Our Logo

We designed our company logo using the actual entrance to First Atlantic's main office in Holyrood, Newfoundland. For us, this entrance way represents childhood wonder and imagination.

Brendan grew up near the "whalebone" house his entire life. It was a secluded weekend-retreat property. Built in the 1930s by a Norwegian whaling captain, it represented a life unimaginable at the time. When Brendan was a boy, he and a friend climbed a tree to get a peek inside the gardens. The property always captivated him. It was a dream-come-true when he finally got the chance to purchase the property about 30 years later and make it the home of his new business.

Our History

First Atlantic Financial Inc. was founded in 1992 by Brendan Hunt. Brendan began his career in financial services in 1973 at the age of 20 with the Bank of Montreal in their branch management training program. From there, in 1975, he moved to the Royal Trust Company in their Estates and Trust department expanding his financial planning education.

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The lure of the investment management industry hit in 1981 and Brendan made the move into it by joining the investment firm of Pitfield Mckay Ross, a forerunner of today’s RBC Dominion Securities. Upon joining the firm, a period of time was spent in Pitfield’s head office in Toronto training and becoming licensed as an IIROC registered representative dealing in stocks, bonds, options, futures and commodities. His career with the brokerage firm saw him develop investment portfolios for a varied clientele from individual traders to institutional investors.

During his 10-year tenure at Pitfield and later Dominion Securities he was introduced to the mutual fund industry. He found the concept of working with professionally managed funds much more compelling than choosing individual securities. Over the next few years he scrutinized different funds and their managers and the various strategies they utilized. He became a believer that professionally managed funds should be a core position of any investment portfolio. This was not a view shared by many brokerages at the time. This difference of opinion eventually sent Brendan to another firm, CIBC Wood Gundy, who at the time, were a little more conducive to the mutual fund platform.

Nevertheless, a brokerage firm’s basic objective was to move stock and the focus was to turn over stock positions. Brendan began to consider moving into the pure mutual fund industry. In 1990 there were many prominent mutual fund dealerships in Canada and Brendan began discussions with a number of them. He looked at opening a branch in St. John’s. However, at that time there was a news story on the front page of the Globe and Mail and later the Evening Telegram outlining the details of a “rogue” broker with a national fund dealership who had defrauded a client. Consequently, Brendan felt that despite one’s greatest efforts to run a reputable business, they could be over-ridden by the actions on someone merely associated with a national name. Accordingly, the concept of setting up an independent dealership began to take hold.

This concept became a reality in June 1992 when First Atlantic Financial Inc. was born.

Over the next 29 years First Atlantic Financial has quietly but consistently grown, servicing over 1000 clients.

In 2008, Brendan’s son, Ryan moved back to Newfoundland from Toronto to join the family business. As a computer science graduate and having worked in technology with some of Canada’s largest investment managers and insurance companies, Ryan brought a new perspective to First Atlantic Financial just as technology was beginning to disrupt the industry in a big way. Now, as the investment industry continues to evolve, First Atlantic is evolving to provide the best investment experience for its clients.

Our Experience & Credentials

It is important to us, and we believe it is important to clients, that advisors have high levels of education, expertise and experience. To build client confidence we have sought to obtain the most regarded levels of education in our industry. Please take some time to visit the sites listed below to find out more about these credentials. We have worked hard at First Atlantic to ensure we have the education and expertise that benefits our clients.

Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI) at Canadian Securities Institute
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation at CFA Institute

Brendan Hunt

Brendan was a Chartered Financial Planner, a Certified Investment Manager, and a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute. Brendan founded First Atlantic Financial in 1992 to offer clients an independent and alternative approach to investment management. After more than over 40 years of industry experience that helped guide his clients through the Crash of 1987, the tech bubble of 2000, the financial crisis of 2008, and most recently, the global Covid-19 pandemic, Brendan passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer.

Brendan laid the groundwork for his successors, Ryan and Claire, to continue building financial services firms that are dedicated to putting clients first.

Ryan Hunt

Ryan is a CFA® charterholder, a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®), and has a degree in computer science from Memorial University.. Ryan spent nearly a decade working in Toronto in the financial industry, first at a prominent Canadian mutual fund company and later with a large insurance company gaining significant experience related to investments, insurance, and technology. In 2008, Ryan joined First Atlantic Financial, bringing a new perspective to our company and clients.