Joanne
Abram commenced with the Alberta Insurance Council (AIC)
in 1989 when the AIC began operations. As a crown controlled
agency the AIC is the body responsible by delegation
for the licensing and regulation of insurance intermediaries
in Alberta. Joanne became General Manager (later changed
to C.E.O.) in December 1993. As C.E.O. she is responsible
for a staff of 20 employees located in offices in both
Edmonton and Calgary, dealing with all aspects of licensing
and regulatory compliance for insurance intermediaries
as well as investigations into complaints relating to
insurance company activities. Joanne is responsible
for governance – related strategy/policy setting,
communications and business planning. She served as
Chair of the Market Conduct Subcommittee dealing with
the revision of the Alberta Insurance Act. She is past
Chair of the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory
Organizations (CISRO), an organization of regulatory
authorities for insurance distributors across Canada,
and Chair of the Life Agent Education Committee of CISRO
(responsible for development of the Life License Qualification
Program).
David
Chalmers, BA, FLMI, CLU, CFP, ChFC Financial
Advisor
Rogers Group Financial
David
is a Financial Advisor with Rogers Group Financial in
Vancouver, BC.
He
started his Financial Services career in 1973 and initially
held Head Office positions with two Life Insurance Companies
before moving to the “sales side of the business”
in 1985.
David’s
specializes in Retirement Income Planning and Investment
Management for university professors, business owners
and professionals. While he has clients of all ages,
he focuses on individuals who are retired or nearing
retirement.
David
runs a fee based investment portfolio approach for most
of his clients.
He
works closely with his two (younger) Associates, Dylan
Reece and Nathan Narusis. Operating as a team, the three
advisors and their support staff offer a comprehensive
service package to their clientele.
He
has spoken at numerous industry meetings and is frequently
quoted in the media.
David
is married to Barbara and has two grown daughters.
He
loves to travel, is an avid Canucks fan, and feels that
his brain is still trapped in the 1960’s.
Succession
Planning for a Financial Advisory Practice (Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to
ask)
Presenters:
David Chalmers & Dylan Reece
David
Chalmers and Dylan Reece are Financial Advisors with
Rogers Group Financial in Vancouver.
David
is a veteran (30+ year) Financial Advisor who specializes
in Retirement Income Planning and Investment Management
(fee-based portfolio management).
David's
practice has grown substantially over the years and
thus on two prior occasions he has recruited, trained
and mentored a young advisor to whom he ultimately sold
a significant portion of his book. These two young Advisors
are now successful members of Rogers Group Financial
today.
David
is also a member of the Advocis “R.A.M.S.”
(Recruiting, Apprentice, Mentoring & Succession)
Committee on Succession Planning and knows first hand
the challenges and opportunities that the succession
process plan can bring.
David
will be presenting on the subject of Succession Planning
for a Financial Advisory Practice from the perspective
of someone who has actually done it.
Dylan
is David’s third successor and is positioned to
purchase a significant “block” of his practice
within the next two years.
Dylan
will speak from the perspective of the "Successor",
outlining how the client "Segue" process evolves
and some of the challenges and opportunities that second
generation Advisors have. This includes structuring
a Buy / Sell Agreement, positioning the new relationship
in the eyes of the client, and the various financing
options that are available to young advisors.
For
anyone who is involved in or considering the transition
of a book of business (either as "Mentor"
or "Successor”) this session should be very
valuable.
Corry
Collins, RHU, CLU, CHFC, CFP
Professional Speaker & Master of Ceremonies
Currently
promoting the talk called “Life Support” Collins tells
the real life story of survival.
It’s
a fresh talk designed for Insurance Advisors and planners.
It’s a powerful story of how quickly and unexpectedly
a person’s health can dramatically change. Woven into
the story are life lessons which have universal appeal,
on a very personal basis.
Professional Emcee
Need a boost in lifting up your audience, and the entire
event? Collins has been the Emcee for Top of the Table
2004(Naples Florida) and
2005 (Kapalua, Hawaii) and is booked for the Top of
the Table 2006 in Mexico.
He has been the Emcee for the World Critical Illness
Conference 2003 (Vancouver BC) and 2005 (Toronto Ont.)
Insurance Specialist
Disability Insurance and Critical Illness Insurance
are the hottest insurance topics today. Collins had
built his practice on Living Benefits, and wants to
share his target marketing strategies that work.
Testimonials
“Corry Collins has a unique ability to communicate with
his audience in a way that is rarely seen in North America.
He is clean in humor, crisp in his delivery and often
the target of his own humor. He keeps his audience engaged
throughout his presentation either as a speaker or as
an “Emcee Extraordinaire. I highly recommend him for
any occasion”. - Alphonso Franco B.A., RHU, RFC
If you are looking for a speaker who is invigorating,
educational, inspiring and funny. A speaker who will
guarantee that your meeting is a success. Corry Collins
is the person you are looking for. He will elevate the
quality of your meeting. The icing on the cake is that
because he is a very successful insurance and financial
advisor he is able to back up all the information he
shares with his audience. He would always be my first
choice when planning a meeting. He would be a very 'CLASSY'
and 'ELEGANT' attraction for your meeting". - Van Mueller, LUTCF
Life Support
When
Corry Collins woke from his coma, he looked at his wife
of 20 years and said, “I Love you, and I want to buy
a Harley”. He thought the timing was right.
“Timing is everything” say Collins, who started in the
insurance business in 1986. He has since built a thriving
practice based on living benefits, in which he target
markets Physicians.
The Story of “Life Support” is one of the most popular
stage presentations given by Collins. It’s about life
lessons learned after surviving a virus which killed
others.
Refreshing and motivational are words used to describe
the performance on stage. Collins holds the attention
of his audience, and delivers a professional show.
