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Coffee Talks
Coffee Talks
About Coffee Talks
Advocis Coffee Talks are espresso-sized webinars for financial advisors, accredited by The Institute for CE credits and available exclusively to Advocis members.
An archive of previous editions is available below. Please note that login is required, and that these are provided as reference materials only – webinars must be attended live in order to qualify for CE.
Information on registering for all upcoming Coffee Talks is being distributed to members via email. If you are a member of Advocis and not receiving these notifications, please contact us with your preferred email address and indicate that you would like to receive all member communications.
Edition 56 - Talking Regulatory Risk
In our first episode of Coffee Talks for 2023, Advocis welcomed Ritu Kashyap, Senior Claims Specialist at Zurich Insurance Company Ltd Canada and Jack Mazakian, Vice President at Advocis Broker Services Inc. as they explore recent advisor claims and the approaches that regulatory bodies are taking, while highlighting ways advisors can protect themselves and their practice.
Edition 55 - Communication and Technology Working Together
In our final edition of Coffee Talks for 2022, Advocis welcomed Ali Qureshi, Chief Revenue Officer & Co-Founder at SideDrawer and Mallory McGrath, Founder & CEO, Viive Planning to discuss how communication and technology can work together to understand clients on a deeper level and keep their information protected.
Edition 54 - Building Your Clients' Financial Literacy
In a special edition of Coffee Talks for Financial Literacy Month, Advocis welcomed Shalicia Harris, Founder & CEO of In Charge Inc. to explain the different stages of financial literacy and the hierarchy of financial needs.
Edition 53 - Collateral Loans – Corporate vs. Shareholder Borrowing
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Advocis welcomed Steven McLeod, LL.B., TEP, Director, Tax and Estate Planning Group at Canada Life to provide a brief overview on leveraging corporate owned policies for the future.
Edition 52 - It Is What It Is: Keeping Our Clients & Ourselves Calm In Tough Times
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Advocis welcomed Alaeddine Jabri, Managing Partner at Longevity Achieved to discuss how you can stay resilient through market turmoil and keep clients and ourselves calm and focused.
Edition 51 - TIC TALK: Hindsight is 20/20
Leveraging a CRM to Build your Business
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Advocis welcomed Kelly Gustafson, Senior Business & Innovation Manager at NOW Wealth Management Solutions of Raymond James LTD., Ray Adamson, Senior Leader in Fintech/Insurtech, and Robert McCullagh, Financial Advisor associated with Benefit Planners Inc. to discuss how you can leverage a CRM to build and grow your business, along with providing advice for both new and experienced advisors looking for insight and direction into making their business more valuable.
Edition 50 - Mark Davis
Life Insurance and the Wealthy
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Mark Davis, MFin, CFA , Director of Professional Insights at Sun Life discusses how to help show wealthy clients how they can meet their protection needs and get a better return on their safe money assets – without taking on more risk.
Edition 49 - Keith Newhook & Tyler Mordy
The Decade of Living Dangerously
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Tyler Mordy, CEO and CIO at Forstrong Global Asset Management Inc. and Keith Newhook, Senior VP Sales at PPI, discuss risks that are all around us, what they mean for financial advisors, and how to advise clients as it relates to the economy and investing.
Edition 48 - Peter Wouters
Busting the Myths of Retirement Planning
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Peter Wouters, Director, Tax Retirement & Estate Planning Services at Empire Life explored myths around retirement planning and shared information to provide to your clients.
Edition 47 - The President’s Panel
(Special 40-Minute Episode)
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Advocis welcomed a panel of financial services leaders to discuss the impact of COVID-19, the lessons learned, and how they plan to move forward.
Edition 46 - Susan Kerr
Financial Underwriting: Does it Make Sense?
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Susan Kerr, Director of Special Case Operations at Manulife walked Advocis members through the basics of financial underwriting as it relates to income protection, after which she moved on to advanced concepts like estate considerations, key person and business valuation, charitable giving, and tax sheltering.
Edition 45 - John Novachis & Sam Febbraro
Maximizing Value in a New Era
In this edition of Coffee Talks, John Novachis, Executive Vice President at Investment Planning Counsel and Sam Febbraro, Executive Vice President at Investment Planning Counsel walk through how your perspective as an advisor can change to better accommodate the shifting desires of clients, including enhancements to your digital offerings, understanding the experience economy, and ensuring that succession planning takes all of this and more into account.
