In this memoir, one of the most successful investment bankers on Bay Street shares the lessons he learned about business and life in a long and successful career as president of Burns Fry and then as vice-chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns. This book tells the inside story of how Donald K. Johnson led financing transactions involving hundreds of millions of dollars for Canadian and international corporations, deals that involved some of the biggest financial players in the world, such as Warren Buffet. Johnson shows how he applied that deal-making ability to raise millions for charities. And he illustrates his motto, “The sale begins when the customer says no,” with a tale about how he convinced the government to remove the capital gains tax on donations of listed securities. As a longtime practitioner of meditation, Johnson urges readers to choose a career they love, and keep mentally and physically fit on the way up. This book, from an 85-year-old financial wizard born in Lundar, Manitoba, offers sage advice and a big dose of inspiration to readers seeking success in finance, in other businesses, and in life.

Donald K. Johnson's profile page

Donald K. Johnson has been a leading investment banker in Canada for over 50 years, and as a member of the advisory board of BMO Capital Markets, he continues to take a keen interest in high profile deals. He began his investment career in 1963 and rose to be president of Burns Fry from 1984 to 1989. He has served as governor of the Toronto Stock Exchange and chairman of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada. He retired as vice-chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns in October 2004.Johnson serves on the advisory board of the Ivey Business School, where he earned his MBA in 1963, and on the board of the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation. He also led a 12-year campaign that convinced Ottawa to eliminate the capital gains tax on gifts of listed securities to registered charities. Johnson serves on the advisory board of the Ivey Business School, where he earned his MBA in 1963, and on the board of the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation. He also led a 12-year campaign that convinced Ottawa to eliminate the capital gains tax on gifts of listed securities to registered charities. Johnson was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009, and was named the Nation Builder of the Year in 2007 by the Globe and Mail. In 2012, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and one year later was inducted into the Investment Industry Hall of Fame. Johnson was born in 1935, in Lundar, Manitoba.