Working closely with Dalhousie School of Medicine and
national physician associations Corry has been asked
to promote his unique strategies to the physician market.
You will see Corry quoted in industry publications and
trade journals in Canada, including; Forum, Advisors
Edge, and Investment Executive etc...
All audiences can benefit from hearing Corry. Please
call 902-444-7000 to inquire about availability.
Speaking events include:
Top of the Table, Naples Florida 2004
Top of the Table, Kapalua Hawaii 2005
World Critical Illness Conference, 2003 Vancouver, 2005
Toronto
Life Insurance Association, Dublin Ireland, March 2006
NAIFA, Wisconsin 2005, Illinois 2006
Advocis National Conference Ottawa 2000, Halifax 2005.
Standard Life – Leaders Conference Montreal June 2005
And many more…
Teleconference
presentations can also be arranged.
Corry’s Specialties Include:
Disability Insurance
Critical Illness Insurance
Motivational Speaker
Professional Master of Ceremonies
Wayne
Cotton is an advisor growth expert who has the credibility
to go along with his advice. He was a member of the
Million Dollar Round Table, Court of the Table or Top
of the Table for 21 of his 28 years as a financial advisor.
Wayne
has given over 1,000 industry talks and workshops covering
Canada, the USA and 16 countries worldwide. He has given
two main platform presentations at Million Dollar Round
Table annual meetings.
This
man is known for his uncommon common sense. He has helped
thousands of financial advisors succeed through the
use of his proven principles, processes and systems.
He has a track record of developing first and second
year MDRT members.
Wayne
heads Cotton Systems Ltd, an organization that develops
client acquisition systems for financial advisors, but
also recruiting, selection and retention systems for
field leaders and mentors.
Presentation
Outline
Principles
of Growth
The biggest reason for failure of new advisors and mediocrity
amongst so many who survive is he “Monkey Jungle”
of our created by our industry. Your chances for success
are severely choked by most of the industry accepted
methods of getting new people off the ground.
Wayne
will show you the "paved pathway" out of the
Monkey Jungle. He will define the five essential Principles
of Growth that are necessary for you to achieve consistently
higher levels of growth. They apply to new, developing,
and established advisors who want to achieve extraordinary
results through mature simplicity.
Wayne
will outline the core principles that he uses to help
new advisors achieve MDRT by year two, Court of the
Table by year five and Top of the Table by year ten.
Attendees will receive follow-up information from Wayne.
Right
New Clients
Building a clientele is your number one priority. Wayne
will discuss the Competency Ladder and the value of
choosing to be a strategist, not an opportunist when
acquiring new clients.
To
develop success quickly, you must focus your energy
on prospective clients that fit the ideal profile where
you have competence, confidence and can get consistency
in results.
Marketing
is the combination of everything you do to establish
an adequate and consistent flow of new prospective clients
that fit your Best Case Scenario.
If
you are great at marketing you prosper. If you are lousy,
you suffer. Marketing is the key to business success.
Wayne
will discuss the two major types of marketing and will
focus on Precision Marketing as the ideal approach to
building a great clientele.
Client
Acquisition Process
Process converts chaos to clarity. You must turn problems
into processes to leverage your performance capability.
By mastering process, you can accomplish far more than
you thought possible.
You
don't need six or eight different ways to accomplish
each task. You need one that works! Wayne calls that
one the Model Method.
There
are ten major steps in the sales process. Five relate
to client acquisition and five to client development.
Wayne
will focus on the five step process for client acquisition.
Mastery of this process allows you to find and select
the right new clients every time...not every fifth time.
Wayne
will demonstrate at least two of the five steps. This
is where you discover that "the system is the solution".
Tom
Dedels has almost 30 years of computer industry experience
ranging from fixing computer circuit boards to designing
enterprise web based applications. Now as the CTO of
3DCV he is helping create powerful and innovative web
based sales tools for small business owners.
Trained
in electronics at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario,
he has worked with a variety of computer, software and
publishing companies. As Team Leader of Operations at
The Globe and Mail he managed the extensive computer
rooms, network and help desk operations. A brief stint
in sales broadened his base of experience to include
that critical business area.
For
his entire career he has sought to simplify and innovate
with technology. Employers and clients have always appreciated
his talents for finding ways to save money or create
new opportunities for the business.
As
owner of Tom Dedels Consulting, he works with his New
York based clients applying new technologies to their
business problems.
Dedels
now lives in Ontario on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula
and with a team of programmers from all over the world
is providing exciting solutions to small business owners.
Tom
Dedels
790 Gould St.
Wiarton, Ont., N0H 2T0
519-534-3977
Rick
Forchuk, MBA, CFP, CLU, CH.F.C.
Director, Sales and Distribution
Empire Financial Group
Rick
entered the life insurance business as a producer in
1971. He qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table
four times before entering management on a full-time
basis, and consistently produced more than 100 life
applications each year.
Since
1975 he has been involved in a number of management
capacities, having filled the roles of Training Manager,
Sales Manager, Branch Manager, and Head Office National
Director of Agent and Management Training. In his current
role, he is responsible for the Empire Financial Group’s
operations in the four Western Provinces.
Rick
is the past National President of MAFAC, the Manager’s
Association of Financial Advisors of Canada, and is
past president of the Vancouver chapter. He has been
a member of CAIFA executives in Vancouver, Edmonton,
and in Waterloo, Ontario.
A
frequent presenter and faculty member at CAIFA Schools
and Congresses from coast-to-coast in Canada, Rick has
also spoken at several NAIFA meetings throughout the
United States.