Edition 44 - Jennifer Moir
Know Your (Senior) Client
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Jennifer Moir, EPC, CRTS, CHS of Age Well Solutions introduces advisors to the unique nuances of the senior client, including how to create personalized and meaningful profiles through essential conversations, thoughts on the most vital resources from within your network to draw upon, and the most important ways in which you can add value.
Edition 43 - Mark Halpern
Life Insurance Strategies with a Philanthropic Advantage
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P introduces the concept of the Accidental Philanthropist™, and explains how life insurance donations can create a path for legacies to become as beneficial as possible to the charities, causes and family members they were created to serve.
Edition 42 - Rehan Bhanji & Mathew Smith
Business Growth and the Family Inventory
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Rehan Bhanji, CFP, CLU, National Practice Leader at Desjardins and Mathew Smith, FCIA, FSA, Regional Vice President of Individual Insurance Sales at Desjardins introduced the conversation, sales opportunities and life events surrounding the use of a comprehensive inventory process to create better outcomes in the development of estate plans.
Edition 41 - FCAC
Make Change that Counts: Building Financial Resilience in an Increasingly Digital World
In this special edition of Coffee Talks, Dr. Supriya Syal, Deputy Commissioner of Research, Policy, and Education at the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) introduces financial advisors to their 2021 – 2026 National Financial Literacy Strategy and provide advisors with insights on the role that they can play in making change that counts.
Edition 40 - Tony Bosch
Process: Your Key to a Successful Succession
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Tony Bosch, CFP, CLU, CH.F.C, CHS, MFA, Executive Vice President, Broker Development at HUB Financial introduces a proven and methodical process which can help advisors understand what they truly want and need from their succession/transition plans so that they can achieve results.
Edition 39 – Sylvie Amar
Leveraging Life Insurance for the Family Bank Principle
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Sylvie Amar, Vice-President Product Strategy & Advanced Markets at Financial Horizons Group walks participants through a detailed case study that exemplifies the role that life insurance plays in protecting and fostering intergenerational wealth.
Edition 38 – Dr. Bruce Empringham
Asking the Right Questions in Field Underwriting
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Dr. Bruce Empringham, Vice President and Medical Director at Canada Life provides statistical insight into claim coverage, discusses some of the latest hot topics in insurance, and introduces you to the conversations you need to have with clients about how they are treating and dealing with some of the most common medical conditions you may encounter as an advisor.
Edition 37 – Jeff Stanzel & Steve Kambasis
Asking the Right Questions in Field Underwriting
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Jeff Stanzel, Director, Business Development – Ontario of PPI and Steve Kambasis, VP & Chief Underwriter, Canadian Business of Exam One present a templated process that can help advisors navigate the overwhelming and sometimes frustrating process of field underwriting.
Edition 36 – Jennifer Radman
Quantamental Investing – Leveraging the Best of Both Worlds
In this edition of Coffee Talks, award-winning Portfolio Manager Jennifer Radman of Caldwell Investment Management walks advisors through a Quantamental approach to investing – a unique process which leverages the best of fundamental common sense and quantitative discipline that will lead advisors to the best investments for clients.
Edition 35 – Rod Burylo
To Post or Not To Post: Ethics and Social Media
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Rod Burylo, CIM, FCSI discusses the pitfalls of social media behaviour, including intellectual dishonesty within the financial services industry. Rod identifies ways of improving behaviour such as legal and ethical guidance, developing a communications strategy, and following an activity checklist.
Edition 34 – CALU
Elevating Your Practice With CALU
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Guy Legault, President and CEO of CALU leads a conversation with Barry Pascal, Chair, Board of Directors, CALU to illustrate the current activities of CALU, including their ‘Think Growth Initiative’, key strategic partnerships, and the key federal advocacy issues for advisors that they are primarily focused on.
Edition 33 – Peter A. Wouters
Intergenerational Wealth Transfer – Opportunities and Threats
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Peter A. Wouters, Director, Tax Retirement & Estate Planning Services at Empire Life offers insights into the most important factors and developments that impact where intergenerational wealth goes, who the decision makers are, and how advisors can retain and grow their business as these events unfold.
