. It's guided hundreds of families through market volatility, life transitions, and the complex decisions that come with building and preserving wealth.
What I've built my practice around is what gets filtered out. I've watched short-term noise derail even the best-laid plans. My job is to make sure that doesn't happen to you. The process is outcome-oriented and grounded in evidence — helping clients get on track, and stay on track, with discipline rather than guesswork.
I studied finance at the University of San Diego and hold the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) designation and Financial Management Advisor (FMA) credential from The Canadian Securities Institute."
Favourite Part of the Job
"Watching clients stop worrying about their money. When someone moves from uncertainty to confidence — that's the whole point."
When I'm Not Working
"I live in Fairfield with my wife Lisa and our goldendoodle Lucy. Our son Gavin joined the team in 2024, and there’s nothing better than building something you hope will outlast you."
Brandie Winship
How I Arrived at The Kratz Financial Group
"I've been in the investment industry for 29 years. In that time I've seen markets shift, regulations evolve, and client needs grow more sophisticated. What hasn't changed is what good service looks like — and that's what keeps me motivated.
At The Kratz Financial Group, I handle the administrative complexity of private wealth management. Client requests, internal coordination, keeping accounts organized and transitions smooth. I tend to anticipate what's needed before it's asked — which, after three decades, has become second nature."
Favourite Part of the Job
"The reliability of it. Clients know they can count on me. That trust isn't given — it's earned over time, and I don't take it lightly."
When I'm Not Working
"I live in Colwood with my husband and our two kids, James and Maicie — who have a remarkable talent for making sure we never sit still for long."
Maia Winter, CIM
How I Arrived at The Kratz Financial Group
"I joined CIBC Wood Gundy in 2010 and came to The Kratz Financial Group in 2018. No two days look the same — I coordinate client reviews, educational opportunities, and the behind-the-scenes details that keep everything running smoothly, while picking up time-sensitive issues across the team as they arise.
Through all of it, the thing I care most about is making sure the human element never gets lost — that clients always feel looked after."
Favourite Part of the Job
"When a client says everything just felt seamless. That's the goal. Most of the work is invisible, and that's exactly how it should be."
When I'm Not Working
"My daughters are grown and independent now, which means I'm happily settled in Victoria doing exactly what I love. Good people, good books, good food, time outdoors—and travel that somehow manages to include all of the above."
Jesse Ogloff, B.Comm., PFP, CFP®, CIM®
How I Arrived at The Kratz Financial Group
"My path to wealth management wasn't a straight line — but every step of it shaped how I think about money, and the people who work hard to earn it.
Before finance, I worked in Alberta's oilfield and welding trades. That experience gave me a perspective that's rare in this industry: a firsthand understanding of how hard money is earned, how behaviour shapes financial outcomes, and why discipline is the variable that matters most. While completing my Commerce degree at the University of Alberta, I worked at CIBC — learning early how to help people navigate real financial decisions.
Today I work with professionals, entrepreneurs, and first-generation wealth builders. Our practice focuses on long-term discipline, tax efficiency, and complex portfolio coordination — always anchored to each client's actual life goals. It's not about predicting markets. It's about protecting behaviour."
Favourite Part of the Job
"The complexity. I genuinely enjoy working through the hard problems — the tax strategies, the portfolio coordination, the decisions that don't have a simple answer. When a client brings me something complicated and we work through it together, that's when I feel like I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing."
When I'm Not Working
"I live life pretty fully outside the office. Time with my partner Cassidy and our daughter Westyn comes first, and then there's cycling, outdoor adventures with my dogs Pawlmer and Pico. It's a good life."
Gavin Kratz, B.Comm.
How I Arrived at The Kratz Financial Group
"I joined the team in 2024 after earning my Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria and spending three years at another financial institution, where I developed my skills in investment management and client relations. Coming to The Kratz Financial Group felt like the right next step — a place where the values I'd built my practice around were already baked into the culture.
My approach starts with listening. I want to understand what clients want to achieve before we talk about how to get there. And I believe informed clients make better decisions, which is why I run community seminars focused on helping people navigate their financial futures with clarity and confidence."
Favourite Part of the Job
"The moment someone goes from confused to confident. Investment planning can feel overwhelming — my job is to make it feel manageable."
When I'm Not Working
"Victoria isn't just where I work — it's where I grew up, and it's home in every sense of the word. The relationships I've built here — personally and professionally — are a big part of why I do what I do. Being able to give back to the place that shaped me makes the work feel that much more meaningful."