He
has a BA in Media and Mass Communications which fit
with a background in media, having come out of the daily
newspaper and radio business, and he continues this
involvement as a movie and media critic on radio stations
in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton with regular
commentaries. In 2002 he completed his MBA studies with
a major in Strategic Management.
Rick
has been married to Betty, a grief counsellor, for 37
years. They have one daughter, Natalie, age 29.
Jamie
Golombek, CA, CPA, CFP, CLU, TEP Vice
President, Tax & Estate Planning
AIM Trimark Investments
Jamie
originally joined AIM Trimark in 1996. His work involves
both internal and external consulting on all areas of
taxation and estate planning. He is also responsible
for AIM Trimark’s Tax & Estate InfoService,
which provides detailed information to financial advisors
on various tax & estate planning inquiries. Jamie
is quoted frequently in the national media as an expert
on taxation, writes a weekly column called “The
Tax Expert” in the National Post and is a monthly
columnist for both Advocis’ Forum magazine, a
trade journal for financial advisors, as well as Advisor’s
Edge Report.
Prior to joining AIM Trimark, Jamie was a tax specialist
in the Toronto office of Deloitte & Touche, where
he specialized in both personal and corporate tax planning.
He received his B.Comm. from McGill University, earned
his CA designation in Ontario and also qualified as
a U.S. CPA in Illinois. He has also obtained his Certified
Financial Planning (CFP) designation and most recently
was awarded his Chartered Life Underwriting (CLU) designation.
Jamie
is the current chair of the Investment Funds Institute
of Canada’s Tax Working Group as well as a member
of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants, the
Illinois CPA Society, the Estate Planning Council of
Toronto, the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Society
of Trust and Estate Practitioners. In his spare time,
Jamie teaches an MBA course in Personal Finance at the
Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto.
Jamie
is well known in the financial planning and brokerage
community for his ability to communicate complex tax
& estate planning ideas and strategies in an easy-to-understand
and interesting manner.
Presentation
Outline
"Tax
Efficient Retirement Income Strategies"
This
session will explore tax-efficient investing for retirement
income, and compare the pros and cons of such strategies,
including: insured annuities, corporate class mutual
funds, the "new" dividend rules and systematic
withdrawal plans.
Nadja
Ibrahim, LLB, LLM, TEP Senior
Manager
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Nadja
obtained a law degree from the University of Western,
Ontario in 1996 and her Masters of Law in Tax from Osgoode
Hall University in 2001. She joined PricewaterhouseCoopers
in 1997 and transferred to Calgary in January 2005.
Nadja
is a Senior Manager in PwC’s Tax Department’s
Private Client Services Group. Nadja specializes in
the area of Canada/US cross border estate planning.
She drafted the 2003 Canada/US estate planning module
for the CICA's Wealth Preservation Course and recently
co-authored the paper entitled Canadians Holding U.S.
Real Estate for the Canadian Tax Foundation Annual Conference
held in Vancouver. Nadja is a member of the executive
of STEP Calgary and has been a presenter for STEP, ADVOCIS
and the Calgary Estate Planning Council.
Roger
McMillan, BA, CFP, CLU, CH.F.C. Incoming
National Advocis Chair
An
active member since 1972, Roger is a past president
of the Toronto Chapter (1993) and served on various
national committees as well as on the Board of Directors
of Advocis during the merger of CAIFA and CAFP. He is
also a member of CALU. Roger currently is on the Members
Services Committee and Chair of the Best Practices sub-committee
as well as representing Advocis on the OSC Fair Dealing
Model sub committee.
Born in England, Roger McMillan came to Canada in 1956.
He graduated from the University of Toronto, majoring
in Economics. As a practising advisor, Mr. McMillan
leads McMillan Financial, specializing in planning and
insurance for small business owners.
Presentation
Outline
"The
Financial Services Industry Today… and Tomorrow"
Roger McMillan, National Chair of Advocis will lead
a wide-ranging and informative discussion on the Financial
Services Industry today…and tomorrow.
Roger
will examine opportunities and challenges facing Advocis
advisors and our profession, including regulatory, legal
and political as he focuses on the ever-changing, always-growing
and increasingly competitive Canadian environment.
David
Potter CLU, ChFC Vice
President, Sales and Advance Marketing
Industrial Alliance Group
David
started in the life insurance business in 1970 with
Canada life and over the next 23 years he spent half
of his time as a producer in personal production and
the balance in agency management. David joined National
Life in 1993, as a Director of Agencies and in 1994
assumed the role of Marketing Director of British Columbia.
David was responsible for the development and distribution
of the life insurance product line in the Managing General
Agencies and National Accounts channel of National Life.
In
1995, David was promoted to Vice-President of Sales
and Advanced Marketing for the National Accounts channel
across Canada for the Industrial Alliance Group and
relocated to Toronto. In his current role, David is
responsible for sales and product/concepts development
for the Company’s Investment Dealers and Mutual
Funds Dealers Associations and other National Account
clients. His expertise and leadership are highly valued
by his entire sales team. David holds his CLU and Ch.F.C.
designations. David recently experienced a life changing
event that set the stage for the 2006 Banff School opening
speaker.
Presentation
Outline
"How
a dollar and 5 seconds could alter your life"
David
will share with you what it was like to plummet 5 stories
in an elevator earlier this year. The physical,financial,emotional,
and psychological effects of this trauma will be of
great interest to all. Fate does happen. Are you and
your clients properly prepared?
Dylan
Reece, CFP Associate
Financial Advisor
Rogers Group Financial
Dylan
joined Rogers Group Financial’s “Articling
Advisor” program in 2000 and is now an “Associate
Financial Advisor”.
Dylan
joined David Chalmers’ five-member team in 2005,
and is responsible for preparing comprehensive Financial
and Investment Plans for clients, prospecting, and assisting
in the overall management of the practice.
