2018 Faculty
Your 2018 Faculty
August 19 - 23, 2018
Mike Morrow
Certified Financial Planner - Morrow Financial Inc. | Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.
Keynote: Don’t Worry Retire Happy | Break Out: The Picture Sells the Story
Mike Morrow is a Certified Financial Planner, MDRT Member, International Speaker, Media Commentator and Author of, Leading Marketing Strategies™, The Picture Sells the Story™ and co-author of Don't Worry Retire Happy Canada and The Little Book of Woww!
A Financial Advisor for 30 years, Mike Morrow CFP, knows what it takes to build a successful, referral-based business from the ground up. Today many of the world's most successful Advisors have grown their business by implementing his award-winning strategies.
A grand-prize winner of a national best ideas contest, expect to be entertained with humour, interaction and powerful stories. Audiences leave inspired and ready to implement innovative ways to attract and retain high quality clients.
Mike has captivated audiences worldwide. He is widely recognized as an expert in client engagement and fostering client loyalty, he was selected to speak at Million Dollar Round Table events including, three Annual Meetings and MDRT global events on 4 continents.
www.ideasforadvisors.com
Jamie Golombek
Managing Director, Tax & Estate Planning - CIBC
Tax Update - 2018 Edition | CCPC Tax Planning & the Role of Insurance
Jamie Golombek is Managing Director, Tax & Estate Planning with CIBC in Toronto. As a member of the CIBC Financial Planning & Advice team, Jamie works closely with advisors from across CIBC to support their clients and deliver integrated financial planning and strong advisory solutions.
He received his B.Com. from McGill University, earned his CPA designation in Ontario and qualified as a U.S. CPA in Illinois. He has also obtained his Certified Financial Planning (CFP) and Chartered Life Underwriting (CLU) designations.
Jamie is quoted frequently in the national media as an expert on taxation, writes a weekly column called “Tax Expert” in the National Post, has appeared as a guest on BNN, CTV News, and The National and has been a regular personal finance guest on The Marilyn Denis Show.
Jamie is a recipient of CPA Ontario’s Award of Distinction, which honours those CPAs who have made an early impact, bringing distinction to themselves and to their profession through leadership and achievement in their professional, community and/or personal lives.
Jane Blaufus
Best Selling Author | International Speaker | Business Coach - The Blaufus Group Inc.
The Correlation Between Mental & Financial Wellbeing | Women & Wealth
Jane Blaufus is the bestselling author of the book WITH THE [STROKE] OF A PEN: Claim your life. Her book and companion planning binder have become recognized as two of the most comprehensive, actionable, personal and financial planning resources available today for families, individuals and business owners alike.
She brings to the table 25+ years of insurance expertise as a financial advisor, sales manager and executive responsible for the development, delivery and implementation of recruiting and selection processes and sales and marketing training to thousands of people in the sales force. Today she is the Principal of The Blaufus Group Inc., based in Toronto, Canada where she consults extensively into the financial services industry.
Jane is a sought after international keynote speaker delivering a highly rated MDRT Vancouver 2016 session and was showcased in the ROUND the TABLE magazine 2016 Annual Meeting Highlights. She was also a featured speaker on the main platform at the MDRT PEAK 2017 Convention in Pattaya, Thailand. Jane is a frequent guest expert on national TV/Radio, and a Huffington Post blogger.
Her reputation and expertise make her an influential coach to many financial services professionals across Canada and the United States. Jane believes that to excel in today’s marketplace, the key to success is relationship building and she walks the walk and talks the talk.
Margo Talbot
Mental Wellness Coach
Opening: All That Glitters
Margo Talbot is a writer, speaker and climber based in Canmore Alberta. Her twin goals are to visit the remaining wilderness of the planet while sharing her story of healing and redemption.
A sponsored athlete with Outdoor Research, her travels have taken her from the High Arctic to Antarctica, and the mountain ranges in between.
As a keynote speaker, Margo has given presentations of her adventures in Canada, the United States, and Australia.
She is the author of All That Glitters, A Climber’s Journey Through Addiction and Depression, and the creator of The Vitality Spectrum, an essential tool for both recovery and optimal mental health as outlined in her 2013 TEDx talk.
