Todd Vaughan’s decades-long support of Royal Roads

One of the few things Todd Vaughan has on his 5th-floor office wall at TD Wealth—aside from a good smattering of credentials and recognition for his work—is a bird’s-eye photograph of Hatley Castle.

In fact, he has hung so many of these photographs over the course of his decades-long relationship with Royal Roads University that a colleague once asked him if the castle were his home.

Vaughan was born and raised in Victoria and he visits Royal Roads regularly, whether he is returning for Homecoming, sitting at the boardroom table as a trusted financial advisor to the university, or arriving for a celebration, such as the 2018 President’s Gala in honour of Allan Cahoon.

Vaughan and the Vaughan Bevan Wealth Management Group were the gala’s presenting sponsors.

As soon as he heard about the gala, Vaughan picked up the phone to ask the Royal Roads Advancement team how he could help.

“It’s simple to me. How do you support your friends? For me, that extends into asking, ‘What do you need from me?’” he says. “Really, without limitation.”

Consistancy, loyalty, integrity. These are values Vaughan says he and Royal Roads share. He’s been with TD Bank for more than 28 years. He now manages an investment team with three decades of combined experience, responsible for more than $600 million in assets. 

“I try to hire good people who are consistent and deliver on what they promise,” he says. “When you do that, you subtly distance yourself from the rest.”

He sees what can happen when someone commits for the long term, as President Cahoon has to Royal Roads, for almost 12 years.

“There’s a steady hand there, with Allan. When he came in as president there was this great idea of a new university, and this history as a military college,” he says. “But he really took it from an idea to an institution.”

Vaughan had been giving in support of Royal Roads for a half dozen years and he was looking for an opportunity to make an annual gift. 

For Vaughan, that was Homecoming, when Royal Roads ex-cadets gather and connect on campus every fall. He came on board as a sponsor. He and his wife have been attending ever since.

“There’s an amazing part of Canadian history you’re touching,” he says. “They have lived such interesting lives. The quality of people in that room, you’d struggle to put together a room like that anywhere else. You can sense that Royal Roads alumni really feel like they are a part of Royal Roads today.”

When asked about his choice to support education at Royal Roads, he pointed to his own upbringing.

“I was the first one to go on to university, to learn to think critically. We need that, here, across our country, down south. Education is really the only way to get that.”

Vaughan also thinks about his own children’s futures.

“I hope that my daughter, who is now 16, will consider Royal Roads. With education, there is no better investment. If you ask where you can invest money in society to make it happier and more productive, it’s here. You’d spend your dollar and you’d get more than a dollar back. And we’re helping to shape somebody who can add more value for the global and Canadian economies.”