Dylan
is in the process of completing the Chartered Life Underwriter
(CLU) and Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) professional
designations.
Succession
Planning for a Financial Advisory Practice (Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to
ask)
Presenters:
David Chalmers & Dylan Reece
David
Chalmers and Dylan Reece are Financial Advisors with
Rogers Group Financial in Vancouver.
David
is a veteran (30+ year) Financial Advisor who specializes
in Retirement Income Planning and Investment Management
(fee-based portfolio management).
David's
practice has grown substantially over the years and
thus on two prior occasions he has recruited, trained
and mentored a young advisor to whom he ultimately sold
a significant portion of his book. These two young Advisors
are now successful members of Rogers Group Financial
today.
David
is also a member of the Advocis “R.A.M.S.”
(Recruiting, Apprentice, Mentoring & Succession)
Committee on Succession Planning and knows first hand
the challenges and opportunities that the succession
process plan can bring.
David
will be presenting on the subject of Succession Planning
for a Financial Advisory Practice from the perspective
of someone who has actually done it.
Dylan
is David’s third successor and is positioned to
purchase a significant “block” of his practice
within the next two years.
Dylan
will speak from the perspective of the "Successor",
outlining how the client "Segue" process evolves
and some of the challenges and opportunities that second
generation Advisors have. This includes structuring
a Buy / Sell Agreement, positioning the new relationship
in the eyes of the client, and the various financing
options that are available to young advisors.
For
anyone who is involved in or considering the transition
of a book of business (either as "Mentor"
or "Successor”) this session should be very
valuable.
Al
Rickard Director,
Estate & Financial Planning
Clarica
Al
Rickard has since 1992 directed the operations of Clarica's
Estate & Financial Planning Service. His role at
Clarica has also for many years included an extensive
involvement with distribution and regulatory matters.
He
earned 3 university degrees and before joining the life
insurance business worked in a variety of jobs including
teaching.
Entirely
separate from his role with Clarica Al founded in 1978
THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF LIFE INSURANCE. In addition
he has also written articles and been a columnist for
a number of newspapers and magazines in Canada and the
US.
He
has served on various financial services industry task
forces and regulatory committees and for more than a
decade has been chair of the CLHIA's Committee on Distribution
and Intermediaries which deals with a wide range of
agency and regulatory issues. He helped to organize
the Joint Industry Group, an informal alliance of most
financial services
associations in Canada.
In
2002 Al was invited to join the board of the Financial
Planners Standards Council (which controls the CFP designation)
as an independent director; he is currently past chair
person of the FPSC. He is also a member of the federal
government's Canadian Advisory Committee on Personal
Financial Planning relating to the work of the International
Organization for Standardization (the ISO).
Al
has spoken to many audiences across Canada as well as
in the U.S. about a variety of financial services industry
matters, especially agency distribution and regulatory
issues.
Presentation
Outline
"What
Lies Ahead For the Canadian Financial Services Sales
Intermediary? Some predictions and Analysis" by
Alastair Rickard
Overview: My comments will address the issue of rhetoric
vs. reality in Canadian financial services, present
and future, including the role of the licensed financial
services intermediary, as distinct from the trendy and
frequently false analysis often presented in the financial
and trade media and elsewhere.
The particular focus will be on the challenges and future
prospects of the sales person who sells individual risk
products as his or her core product or among a few core
products.
I will address such questions as: Will the big Canadian
banks be able to
push the insurance agent/broker aside? Will consumer
use of the Internet lessen need for licensed sales advisors?
Will individual life insurance become a product increasingly
bought rather than sold? What influence will the increasing
requirements of compliance have on the role and success
of the financial services sales person? Does the traditional,
prospecting sales insurance sales person have a stable
future in the financial services marketplace? What skills
will a successful advisor require in future?
Dr.
Lawrence S. Rosen Principal
Rosen & Associates Limited
Dr.
Rosen graduated from the University of British Columbia
in 1957 and later from the University of Washington
with an M.B.A. Degree. In 1966 he received his Ph.D.
from the University of Washington.
Dr.
Rosen founded Rosen & Associates Limited in 1990
following a career in accounting-related fields. He
has consulted or given independent opinions on hundreds
of litigation-related engagements. He has provided expert
testimony on dozens of occasions and in many jurisdictions
across Canada, including the Supreme Courts of British
Columbia and Ontario and has provided an affidavit and
documentation for the Supreme Court of Canada.
Dr.
Rosen is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Ontario
and Alberta (FCA), a Fellow of the Society of Management
Accountants (FCMA), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE),
an Associate of the Insurance Institute of Canada (AIIC),
a Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP), a Certified
Public Accountant (CPA), and a specialist, Investigative
and Forensic Accounting (CA.IFA). Dr. Rosen is also
the author or co-author of several texts on accounting
and dozens of articles in various publications. He has
been an instructor and professor of accounting at the
University of British Columbia, the University of Washington,
the University of Alberta, and York University. During
his association with York University, he served in many
posts, including Accounting Area Coordinator, Director
of the Master of Business Administration Program, and
a member of the University’s Senate. For fifteen
years he served as a technical advisor to three Auditors’
General of Canada.
Peter
Rudin has been a licensed insurance broker for over
12 years. A Chartered Accountant since 1979, he practiced
for 14 years as a tax specialist with two multinational
C.A. firms, three of those years as a Partner. In 1994,
he took a six month sabbatical overseas and then devoted
himself to building RUDCO Insurance Inc., an independent
broker whose clients are primarily professionals, business
people, and active retirees. RUDCO carries on business
in Alberta and Ontario.