Brian Heckert
MDRT Past President 2016 | CEO - Financial Solutions Midwest
Leadership and Wisdom | Good to Great, A Study of Success in MDRT
Brian D. Heckert, CLU, ChFC, entered the life insurance profession in 1985 and now manages a multi-disciplined firm with over 1,200 clients in 34 states and more than $350 million in assets. The firm has three locations in the Midwest and a national presence through a strategic partnership with a national 401k marketing firm. Brian and his partner Leo Barczewski are joined by his two sons, Brandon and Michael and 6 support staff. Brian is a successful business leader in southwestern Illinois and brings a breadth of experience to the corporation. He focuses his practice on retirement plan design as well as retirement and business planning for successful individuals around the country. As CEO of Financial Solutions Midwest, LLC, Brian dedicates his professional life to providing strategic advice and services for individuals and businesses. Brian is has authored two books, “401knowhow- An insider’s guide to retirement plan options” and “Give and Grow- A study group guide”
He has been a member of MDRT since 1989 and has attended every meeting with ten Top of The Table qualification and seven Court of the Table qualifications. Brian was MDRT President in 2016 and has given presentations to thousands of advisors in 25 countries.
Brian has been very active in MDRT and served on many various standing committees. In the industry, Brian is a member of the Estate Planning Council, has been a NAIFA Local President, board member for NAIFA Illinois and is currently serving as the NAIFA Illinois Secretary/Treasurer.
He has served his local community as President of many local organizations including the Chamber, Lions Club and was elected to the High School Board. He has been married for 35 years to his wife Mary. They have 4 children and 4 grandchildren. Brian offers securities through Kestra Investment Services, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.
Kat Macaulay
Social Media Consultant | Founder Takcam
Social Media + Unicorns: Going Beyond the Myths | Personal Branding & No Filters
Kat is the founder of TAKCAM, a local Alberta social media and digital marketing agency.
As an early adopter of social media, Kat is a “pioneer” of the new rules of marketing and public relations. She has worked with some of the world’s largest brands and has counseled dozens of senior leaders. She's best known for making difficult topics easier to understand and more entertaining. Kat goes beyond fluff and vanity, and helps businesses and organizations effectively navigate and leverage social media in ways that matter.
Kat earned a BA from Mount Allison University and an advanced diploma in PR from NSCC. She was named an entrepreneur to watch by Inc. Magazine, and her work has been featured in publications both nationally and internationally. She currently manages marketing programs for various organizations and teaches Social Media Analytics at Mount Royal University.
You can find her at www.takcam.com and on Facebook www.facebook.com/therealtakcam
Anthonet Maramieri
Chief Operating Officer - Alberta Insurance Council
Anthonet is the Chief Operating Officer of the Alberta Insurance Council, overseeing Compliance and Investigations, Licensing, Business Services and Technology and Legal and Regulatory Affairs. She has more than 25 years’ experience in both the private and public sectors working with financial services organizations to strategically grow their business, effectively manage operations, enhance their risk profiles and their corporate governance structures. Prior to joining the AIC in 2014, she was the Ombudsman and VicePresident, Technology & Operations for Bank West. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation and is currently an EMBA candidate at University of Calgary, Haskayne School of Business, for class of 2020.
Franc Godri
Founder - Cirrus
The Secrets of the Buying Brain | Neuroselling - Science of Trust, Connection and Credibility
Franc Godri is the Founder of Cirrus, which delivers leadership coaching, organizational consulting and team performance development. By combining his 30+ years of military and corporate leadership experience with neuroscience applied through some very simple tools, systems and behaviours, Franc helps leaders close the Gap between theory and results. During his military career, Franc was an officer, pilot and a member of one of Canada’s Arms Inspection Teams.
Corporately, he has worked with over 50 leaders and their teams in the investment, technology, media and consulting industries. He is currently coaching business leaders and consulting with many of their companies in helping them implement these foundational tools and behaviours. He is also a member of two teams; one currently working with the US Air Force and the other working with a Canadian Crown Corporation; delivering customized training and coaching to current and future senior leadership with the ultimate objective of changing their organizational culture and results. Franc lives in Cochrane Alberta with his wife Carol and has three adult children, Joel, Nicholas and Lahra.
Karen Cutler
VP & Chief Underwriter - Manulife | MBA, FALU, FLMI
Life in the Faster Lane: Speeding up the Process to Meet Customer Demand | Approved!
Karen has been with Manulife since 2006 as head of underwriting for individual life and living benefits. Karen is responsible for managing a team of highly skilled professional underwriters, and direction of underwriting philosophy. Since joining Manulife, Karen has implemented many industry leading underwriting developments including fluid free Accelerated underwriting, reduced evidence requirements and insuring people who are HIV positive. She works closely with pricing, product and advanced analytics teams to drive improvements in underwriting processes and the customer buying experience
Karen is active in the insurance industry having spoken at a number of industry meetings in Canada and the US including CALU. She was the 2014 Chair of the Canadian Reinsurance Committee and is an active member of the CLHIA Committee on Underwriting Issues.
