Before attending law school, Schalles worked as an advocate for assisting homeless people in their search for housing, and she believes this experience still informs her legal practice—she loves helping ordinary people solve everyday problems. She herself is married with two kids and enjoys spending as much time as she can outdoors.
Who are your money/finance/investing heroes?
I love Rob Carrick’s column in The Globe and Mail and The Wealthy Barber. I learned a lot from Canadian Couch Potato about managing my own investments. Mr. Money Mustache taught me a lot about managing my budget, priorities, and what I really wanted out of spending.
One of my business heroes is Arlene Dickinson. I greatly respect that she is self-made, and that she built her success as a single mother. She is a great example of someone who has not sacrificed her values to be successful. She works to support other entrepreneurs and uses her influence to speak up for what she believes in.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Most of my free time is spent with my two young kids. They’re at really fun ages, and it’s so cool to watch them discover the wonders of everyday life. I also love to backcountry ski and climb whenever I get the chance. I’m lucky to be able to do both of these things in my backyard in Revelstoke, B.C.
If money were no object, what would you be doing right now?
Honestly, probably mostly what I am doing right now. I find my work with Jointly—helping people to understand family law and empowering them to make their own prenuptial, postnuptial, and cohabitation agreements—to be incredibly fulfilling. We are also lucky to live in a beautiful and inclusive community that’s exactly the kind of place I want to raise my family. If money were no object, I’d probably hire more staff and take more vacations, but I feel incredibly fortunate to be this professionally and personally satisfied.
What was your earliest memory about money?
I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan so my first job was helping with farm work. Along with my brother and sisters, I took care of 600 chickens and 100 turkeys on the farm each summer. It was hot and stinky, but we knew we were contributing to the family business. In order to teach us about how to manage money, our parents expected us to use what we earned to buy clothes, school supplies, and any fun purchases we wanted. Looking back, I am really grateful to have learned money skills at such an early age, and I think they set me up for entrepreneurship and financial discipline.
What’s the first thing you remember buying with your own money?
A Nintendo with Super Mario Brothers 3. My brother and I pooled our funds and bought it together. I’m not totally sure it was my idea…
What was your first job? What did you do with your first paycheque?
My first job outside of the family business was working as a camp counselor with the cadet program. It was a real job with real responsibility. I started there the summer I was 17, and by the time I was 18, I was promoted and had 25 counselors reporting to me. Together, we were responsible for over 150 preteens in the program. Having this experience at such a young age taught me the importance of taking care of people as a leader.
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