A
graduate of Carleton University (B. Comm.) and Queen’s
(M.B.A.), Peter has lectured on tax, insurance and estate
planning matters for numerous organizations, including
the Alberta and Canadian Institutes of Chartered Accountants,
LUAC / CAIFA / Advocis and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
He is a Past President of the Estate Planning Council
of Calgary and has worked with a number of charitable
organizations. This is his fourth time teaching at the
Banff School.
Presentation
Outline
"Practical
Estate Planning Issues"
Financial advisors are often asked to assist with estate
planning issues. In many cases they aren't, but if they
volunteer their help it is gratefully accepted.
There
are numerous technical issues of a strictly legal or
tax nature that need to be handled by lawyers, CA's,
etc. However those issues must be dealt with in context,
and financial advisors have an important role to play
in helping their clients develop that context. Many
people have very general goals for what they will leave
behind when they die. Refining those goals into workable
plans is crucial to a successful estate plan. Capable
advisors can make sure that the appropriate issues get
raised and (hopefully) dealt with by their clients,
and that plans are relatively practical and effective.
By identifying pitfalls and raising alternatives the
advisor can help clients generate a constructive and
coherent plan.
Jeremy
Seely is the CEO and founder of 3DCV.com, a web-based
Video Presentation company that specializes in Web video
broadcasts for corporate sites.
I’ve
been a Public Speaking Facilitator with over 20 years
experience. I teach part-time at Metal Works Institute,
a private college owned by Metal Works Studios, in Mississauga,
Ontario. I also work as a contracted software and soft-skills
(communication and presentation techniques) trainer
with CompuMaster and SkillPath, Inc.
I
have owned and operated several successful businesses,
and have served in various capacities with other companies
as Sales and Marketing manager and Business Development
manager.
It
is our vision to transform corporate websites from passive
electronic brochures, into attention grabbing, pro-active
multimedia presentations of the goods and services their
businesses have to offer.
We
can show you the techniques to supercharge your website
to attract and retain customers.
Aroon
Sequeira, CA, CMC, CBV Mergers
and Acquisitions
Partner and Senior Vice-President
Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance Inc.
Responsibilities:
Aroon
is the Office managing Partner for Ernst & Young,
Edmonton. He is also responsible for the firm’s
M&A activities in Northern Alberta and the partner
overseeing the firm’s Oilfield Services group.
Experience:
Aroon
has over 20 years of experience in advising clients
on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, valuation
and pricing matters. Prior to joining Ernst &
Young, Aroon was co-founder and President of Alberta's
largest independent “sell-side” M&A
advisory firm.
Recent Transactions:
Advisor
to Churchill Corporation and other shareholders in
sale of Lafrentz Road Services to Colas Corporation
Advisor to SDS group on the sale to HSE Integrated
Advisor to Safety Boss on the sale to HSE Integrated
Advisor to On-Site Camp Services on the sale to a
Leading International Foodservice Company
Advisor of purchaser of Ram Cementers on a acquisition
and financing matters
Advisor to SCF partners, one of North Americas pre-eminent
mid-market Oilfield Services Private Equity Groups,
on divestiture of Hertz Drilling
Advisor to a banking syndicate ad Chief Restructuring
Officer on Divestiture of Peak Manufacturing
Advisor to shareholders of Reliable Engine on restructuring
in late 1980’s and divestiture of business in
2003
Advisor to shareholders of Northern Underwater Systems
in sale to Mullen Transportation
Advisor to shareholders of Ess-Ell Tool and Sentry
Oil Tools in the sale of their Canadian and U.S. operations
to Integrated Production Services
Currently advising a private Oilfield Services Company
on an Income Trust IPO
Have advised on over 50 transactions in last 8 years
Presentation
Outline
"Exit
Options for Private Business Owners"
Succession
is increasingly becoming a major issue for private
business owners. This session will evaluate:
•
Viable exit options from going public to outright
sale
• Impact of public market trends including
Income Trusts
• Impact of Private Equity on private business
transactions
• Sources of capital for MBO’s
• Valuations and pricing trends for private
businesses
Marc
A. Silverman, MBA, ChFC Certified
Financial Planner
Silverman Financial
Marc
began his financial planning career in 1983 and formed
Silverman Financial in 1989. Since the beginning of
his career, Marc has been a leader and has thoroughly
enjoyed his profession. He chose this career because
he enjoys meeting people and helping them in achieving
their financial goals. A key to his success is the exceptional
service he and his staff provide to clients. He is energetic
and enthusiastic and will go to great lengths to get
the answers to a client’s questions. He has a
diversified client base including public corporations,
closely held businesses, individuals, trusts and estates.
His motto is, “promise a lot and deliver more”.
Marc
earned his Master’s Degree in Business Administration
from the University of Miami and was the past President
of the University of Miami Alumni Board School of Business.
He is a Chartered Life Underwriter and Certified Financial
Planner™. He is a past President and Board member
of the Miami Chapter of the Society of Financial Service
Professionals. In addition, he is a past member of the
Board of Shaare Zedek Medical Center and the Florida
Bar Grievance Committee. He currently serves on the
Million Dollar Round Table Top as a divisional Vice
President and is a past Chair of the Top of the Table.
Marc
is a gifted speaker and has addressed audiences in the
United States, Canada, South Korea, United Kingdom,
New Zealand, Singapore, Taipei and Australia. He lives
in Miami with his wife, Patti, and daughter, Cara. He
enjoys playing golf, maintaining his saltwater aquarium
and traveling.
Mr.
Simmons practices primarily in the area of agricultural
law dealing with legal matters involving land, livestock,
farm corporations, farm estate planning, taxation and
matrimonial law.
Mr.
