30 FORUM MARCH / APRIL 2018

KINGSTON TO HOST SECOND FINANCIAL LITERACY SYMPOSIUM IN SPRING

Advocis’s Kingston chapter is busy work-ing on organizing a spring financial lit-

eracy symposium for area youth, followingup on a highly successful event held lastNovember during financial literacy month.

“There were hundreds of students wejust couldn’t accommodate in November,and there’s also work being done to repur-pose some of the material and deliverymethods to hit other vulnerable sectors ofour community,” says Will Britton, the chap-ter’s past president.

They include low-income families, sen-iors on a fixed income, First Nations peopleand new immigrants in the Kingston area,he explains.

Britton is a certified financial planner andprincipal of Tidal Financial Management Inc.in Kingston. He’s passionate about financialliteracy. He is the driving force behind theKingston Financial Literacy Partnership(KFLP), the co-operative responsible fordeveloping and delivering both symposia.

The KFLP includes the Advocis Kingstonchapter, St. Lawrence College (SLC) Enactusmembers, students from Kingston Collegiateand Vocational Institute (KCVI) in theDemonstrating Excellence, CelebratingAchievement (DECA) program, and otherarea professionals and organizations. Thegroup has a Facebook page and a Twitteraccount.

With its financial literacy initiatives andchapter members passionate about educat-ing the community, the Kingston chapterhas become a role model for other Advocischapters.

The first Kingston Youth FinancialLiteracy Symposium last November was ahigh-profile event that gained both local andregional media coverage. Organized by theKingston chapter in co-operation with SLCand KCVI, it was hosted by the Boys andGirls Club of Kingston & Area.

A S S O C I A T I O N U P D A T E S A N D E V E N T S

AdvocisNews

The key organizers of the first financial literacy symposium, from left to right: Chad Hermanof St. Lawrence College, Advocis Kingston chapter members Chad Buell, Greg Gies, WillBritton, Heidi Blondin, and Maureen McBratney.

Grades 7 and 8 students get a lesson aboutwhether to spend money on going to asports event or watch it at home, from St. Lawrence College Enactus studentNadia Terstege, while Kingston chaptermember Maureen McBratney looks on.

Chad Buell, an advisor with the Co-oper-ators, was the Kingston chapter’s planningrepresentative for the symposium. HeidiBlondin, a certified financial planner withCornerstone Wealth, was one of the volun-teer mentors for the November symposium.Chapter members Maureen McBratney andMorgan Peirce also took part in the event.

With the guidance of volunteer mentors,Enactus students from SLC and DECAstudents from KCVI spent a half-day teach-ing the basics of money and finance to 200grades 7 and 8 students within the LimestoneDistrict School Board.

“Scot Gillam was instrumental in gettingus in front of students,” notes Britton.Gillam is the supervising principal of thesafe and caring schools program for theLDSB.

“We’re very excited the community cametogether to share their expertise,” saysGillam. “Their expertise is providing stu-dents with necessary skills to make finan-cially responsible decisions — decisions thatare integral to our everyday lives.”

But as Britton points out, that first sym-posium reached only a fraction of grades 7

and 8 students in LDSB schools, so a sec-ond symposium is very much needed. Inall, there are 32 LDSB elementary schoolswith students from junior kindergarten tograde 8.

A date for the Spring 2018 KingstonYouth Financial Literacy Symposium hasnot yet been finalized, but the KFLP groupsare eager to maintain their momentum.

MARCH / APRIL 2018 FORUM 31

ELEVATING BAY OF QUINTECHAPTER MEMBERS

On March 15, Bay of Quinte chaptercombined its 2018 annual general

meeting with a speaker event designed tohelp members take their practices to thenext level.

Featured guest speaker Randy Taylorpresented his “Elevate” seminar that’s specif-ically focused on helping financial advisorsenhance their practice management. Tayloralso speaks about success, productivity, andrelationship building.