Edition 32 – Zainab Williams
Rethinking Millennials & Wealth
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Zainab Williams, Founder and Principal Financial Planner at Elleverity offers insights into how to reach out to Millennials with affordable financial solutions which reflect the challenges they face, providing advisors with concrete solutions to start serving this key demographic in a transparent and meaningful way.
Edition 31 – Todd Fithian
Behavioral Strategies for Winning Client Engagements in Chaotic Times
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Todd Fithian, Managing Partner of Legacy shares proven strategies for connecting with clients and future clients during these challenging times, with approaches will not only move them closer to you but have them raving to their friends about you.
Edition 30 – Jamie Golombek
Budget 2021 Tax Update
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Jamie Golombek, Managing Director, Tax and Estate Planning at CIBC provides an overview of the most important changes to personal and business taxes that financial advisors will need to understand for the benefit of their clients, as well as information on key developments in CRA administration related to them.
Edition 29 – Ginny O'Leary
Conversation Ideas for Living Benefits
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Ginny O’Leary, National Living Benefits Sales Consultant, Individual Insurance Sales at Manulife provides straightforward and proven ideas on how to open conversations about Living Benefits, establishing a process when needs are identified, and working through customized options for personal and corporate solutions.
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Edition 28 – Matt McGuire
The Inherent Vulnerabilities of Investment and Insurance Products to Money Laundering
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Matt McGuire, Co-Founder and Practice Leader at The AML Shop walks through the factors that contribute to the attractiveness of specific investment and insurance vehicles to clean dirty money – or even just park it. Matt introduces recent and relevant local examples of these money laundering methods, providing you with best countermeasures as advisors to identify and stop them.
Edition 27 – Alison Campbell
How to Tell Your Brand Story in 10 Seconds
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Alison Campbell, Senior Manager, Practice Management, Marketing and Business Development at Sun Life discusses the importance of succinct and effective communication in marketing yourself as an advisor, and provides a three-step process for crafting a solution-focused brand story that will resonate with clients and prospects alike.
Edition 26 – Chris Ireland & Adrian Altamirano
The Evolution of High-Net-Worth Advice
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Chris Ireland, CPA, CA, TEP, Senior Vice-President, Planning Services at PPI and Adrian Altamirano, CIM, CFP, FCSI, Assistant Vice-President, Sales at PPI discuss the history, evolution and best practices of building, managing and supporting multidisciplinary teams for HNW clients.
Edition 25 – Brandon Chapman & Kelly Gustafson
Tech Task Force’s Ultimate Guide to All Things Digital
In this edition of Coffee Talks, Brandon Chapman, CFP, CLU and Kelly Gustafson of the Advocis Tech Task Force (TTF) discuss the latest trends in digital technology, introduce members to new initiatives and research results from the TTF, and provide vetted recommendations on several solutions that can keep your practice on the cutting edge.
Edition 24 – Will O'Neill
Striking a Balance with Social Media During COVID-19
Will O’Neill, Corporate Communications Specialist at Advocis demonstrates how to create a minimal but highly efficient social media presence utilizing Hootsuite, and show how it can be used as both the basis of your social media strategy and a launchpad to greater ambitions.
Edition 23 – Jack Mazakian & Geoff Le Quelenec
Double Defense – Cybersecurity Through Coverage and Technology
Jack Mazakian, Vice-President of Advocis Broker Services Inc. and Geoff Le Quelenec, IT Director at Advocis team up to tell you about how a suite of cyber and privacy insurance can combine with optimal IT and data protection practices to provide your business with the best possible security against the threats and potential liabilities of our digital age.
Edition 22 – The President's Panel
The President’s Panel
In this special, 40-minute edition of Coffee Talks, Advocis welcomes a panel of financial services leaders to discuss the impact of COVID-19, the lessons learned, and how they plan to move forward. Guests include:
- Jim Virtue, President and COO, PPI
- Jacques Goulet, President, Sun Life Canada
- Duane Green, President and CEO, Franklin Templeton Canada
- Greg Pollock, President and CEO, Advocis
Edition 21 – Dean Delpeache
Building Your Business with the Power of DIBE
Dean Delpeache, Director, Consulting at Strasity provides insight into how systemic discrimination harmfully impacts financial advisors, and tells Advocis members more about how they can contribute towards meaningful change.