Simmons attended Princeton University where he received
a B.A. in Economics in 1976. He then attended the Faculty
of Law at the University of Alberta in Edmonton where
he received his L.L.B. in 1980 and after articling with
the Mackimmie Matthews law firm in Calgary, was called
to the Bar in 1981.
Mr.
Simmons worked for Alberta Agriculture as an extension
solicitor with Cal Brandley for a period of six years.
This job involved advising farmers as to their legal
rights as well as providing legal education for farmers
through seminars, written articles and mediation communications.
Mr. Simmons travelled extensively throughout the farming
areas of Alberta.
After
leaving the government in 1987, Mr. Simmons practised
agricultural law with the Miles Davison McCarthy law
firm with offices in Calgary, Airdrie and High River.
He left this firm in 2000 to begin his own law firm
as a sole practitioner and in 2005, joined with 3 other
lawyers to form the Counsel West Law firm where he continues
to practice agricultural law. The substantial majority
of his clients are farmers and ranchers.
Mr.
Simmons has spoken to farmers and ranchers and their
professional advisers at hundreds of seminars and conferences
with respect to the laws that affect agriculture and
in particular with respect to estate planning and taxation.
He was also a co-author of Alberta Agriculture’s
Home Study Course on Farm Estate Planning. His family
currently co-owns a farm in the vicinity of Rosemary,
Alberta.
Colin G. Simmons
Barrister & Solicitor
635 - 10201 Southport Road S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2W 4X9
Telephone: 252-1162
Fax: 269-4729
Presentation
Outline
"Farm
Estate Planning"
My presentation will be dealing with issues concerning
estate planning for farmers and ranchers. These issues
will be concerned with the transfer of farm assets between
family members, the tax consequences related to the
transfer of these assets, ensuring that the parents’s
security is not jeopardized, the fair treatment of all
children in the family (including a discussion of the
role of insurance in achieving this objective), ensuring
that the family farm will be transferred to the next
generation, the role of advisors in this process and
will planning specific to farmers and ranchers.
Click
here
to download his Powerpoint presentation.
Jeff
Thorsteinson is the creator of YouFoundation, an organization
that helps investment advisors build world-class practices
through innovative concepts, tools, and systems. With
over 3,000 investment advisor projects and cases behind
him, Jeff has created 6 business development workshops
exclusively for advisors. Jeff is featured bi-weekly
on advisor.ca and is also a regular contributor to horsesmouth.com
in the USA.
Moving
Upmarket:
Raising the bar for yourself and your practice
Presentation
Outline:
Rookie
Day #1: Attracting the upmarket Client
1
The Opportunity
2
Choosing a business model to capture the Opportunity
3
Identifying a niche market
a.
Narrowing the focus and going deep
4
Positioning to be attractive to the niche
5
3 Marketing strategies (articulate, publish, referrals)
Rookie
Day #2: Keeping the upmarket client
6
Ideal Client Profile
7
Service Matrix
8
Service System required to satisfy this market
9
90 Day Plan (all participants leave with a 5 point plan
to implement)
10
Insights
Veteran
Day #1: Attracting the upmarket Client
1
The Opportunity
2
Identifying a niche market
a.
Narrowing the focus and going deep
3
Positioning to be attractive to the niche
4
4 Marketing strategies (more sophisticated Graphic Overview,
referrals, Centres of Influence, public relations)
Veteran
Day #2: Keeping the upmarket client
5
Segmentation (a tool to filter new clients, ensure profitability,
and assess client satisfaction on an annual basis)
6
Service System required to satisfy this market
7
90 Day Plan (all participants leave with a 5 point plan
to implement)
8
Insights
Ian
M. Tod, B.A. (Econ), MBA, CFP Managing
Director of Sales for Western Canada
Transamerica Life Canada
Ian
brings 21 years of experience in the financial services
industry, both as a personal producer, and a manger/trainer.
He started his career in personal client management,
involving full financial planning coupled with life
and investment product recommendations. After 9 years
in personal sales, Ian entered management with a major
life insurance carrier in Canada and has spent the past
twelve years in a variety of management roles with the
same carrier. Apart from a comprehensive sales and training
background, Ian brings strong academic experience to
the table. He has obtained a BA in Economics from the
University of Victoria, and a Masters of Business Administration
from the University of British Columbia.
In
1995, Ian suffered the loss of his vision due to complications
of juvenile onset diabetes. Since losing his vision,
Ian has continued to achieve many milestones including:
Marriage
to wife Lorie, in 1999
Birth
of their son Spencer in 2001
and
most recently, achieving the CFP designation in 2004
In
addition to their professional pursuits, Ian and his
wife Lorie are also involved with two local chapters
of national charitable organizations. They have done
fundraising with Advocis for the past several years
for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. They
have also both been very heavily involved with the Calgary
chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation,
where Lorie served as the corporate chair of the 2006
Walk for the Cure, and Ian served as the overall chair
for the same walk. Finally, Ian has just been asked
to serve on the National Walk Committee for JDRF as
the Vice Chairman.
Presentation
Outline
"Speech
Topic… Facing and Coping with Adversity"
(Subtitled: Going blind ain’t for sissies!)
In this talk, Ian relays the challenges faced by all
people diagnosed with juvenile onset diabetes. These
include the rigid lifestyle imposed by the condition,
the societal restrictions faced by juvenile diabetics,
and finally the very real prospect of devastating complications
including heart disease, kidney malfunction, and in
Ian’s case, adult onset blindness. Ian will relate
the adaptations he was forced to make to continue to
work in the financial services industry as a trainer
and a manager. These include the use of adaptive technology,
and the assistance of service organizations such as
the CNIB. Finally, he will provide some guidelines to
dealing with adversity, including the most important,
learning to utilize the strong support network we all
have from friends, relatives and business associates.