“What separates great success fromstruggle is so much less than the averageperson knows it to be,” Taylor told members.“Joining the top two per cent, in the simplestterms, requires you to find out what the topperformers are doing, and to mirror it.Belief and confidence are the two primaryingredients needed for anyone to performat the top.”

He added that for top performers, “a badday or challenge doesn’t deter them fromtheir plan.”

Taylor is one of the world’s most sought-after speakers and trainers in the financialservices sector. He has spoken recently toother Advocis chapters about elevating theirpractices, and approached Bay of Quinte.

Taylor is a former broadcaster who leftthe industry after 28 years, becoming aperformance coach. He started TaylormadeLeadership in 2002. Taylor works with clientsin financial services; the food, petro-chem-

Trainer and speakerRandy Taylor says building a high-net-worth client practiceis essential today if you want to takeyour practice to the next level.

Annuities can add a new level to advisors’practices, says wealth management salesconsultant Andrew Gibson.

ical, and real-estate sectors; and the federalgovernment.

His financial sector clients includeLondon Life, Freedom 55 Financial,Financial Horizons, Sunlife Financial, andInvesco Trimark.

Taylor is also the author of two books,The Lost Journals: Lessons Across the Shift andElevate: The keys to creating an authentic lifeof passion driven success.

“We do what we can for our chaptermembers, to bring guest speakers with var-ious topics,” says Wendy Kellar, programchair for the chapter. “Randy Taylor seemedquite interesting. Any time we have speakersthat provide tips and extra knowledge thathelps us grow and protect our practices, it’s

exciting. As advisors, we need to know we’reall in the same trench with our practices.”

Taylor says anyone can unleash their fullpotential. “I’m not the magic man, they are.My job is to hold up the mirror and helpthem see what I see.”

He says that with the industry changeshappening today, creating and managing apractice focused on high-net-worth(HNW) clients is “less of an option andmore of an essential business decision.”

It’s a fallacy to think that there aren’tenough HNW clients to go around, Tayloradds. “Finding them, securing them, grow-ing, servicing, and cloning this segment ofthe market requires the alignment of a veryclear and concise business model,” he toldmembers.

He says this means focusing on the fol-lowing six things:• current client segmentation• a HNW client approach• an A++ service model for HNW clients• team presentation• a value-based referral process• cost of investment and the symbioticstructure

BOOSTING PRACTICE, VALUE AND INCOME WITH ANNUITIES

In a separate session, members alsogained some tips for elevating their

practice — and value for clients — by mak-ing annuities part of their solutions whenthey’re helping clients plan for retirement.

Andrew Gibson, a wealth managementsales consultant with London Life and theQuadrus Group of Funds, says it’s a matterof approaching annuities differently.

“When I talk to advisors who sell annu-ities, they don’t talk about rate. They talkabout certainty of income, regardless ofwhat’s happening in the markets,” Gibsonsays. If someone has their Canada PensionPlan, or a pension from OMERS, forinstance, they don’t care about the returnon the underlying investments. All clientswant the same thing — their own personalpension plan.”

Focusing on income safety for theirclients can help advisors ensure their clientshave a financial safety net, and help thembuild their own practice income, Gibsonsays.

He notes that the average income ofadvisors who also sell annuities is slightlyhigher.

32 FORUM MARCH / APRIL 2018

AdvocisNews

SPEAKER LINEUP FORADVOCIS SCHOOLS

Speakers have been unveiled for some ofthis year’s Advocis national advisor schools.

Steve Briere, head goaltender coach ofthe Toronto Maple Leafs, will talk over twodays at the Okanagan School in Kelowna,B.C. (July 15–18). His first topic is “How Iscratched and clawed my way to the NHL.”On the second day, Briere will speak aboutperforming under pressure.