Before joining Manulife, Karen was Chief Underwriter at Swiss Re for Canada and the Caribbean and led several global projects including manual and underwriting systems development.
Robert Kitchen
Trusts Simply | Tax on Split Income
Rob was born and raised in Saskatchewan and completed law school in Saskatoon. He came to Calgary in 1992 and joined the Crown Prosecutors office, handling general prosecutions as well as Federal prosecutions for a branch of CRA. He was then recruited by a private firm and subsequently opened a boutique corporate, tax and estate practice. Rob’s expertise is working with and supporting owner-managed and family businesses to help them develop more efficient tax profiles, complete their succession and estate planning, and reduce their exposure to creditors in both pre and post mortem situations. He routinely deals with corporate reorganizations, trusts, partnerships, related tax and business structures and estates. Rob is a member of CALU and STEP and a regular national speaker on these topics.
Fred Hurdman
CFP, CLU, CH.F.C., CIM
Powerful Questions, The Key to Vision and Action | Succession Planning, The Art and Science
Fred grew up in a small farming community in southern Alberta where he learned how to work and learned the law of the harvest.
In July 1979, Fred started in the Life Insurance industry and achieved MDRT in the first 5 ½ months and was also awarded Rookie of the Year with Empire Life. Fred went on to earn his CFP, CLU, CH.F.C. and CIM.
In 1994, Fred was Mutual Fund Licensed and began teaching the 10 ½ hour Successful Money Strategies Seminars through the Calgary Board of Education, Continuing Education.
In April 2011, Fred was registered as a Portfolio Manager with IIROC and built his practice as a Discretionary Portfolio manager.
Fred received the President’s Council or Chairman’s Council award each year from 1994 through 2017 at each Dealership that he was licenced through. In 2017, he sold his successful practice to his 3 associates at which time Fred and his wife Kathy went on a 6 month mission to Halifax for their church and had an extraordinary experience. He now continues to work with his associates in a mentorship role.
Fred and Kathy have been married for 43 Insurance years, have 5 married children and 14 grandchildren. They are very active in their church and community.
Vanessa Scott
Regional Director, Living Benefit Sales, Prairies
Through the Looking Glass - Living Benefits & Taxation | It’s All About the Conversations
Vanessa Scott is the Regional Director for the Prairies specializing in Living Benefits – Disability, Critical Illness and Synergy insurance solutions.
Vanessa is constantly striving to fully understand advisors’ practices and to highlight areas in which Living Benefit solutions can be implemented to protect clients’ financial planning. Vanessa's mission is to help brokers incorporate Living Benefits solutions into their businesses by demystifying Living Benefits products and processes.
With experience gained from working with 3 major Living Benefit carriers over a number of years, she has had time to gather a number of perspectives to hone skills in what she believes that one of the most important aspects of her role – and that is to bring extra value to the advisors she works with by assisting in workable sales strategies and sales language in the area of risk planning.
Vanessa is an accomplished speaker and has been a guest speaker at a number of events across Canada. She holds a BA in Communication Studies (Journalism) from the University of Windsor, as well as the Chartered Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) and Elder Planning Councilor (EPC) designations.
Al Jones
Advocis Vice Chair, CFP, CLU - Barrie, ON
Al began his career with London Life in 1996, and is currently the President of A. Jones Wealth & Estate Planning Inc. in Barrie. Al has maintained a longstanding affiliation with Advocis. A two-term President of the Simcoe-Muskoka Chapter, and a past Chair of the Chapter Board. Currently Al is the Vice Chair of the TFAAC Board and a Past Chair of The Institute. Al continues his involvement in the Advocis Ontario Political Action Committee and is a Century Initiative member.
Commitment to Community is another one of Al's passion. A two-term President of the Innisfil Chamber of Commerce and past Chairman of the Board of the People's Credit Union; Al successfully chaired the Credit Union through a negotiated merger with PACE Credit Union where he is currently the Secretary of the Board. Al was awarded the Accredited Credit Union Director's Designation from Dalhousie University. As member of The Honourable Guard of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters Regiment, Al is committed to the regiment's mantra to promote, educate and support our Canadian Armed Services.
Al enjoys a good dram and is the Past-Convenor for the Simcoe Scotch Nosing Society. A Scout leader for ten years, a house league hockey coach, and a Parent Council member are just a few of the many ways Al is devoted to giving back and to play.