Darrell
Wilson, is a member of the Conference of Advanced Life
Underwriting (CALU). Darrell has been working as an
insurance professional for the last 16 years. The last
10 years he has spent with PPI Financial Group, a nation
wide provider of insurance product, support and services
for insurance, financial and tax professionals. His
most recent position was that of Marketing Director
working primarily in the area of corporate contingency
planning.
Darrell
is now engaged in his own practice with Wilson Capital,
in association with Continuity Resources Group Inc.
Gordon
Wusyk, B.Ed., CLU, CFP, CHFC, TEP
President, Wusyk Financial Group
President, Predictable Futures – The Business
Family Centre
Gordon
Wusyk has been in the financial service business for
37 years and has dedicated most of his years to the
succession challenges faced by entrepreneurial families.
He’s a founding member of CALU, the past National
Chair of CAFE (Canadian Association of Family Enterprise),
past board member of BFF and a member of FFI. He’s
also a trained facilitator with the Roadmap course for
Entrepreneurial Families and a Cafe Family Council facilitator.
He writes, speaks and lectures on the subject of family
business succession and has assembled a dedicated team
of multi disciplined professionals that focus exclusively
on business family issues.
Gordon
Wusyk has a passion for those who face the perils and
pleasures of being in a family business. He was raised
in such a business where his father died suddenly at
age 59 and left a moving business, a cattle ranch, 4
siblings and a widow in a mess. Since this time Gord
has dedicated most of his business life to helping family
entrepreneurs avoid a similar disaster. He has run the
Wusyk financial group for 37 years focusing on the family
owners and is the President of Predictable Futures Inc.
– The Business Family Centre, a firm dedicated
specifically to the unique challenges faced by families
in business.
Gordon’s a past National President of CAFE (Canadian
Association of Family Enterprise) when he expanded the
organization from 5 to 10 cities, helped to design the
Road Map Course for Family Entrepreneurs, graduated
as a Family Council and Roadmap facilitator. He also
sat on the board of the Business Family Foundation and
is a member of the Family Firm Institute (FFI), a North
American organization dedicated to the study of family
business issues.
He
is a protégé of Dr. Léon Danco,
guru and founder of family business consulting in North
America and holds the exclusive rights to Dr. Danco’s
text book and over 400 articles dealing with family
business issues.
Gordon
has assisted over 100 families in designing a predictable
future for their family, business and owners. He also
writes articles for a number of key associations across
Canada on the subject of family business. He is also
well known as a speaker and instructor on the subject
of family business succession.
Gordon
is informed about the multifaceted challenges faced
by business families and has assembled a team of educated
advisors to design predictable futures for entrepreneurial
families.
Curtis
Findlay - CFP President
Compass Financial Planning Services Ltd.
Curtis
Findlay, CFP is President of Compass Financial Planning
Services Ltd., and is also the Provincial Trading Officer,
Branch Manager, and advisor for Worldsource Financial
Management Inc., a national mutual fund dealership.
Curtis’ personal practice focuses largely on clients’
behavioral finance and intergenerational planning needs.
Most often recognized within the industry for assisting
entrepreneurial advisors meet their personal goals,
Curtis has spent much of the recent years helping advisors
safeguard their practices within the shifting regulatory
environment.
After graduating from the University of Manitoba, Curtis
entered the financial industry in 1978 and has held
positions in five different Provinces.
Curtis
and wife Patricia live in Canmore, Alberta, where Curtis
remains active in the community. He is a founding Director
and V.P. of Hearts and Hands Foundation, a charity providing
travel with purpose opportunities for volunteers. He
is a founding trustee of the Canmore Hospital Foundation
and a Past Chair of the Canmore Economic Development
Authority.
Presentation
Outline
"Segregated
Funds On Trial"
Imagine a legal case where the statutory regulations
of the insurance industry regarding segregated fund
sales are attacked. What if clients and their lawyers
became determined to force securities industry methodology
onto all insurance investment product sales in Canada.
The case has already been fought. Now, hear the outcome
and the habits that every advisor must learn from this
legal action.
Every financial advisor, whether dually licensed or
not, will find this recent case study thought provoking.
Derek
Green Executive
Vice President, Retail National Sales
CI Investments
Derek
has been in the securities industry for over 20 years.
From 1987 through 1993, Derek was a Derivatives Products
Trader with RBC Dominion Securities. Derek has been
with CI Investments, in various sales capacities, since
1993.
In
March 2006, Derek took over the role of that of Executive
Vice-President of Retail National Sales.
CI
Investments provides the broadest possible choice of
investments in a family of more than 100 funds. Investors
can select any combination of international, regional,
national, and specialty funds to build a well-rounded
portfolio which will meet both growth and income objectives.
Presentation
Outline
"The
Canadian Investment Funds Industry - Past/Present/Future"
The Canadian Investment Funds Industry has experienced
both tremendous growth and evolution over the past decade.
Numerous factors, both internal and external, have contributed
to this significant change and continue to do so today.
How will you grow and evolve your own practice to adapt
to this ever-changing environment?
Mark
Kent, CFA President,
CEO and Founder
Portfolio Strategies Corporation
Portfolio
Strategies Corporation is a Calgary based mutual fund
dealer with offices from Ontario to B.C. It has 300
advisors who have $1.3 Billion in assets under administration.
Most of its advisors are dually licensed and most of
the mutual fund business is conducted by approximately
120 advisors. PSC is currently exploring IDA membership,
or a merger with an IDA member firm, to broaden its
business base.
