Dennis is a proud wealth management professional with over 30 years of experience. He is a team leader and lead Portfolio Manager of the Graves Financial Advisory Group at CIBC Private Wealth Management. The team represents the second and third generations in the Graves family to be immersed in the wealth management industry. It runs an exclusively Advisor Managed Account practice built around Dennis's investment knowledge and philosophy. The team heavily integrates all aspects of financial planning in their approach to wealth management and decisions regarding their clients' unique circumstances.

Since starting his career in wealth management, in addition to being a full-time advisor; Dennis has held roles including; Division Manager, Sales Manager, and Branch Manager. He opened a mutual fund dealership in 1997 which he then sold to a national firm in 2003. Along his professional journey, Dennis never stopped working directly with his clients because that is his favorite part of what he does.

Dennis graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1984. In 1986, he entered the financial services industry and began developing his practice. He obtained the Chartered Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 1989 and in the years following, continued expanding his knowledge in all aspects of wealth management, i.e. taxation, investment, estate, insurance. In 2012, Dennis earned his Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation and shortly thereafter; he became a Portfolio Manager. All academic pursuits have created the foundation for which his approach to wealth management was built on.

Dennis and his wife Lana have been happily married since 1990. Lana, a retired pharmacist, is enjoying her second career in counselling. They have two children, Jonathan and Andrea. In 2015, Jonathan graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and began working with Dennis later that same year. Jonathan and his wife Hailey have two daughters; Avery Isabell and Blake Nicole. In 2018, Andrea who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Dalhousie University in 2018 and obtained her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine in 2022 from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, she lives and practices in Halifax.

Dennis has a passion for macroeconomics, the stock market, financial planning and portfolio management. On the weekends when not reading up on all the latest pertinent financial news you can find him in the pool swimming laps, hoping for a walk with his wife, skiing in the winters or visiting with friends and family.

Jonathan graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Commerce. During his time there, he was captain of the football team, won two AUS championships, earned Academic All-Canadian honours in 2013 and 2014, and was invited to the CFL East-West Bowl. He also achieved Dean’s List standing in his final year and was elected Class of 2015 Valedictorian.

Jon joined the Mount Allison Federated Alumni Board as its youngest serving member in 2017, following his successful four-year tenure at Mount A. He is currently the president of the Mount Allison Federated Alumni Association and President of the 5th Quarter Club at Mount A.

Jonathan is both a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Charterholder and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation. The CFA® designation demonstrates advanced expertise in investment analysis, portfolio management, and ethical standards, while the CFP® designation is recognized as the gold standard in financial planning, reflecting comprehensive knowledge in all aspects of a client’s financial life. Together, these credentials highlight Jonathan’s commitment to providing clients with the highest level of professional advice and ethical service in both investment management and holistic financial planning.

Jonathan and his wife Hailey met at Mount Allison where Hailey was an assistant captain of the Women’s Hockey team. Hailey enjoys her career as a grade 2 French Immersion teacher. Hailey and Jonathan have two daughters Avery and Blake

Nick, originally from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance. While at Saint Mary’s, he played on the men’s university rugby team and even served as the team captain.

With over 8 years of experience in the finance industry, Nick has provided top-notch service to high-end clients at CIBC Wood Gundy. He's great at building and maintaining client relationships, solving their needs, and delivering excellent service. Nick has completed several courses from the Canadian Securities Institute, including Wealth Management Essentials (WME®), Canadian Securities Course (CSC®), Conduct and Practices Handbook Course (CPH®), and the Derivatives Fundamentals and Options Licensing Course (DFOL).

Nick and his wife Alaura are back in Dartmouth, enjoying dinner dates, hiking, camping with their dog Brian, and spending time with friends and family. Nick is still active in the rugby community, serving as the club president for Halifax Rugby Football Club and playing for the senior men’s side.

Originally from Miramichi, NB, Joanne graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Management and Marketing from Saint Mary’s University. Joanne’s financial career has come full circle over the past 20+ years. She started in 1997 working with Dennis at Graves Financial Services.  Initially working the front desk, she quickly moved to preparing client tax returns, running insurance quotes and prepping financial plans. In 2000, there were two exciting events that occurred: she got married and moved to Bermuda, where she worked for 6 years in the hedge fund business servicing clients offshore.  After having her first daughter in Bermuda, she and her husband missed their families, and Nova Scotia was calling for her family's return from paradise after almost 8 years away. They now love living in Fall River just outside of Halifax. Joanne started back at a hedge fund administration company that had recently opened in Halifax at the time. After 7 years there, she realized she wanted a career that was more accommodating to a young family and coincidentally the stars aligned.  She ended up working with Dennis and team at CIBC Wood Gundy.

Originally from South Western Ontario, Cathi-Jo attended Carleton University in Ottawa, graduating with a major in economics and a minor in business administration. She started her career at another financial institution, finally finding her place at CIBC Wood Gundy in Ottawa 2008.  She enjoyed her work and colleagues there until her family relocated to Halifax and she began working at the Halifax CIBC Wood Gundy branch.  Since arriving in Halifax, and up until joining the Graves Financial team, she worked in the back office managing the movement of funds for Atlantic region of Wood Gundy, and finally even managing the team within the cage. However, she missed interacting with clients, so when the opportunity to work with Dennis, Jonathan and Joanne came, she jumped at the opportunity. When not at the office, you can find her at Air Cadet functions, the arena, soccer pitch or exploring Atlantic Canada.