Winnipeg-born Briere knows how todraw the connection between being a topperformer in both sports and business. Inaddition to being a professional goalie coachand former professional goaltender in theAmerican Hockey League, InternationalHockey League, and the British Elite League,he holds a master’s degree in business fromthe University of Alabama.

Also at the Okanagan School, two Great-West Life senior executives will speak aboutopportunities and challenges in their respec-tive markets. Hugh Moncrieff is the seniorvice-president of advice channel regulatorystrategy for Great-West Life, and JeffMacoun is the executive vice-president,group customer for Great-West Life.

On the east coast, three big names willbe speaking at the 2018 Atlantic School:Jonathan Lewis, Brad Brain, and MichelineVaras.

Lewis, the founder, president, and seniorpartner of Eastport Financial, is theyoungest Canadian to ever qualify for the

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender coachSteve Briere is keynote speaker at the 2018 Advocis Okanagan school.

Advisors in Western Canada who attendthe 2018 Okanagan school will have a rare opportunity to hear from twowell-known Great-West Life executivesabout the state of the insurance andgroup benefits markets: Hugh Moncrieff(above left) and Jeff Macoun.

PHOTO

S: (Steve Briere) COURTESY M

APLE LEAF SPORTS & ENTERTA

INMENT; (Moncrieff, Macoun) COURTESY GREAT-WEST LIFE

IN MEMORIAMRick Frayn, 1954−2018

Advocis’s Northern Alberta Chapter sadlylost one of its long-time members on Feb.

8. Rick Frayn, CLU, CHS, passed away after acourageous battle with cancer. He was 64. Rickspent his 40-year career with Sun Life Financial.Since 1994 he was a financial centre manager inGrande Prairie, Alta. He joined Sun Life in 1977. Rick was amultiple award-winning member within his financial centre,of Advocis, and of GAMA International Canada. He joinedAdvocis in 1978. In 1982, Rick received Advocis’s National

Quality Award. Over the course of his manage-ment career with Sun Life, Rick won the GAMAAgency Builder Award (ABA) five times begin-ning in 1986; the Agency Achievement Award(AAA) three times starting in 1995; the AAA GoldAward 17 times; and the ABA Gold Award fivetimes. He first won those last awards in 1998. Rickalso received GAMA’s National ManagementAward 25 times. He lived by the mantra of work-

ing hard, playing fair, and dancing with enthusiasm and flair.His approach to life was, “give it your all.” Rick leaves behindhis wife, Susan, daughters, Jennifer and Michelle, his son,Trevor, seven grandchildren, and two brothers, Jim and Gary.

Million Dollar Round Table’s (MDRT) Topof the Table. He has been an MDRT mem-ber since 2007. Lewis has one Court of theTable and three Top of the Table qualifica-tions. Very active in his community, Lewisconstantly challenges his peers to getinvolved in giving back.

Brain is a private-wealth portfolio man-ager at Aligned Capital Partners Inc. in FortSt. John, B.C., and the author of Prosperity:Making Smart, Strategic Decisions AboutMoney.

Varas is the managing partner and seniorvice-president of Customplan FinancialAdvisors Inc. in Vancouver. In 2014, she wasnamed one of the top 50 women of influ-ence in Canada’s insurance industry.

The three speakers will be presenting in

a new, top-calibre location for the 2018Atlantic School (Aug. 19−21). It’s moving thisyear from Brunell River, P.E.I., to the pres-tigious Fox Harb’r Resort in Wallace, N.S.

The Banff School (Aug. 19−23) hasn’tfinalized its speaker agenda yet. 2018chair Peter F. Cote is looking for somemember input, so please email him atBanff@advocisschool.ca. “We strive to selectfaculty members who possess the knowl-edge, talent, and ability to present relevanttopics at every school,” he noted in an emailto past and current attendees.

Member fees for the 2018 schools rangefrom $500 to $720. Advisors can save $100by registering early. Early registration is stillopen for the Banff and Atlantic schools atwww.advocis.ca/ALC/schools.aspx.