Al is married to Sue, and together they live in the City of Barrie, having raised their sons Adam and Connor, and enjoying their dog, Gracie.
Marty Park
Entrepreneur, Business Advisor, Speaker
How Authenticity is a Key Success Tool for your Business
Marty has owned and operated 13 companies since he was 21 years old. His first company was a technology startup, after which he ventured into audio production, retail, the hospitality industry and most recently advertising/marketing. He has been a crucial player in all phases of start-up and growth, including corporate strategy, sales and marketing, operations and financial management.
Among these businesses are a successful Calgary restaurant group, called San Remo Ristorante. At one point the SR Group owned 3 locations and a pizza place. In 2004, he founded Evolve Business Group Inc., and has since remained its president and a participating business advisor. Marty brings 24 years of strategic management experience, sales and business coaching to his Evolve team. In 2007, Marty and good friend Ron Jarrett, launched Mark of a Man Inc. This is a training program for young men, ages 17-21, that teaches life success skills.
Marty joined a publically traded, advertising company called Rare Method as interim CEO in May of 2010 to bring new energy, management and vision to the company (an Evolve Business Group client initially). He subsequently privatized the organization, re-branded the company Rare Communications with offices in Calgary and San Antonio, TX. In 2015, Marty sold the business to a competitor from Ontario.
Marty has had on-going recognition for his work. Marty was awarded the 2002 Business Coach of the Year for North America and the 2003 Recipient for Global Contribution to the coaching profession*. Marty has been selected as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Business Professionals under 40. Marty was awarded the CYBF Canadian Mentor of the Year in 2006. More recently in 2011-2013, Marty was selected as one of 18 entrepreneurs to represent Canada at the G20 Entrepreneur Summits in France, Mexico City and Russia.
Over the last four years, Marty has had two sons with his beautiful wife Lisa. He is currently establishing a capital company to purchase businesses around North America. Marty has gotten back to pursuing his passion for speaking and writing as a expert on personal performance and business growth. Visit Marty’s website for more information at www.martypark.com. Watch for his upcoming book on entrepreneurship, titled Tiger by the Tail in 2018.
CONNEXION PANNEL
Myrna Norquay
Myrna started and is still with Sun Life Financial over 10 years ago. Her background is in Accounting, Business Management and Human Resources. She is a small town Alberta gal, growing up mostly in Jasper National Park and spending a lot of time out in the country or mountains either hiking or riding horses. Her office is in her home in Edson, AB. There is a population base of about 8,000 in town and increases to about 15,000 when you include the surrounding area that the town of Edson serves. Myrna and her 2 assistants presently serve over 600 household. She achieved CFP in 2014, CLU in 2016. This will be her 4th year to qualify for MDRT her 10th year as an Advocis member and her 9th Banff School.
Richard Demers
Executive Financial Consultant
All anybody can do is make a difference. Making a difference is Richard’s approach to assisting clients in achieving their goals. Richard’s passion to help clients no matter what their station in life has been the catalyst to his achieving success at Investors Group Financial Services Inc. He is a team leader with access to tremendous resources that ensure every client in his practice is served with knowledge, acceptance, experience and skill. Professionalism is at its highest when dealing with Richard who has received numerous recognitions as one of Investors Group’s finest Consultants. As a former Top of the Table member* with the renowned Million Dollar Round Table Organization, Richard has experience in Estate Planning, Life Planning, Financial Planning and Corporate Succession Planning Society.
Joseph Sask
I was born and raised on a mixed farm west of Grande Prairie, Alberta. The farm I still own today. I am an avid sports player and enthusiast with many hobbies. I started my first business at age 23 and spent nine years in the energy industry. After an MVA in 1987, I returned to college and completed my 2 year Business Administration Diploma in accounting. Now, with 28 years in the insurance business I hold two designations; EPC and CHS. I am a Lifetime member of MDRT.
My business specialties include consulting and protecting business owners with insurance products and estate planning, seminar selling guaranteed retirement income products, and protecting young families and children. My community work includes coaching a wheelchair basketball team and helping charities raise money.
Kevin Ferreira
Kevin Ferreira is a Financial Advisor at T.C. Wealth & Planning. Over the past two and a half years Kevin has been working on the transition of his business following the passing of his late business partner, Todd Cassidy. He and Todd worked together for the final 8 years of Todd’s very successful 42 year career in our business. During the succession Kevin has retained over 95% of the clients and grew assets under management by over 20%. Although most of the clients now feel comfortable with Kevin leading the way, there is still a lot of work needed to ensure those relationships stay strong.