Edition 20 – Kim Montgomery
Growing and Protecting Wealth for Gen X
Kim Montgomery, CHS™, CFP®, Sales Director, Life Products at ivari explores the self-sufficient mentality of Gen X, explains the specific insurance needs created by their financial realities, and offers tips on how to best reach and connect with them as an audience.
Edition 19 – Sam Febrarro
Preparing Your Business for Succession in the Digital Age
Sam Febbraro, Executive Vice President at Investment Planning Counsel Inc., unpacks how to create a succession game plan by surveying the options available, identifying the key players, and creating a multi-year plan of action to pivot your business towards the best next step.
Edition 18 – Tony Bosch
The Conservation Conversation
Tony Bosch, Executive Vice President, Broker Development at HUB Financial presents a strategy and process to help ensure advisors can be proactive in preventing clients from cancelling insurance coverage by understanding each phase of the decision-making process.
Edition 17 - Jonathan Schjott
Are You Undervaluing the Power of Feedback?
Jonathan Schjott, CLU, CFP, CHS, Regional Vice President, Insurance Brokerage at RBC Insurance offers specific and useful guidance on how managers can provide clear, compelling and actionable feedback that will bring out the very best in their advisors.
Edition 16 - Will O'Neill
Lasting Impressions – Effective Writing for Advisors
Will O’Neill, Corporate Communications Specialist at Advocis, provides tips and a structured process on making writing more professional and persuasive in client communications and on social media.
Edition 15 – Charlie Conron
Opportunity Lies in Hidden Data
Charlie Conron, CTO and Founder of Life Design Analysis Software presents insights into how innovative technology is surfacing hidden opportunities across the distribution channel, shortening sales cycles, and providing proactive solutions that can help create satisfied, long-term customers.
Edition 14 - CALU
CALU and You: Strengthening our Professional Voice
Cindy David, CFP, CLU, FEA, TEP, CALU Chair of the Board offers examples of how CALU research into how various audiences perceive the value of professional financial advice, demonstrates how to communicate impactfully about the value of advice depending on the audience, and explain how CALU membership can benefit the advanced financial advisor.
Edition 13 – PPI
Tax and Estate Planning Update
Glenn Stephens, LL.B, TEP, FEA, Vice-President, Planning Services, PPI Advisory and Chris Ireland, CPA, CA, TEP, Senior Vice-President, Planning Services, PPI Advisory present the latest updates in tax and estate planning through a review of recent case law, CRA pronouncements and other items of interest.
Edition 12 - Elke Rubach
Client Conversations – What Really Matters
Elke Rubach of Rubach Wealth discusses the right questions to ask and the right conversations to have towards discovering what the deeply-held values and goals of clients truly are – along with tips that can benefit every financial advisor in their business development journey.
Edition 11 – Greg Pollock
Stepping Up & Moving Forward
Greg Pollock, President and CEO of Advocis discusses how our Association is discovering the ‘new normal’ through a combination of innovations in member programs and services alongside a strong focus on Advocis’ longstanding goals of professionalism, consumer protection and member-driven advocacy.
Edition 10 – Barbara Riddell
Finding Your Path: Professional Development for the Post-Pandemic Market
Barbara Riddell, Vice-President of Education and Membership at Advocis discusses how proactive advisors are turning a strategic eye to the road ahead, what the industry and consumer environment may look like post-COVID, and how professionals are pursuing educational opportunities that will ensure their businesses can not only survive, but thrive.
Edition 9 – Abeer Sajjad
The Perfect Home Office for You
Abeer Sajjad, Member Engagement Associate at Advocis discusses how advisors can look after their physical, emotional, and mental wellness in all aspects of their evolving work-from-home life through ergonomics, online tools and better daily habits.
Edition 8 – James Ryu
Square Peg, Round Hole: Making Regulation Fit
James Ryu, Senior Director, Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Advocis discusses how the department works to promote a regulatory environment that is fair for Advocis’ members and their clients. He also touches on a few of the pressing issues in the pipeline and how they could affect you and your practice.
Edition 7 - Manulife
It Takes a Pandemic – Digital Adoption in the Insurance Industry
Selena Puttick, AVP & Associate Chief Underwriter Individual Insurance and Kathy Schmidtke, Director, Distributor Relations & Learning of Manulife discuss the challenges of COVID-19 as it relates to digital adoption, how the insurance industry is changing to meet the needs of restrictions for face-to-face sales, and the shifting horizon of e-business tools and underwriting requirements.