1985
– 1987 - Life Insurance broker with various companies
1980
– 1985 - Appraiser, sales – Birks Jewellers
Association Memberships
CFA
Institute (formerly Association for Investment Management
and Research)
Calgary Society of Financial Analysts
Financial Planning Association (International)
Advocis
MFDA
Presentation
Outline
"Asset
Allocation"
Many Advisors and investment professionals believe that
Asset Allocation is key to proper investment risk and
volatility management. In fact, investment legend Sir
John Templeton has called asset allocation and diversification
“the foundation stones of successful long term
investing”. Yet how many Advisors truly make Asset
Allocation strategy a fundamental part of their client
investment planning process? During his presentation,
Mark will demonstrate why a structured Asset Allocation
approach is a must for every Advisor. He will guide
you through the minefield of existing Asset Allocation
models and provide you with practical tools to integrate
structured Asset Allocation into your business.
Jim
completed his B.A.Sc. (Bachelor of Applied Sciences)
degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of
Toronto in 1975. Subsequently, he received his M.Eng.
(Master of Engineering) degree at the same university.
After
spending several years in engineering and investing
for his own account, he started his financial planning
career in 1995.
His
first book was about Canadian dividend reinvestment
plans. In 2001, he authored of “High Expectations
& False Dreams – One Hundred Years of Stock
Market History Applied to Retirement Planning”.
He also contributed a chapter to “Retirement Income
Redesigned - An Adviser's Guide for Funding Boomers'
Best Years” by Bloomberg Press. He is currently
working on his new book “Mathematics of Retirement”.
He
has written numerous articles and portfolio reviews
for various international magazines. He is also quoted
in the news media on retirement and financial planning
issues.
Jim's
expertise stems from applying his engineering and technical
analysis background to retirement planning. His article
series in Retirement Planning won him the prestigious
CFP-Board Award for 2001. He is the first Canadian to
win such a prestigious award. He won this award a second
time in 2002 on the same subject.
He
runs a website that tracks the best performing mutual
funds in Canada using a unique technique called “FingerPrinting”
which he developed.
Jim
is registered with Partners in Planning in Richmond
Hill, Canada. He is also registered as an instructor
with the insurance regulators in the USA.
He
is a past director of CSTA (Canadian Society of Technical
Analysts). He is an active member of CAPP (Canadian
Association of Pre-retirement Planners).
Presentation
Outline
"Retirement
Planning Strategies for Lifelong Income based on Market
History"
As
baby boomers approach retirement, we need to separate
the 'myth' from the 'fact'. This presentation will introduce
participants to advanced retirement planning based on
market history. The concept of Time Value of Fluctuations
and the pitfalls of current planning practices are unveiled.
Retirement issues such as optimum asset mix and rebalancing,
as well as lifelong income using a combination of investments
and life annuities will be covered. Case studies will
offer solutions to a variety of typical retirement questions.
Workshop
Outline
- Market History and retirement
- Time Value of Fluctuations
- How luck effects your retirement plans and what to
do about it
- Optimum asset allocation and rebalancing
- How do you determines if savings are insufficient,
sufficient or abundant
- Sustainable withdrawal rates and asset multiplier
- Designing the 'perfect mix' of annuities and investments
- Case studies
Dave
Paterson - CFA, B. Comm. Director
of Research, Investment Funds
Paterson & Associates
Dave
Paterson is the Director of Research, Investment Funds
for Paterson & Associates. Paterson & Associates
is an independent consulting firm specializing in providing
research and due diligence on a number of different
investment products including mutual funds, hedge funds
and principal protected notes. In addition Paterson
& Associates offers fully customized portfolio optimization
solutions to independent financial planners.
Dave has worked in the mutual fund industry for over
a decade. Prior to starting his own firm in 2002, he
worked for a variety of respected mutual fund companies
and money managers. In these roles, Dave has had the
opportunity to work with some of the most respected
money managers in the country.
Using this knowledge, Dave has developed a unique analytical
approach which focuses on identifying the funds which
have consistently delivered strong, risk adjusted returns
on both an absolute and relative basis. Dave has also
developed a fully customizable Portfolio Optimization
Process which focuses on creating efficient portfolios
designed to deliver clients with the highest level of
return for their risk comfort level.
Dave was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
designation is September of 2000 and holds a Bachelor
of Commerce (Finance) from the University of Windsor.
Presentation
Outline
"Minimizing
Risk to Maximize Returns – Product Due Diligence"
Given
today’s regulatory environment, recent industry
scandals, and the onslaught of new products, due diligence
is fast becoming one of the most important aspects of
an advisors’ job description. Dave Paterson, Director
of Research, Investment Funds at Paterson & Associates
walks you through the due diligence process, outlining
the steps and key points for various product types.
The focus is not only on the investment risks associated
with the different products, but also on many of the
potential operational risks which can arise. By having
an understanding of the due diligence process, the risks
associated with different investment types, combined
with some basic, minimum criteria and a knowledge of
potential red flags, you can help protect both your
practice and your clients, at the same time, keeping
your compliance officer happy.
Colin
Randall - CFP Senior
Analyst, Business Development
Fidelity Business Development Group
Colin
Randall is a Senior Analyst in Fidelity’s Business
Development Group where he is responsible for the research
and development of Fidelity’s retirement and investment
solutions. Colin’s research supports a wide array
of Fidelity Investments’ initiatives including
new product and service development, corporate communications,
and most recently, Fidelity’s Retirement Readiness
Initiative.
Colin
received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from the
University of Toronto, achieved Honours Standing in
the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and is currently
a Level 2 candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst
(CFA) program.
Presentation
Outline
"New
Opportunities in the Retirement Market"
This presentation will highlight the tremendous opportunity
presented by the new retirement market and the value
that a retirement income plan presents to both the financial
planning community and Canadian investors.
