Success Leaves Clues with Robin Bailey and Al McDonald

What have you always wanted to know about Group Retirement Plans but have been too afraid to ask?  Well, let me introduce you to your new best friend, Alex Bertola.  He has been Account Executive at Manulife for the last 13 years.  Alex has had exposure to both U.S. as well as Canadian programs.   As such, his experience has made him a great resource to both advisors as we...

As Head of the Group Life & Health business at RBC Insurance, Julie leads a team with overall responsibility for the product development and strategic direction for RBC Insurance's Group Benefit Solutions.  With a focus on innovation and thought-leadership, her team is committed to differentiating RBC through product and service enhancements that make it easier for clients to lead a healt...

Julie Ford is the founder and Principal Consultant at Glance Marketing in Toronto. Glance is a full-service agency that gives businesses access to a wide range of marketing strategies, services and skillsets that help them achieve their goals.  This episode was a walk down memory lane for me.  Julie is the person I reached out to when I was trying to build the new Aria Benefits brand.&nb...

What have you always wanted to know about Health Spending Accounts but have been too afraid to ask?  Well, here's your opportunity to listen in and hear it from two of the top minds in the industry.  In today's episode, we have a great conversation with Tim Kane and Steve McEwan of myHSA.  These two are really fun to speak with and you'll hear us discuss everything from HSA's, PSA's...

Ever meet someone at a function and be so impressed by their passion for what they do?  This was certainly the case when I met Marie-Chantal Cote or "MC" as she's known to her friends and colleagues.  MC is the VP Market Development at Sun Life, Group Benefits. In today's episode, we discuss some of the innovation initiatives currently under way at Sun Life.  MC gives us some insigh...

Aly Dhalla is the CEO/Co-Founder of Finaeo, a venture-backed insurtech company building the digital fabric to power the life insurance industry globally.  In today's episode we sit down to discuss what shapes corporate culture, how and why Finaeo is changing how advisors are doing business, and what clients get out of all this. Finally, we discuss the future of employee benefits in Canada.&nb...

I'm sure you've heard all sorts of things about telemedicine and virtual healthcare, but where to begin??  Today's discussion is with Michael Dunne of leading virtual healthcare provider Dialogue.  During our chat, we discuss the evolution of virtual healthcare and how the landscape looks today.  Next, we look at the future of these platforms as well as possible integrations with ot...

The CPA association has a new television ad out saying that CPA's are anything but boring, and I'd have to agree after my conversation with this week's guests.  Join me as I sit down with CPA's, Gus Patel and Igor Kostioutchenko to talk all things accounting! We look into their move into entrepreneurship, discuss the importance of client engagement and there's even more talk of robots! We fin...

This is it folks!  The last episode-our 2018 wrap up show!  Tune in to hear Megan Vallis and I review the top developments of the year.  Meghan is the Senior VP of Consulting at Apri Insurance Services Inc.  As one of the industry's brightest stars, it was amazing to hear her thoughts on these topics.  We cover everything from National Pharmacare, Pharmacogenetics, Virtual...

Katie Denis is Director of Human Resources at Bennington Financial Services Corp in Oakville, Ontario.  In this episode, we dig into the role HR Professionals play in business and how that position has changed over the years.  Listen in as Katie shares how she grew her own position from the ground up and challenges she faced along the way.  This podcast has been a long time coming,...

So we've heard the insurance carriers talk about the value of Pharmacogenetic Testing for several months now.  But what about physicians?  What do they really think about this topic?  I decided to find out.  In the episode, we speak with Dr Angus Franklin.  Not only is Dr Franklin a practicing physician, he's also a Ph. D in molecular genetics.  Tune in as we take a d...

Dan Henry is the Regional Vice President, Central and Atlantic Canada for Sun Life Financial.  He is accountable for developing and delivering Sun Life's value proposition-innovative benefit solutions and exceptional customer experiences. In this episode, I sit down with Dan to find out what the folks at Sun Life have been up to.  Listen in as Dan talks to us about Sun Life's new Persona...

Stacey is a woman of many passions.  She is a business owner, teacher and mother of two.  Through her business' she has won the Hamilton Spectator Reader's Choice Award and has been recognized with a 40 under 40 business award. Most recently, she was featured as 1 of 20 women in the Suffragette City photo exhibit to recognize female leaders, role models, mentors and creatives shaking thi...

Ken Bowman is the Head of Claims at RBC Insurance.  I knew after seeing him speak at a recent event that I had to have him on the podcast.  Ken has a real passion for helping clients through partnering with organizations to create innovative solutions that drive better outcomes. In this episode, Ken shares with us some recent innovations at RBC Insurance.  He talks about how the ONW...

What does it take to be a top performer? How can one achieve elite levels of success while raising up others with you?  These are some the things I dig into with Rory McDonell, Head Coach and Owner of Para Bellum MMA.  Rory has an incredibly varied and interesting story.  Tune in to hear what makes a winner persevere when everything is taken away, how every connection you make is im...

Barb Martinez is the National Practice Leader, Drug Benefit Solutions, Great-West Life. Barb supports sales offices across Canada on prescription drug management initiatives.  She plays a key role in supporting advisors and their clients, including designing and managing drug benefit plans with Great-West Life Drug Solutions.  Barb's knowledge and strategic thinking make her one of the m...

Wow! Was this ever a fun podcast to do with Dean Benard from Benard & Assoicates! Dean is an investigator, mediator, coach and entrepreneur who has had quite an eclectic career.  Believe me, this is not your typical investigation firm. Dean and his team are experts with the background to prove it! The team at Benard & Associates offer multiple solutions for managing conflict and addre...

Managing Cannabis in the workplace is a big topic these days, so we we're very happy that employment lawyer Rich Appiah returned to the show to do a deep dive on the subject. In this episode, Rich talks to us about employer concerns, accountabilities and considerations. He goes into issues around work safety, workplace performance, the human rights code and disability and how it relates...

Can you believe we're at 10 episodes already?  Ok, number 10 is a special episode as we have on Chartered Accountant Louis Isabella.  Louis' career spans over 20 years and he has significant expertise in working with small-medium size businesses.  In this episode, Louis talks to us about areas business owners need to be on the lookout for, his proven process he uses with his clients...

In Episode 9 we speak with James Guest of Sun Life.  During the show, we explore a very hot topic being Medical Cannabis and how Sun Life became the first major carrier in Canada to provide coverage through an employee benefits program. Sun Life will be releasing a Bright Paper on this topic shortly so we've included links below.  We also chat about how artificial intelligence (AI) is he...

In episode 8, we sit down with Gary Mitchell, President of GroupSource.  Gary has a really interesting background in the employee benefits industry spanning 30 years.  If you don't know Gary, or haven't heard of GroupSource you'll definitely want to know both after this podcast.  As a business owner himself, Gary's perspective on running a company and offering a benefits plan is qui...

In episode 7 we hear from Howard Kettner of The Benefits Genius.  Howard is the reason I am podcasting today so it was a thrill to sit down with the man himself to see where it all started.  I chat with Howard about how and why he started the Benefits Genius Group, and why it's important.  We further delve into what challenges face both broker's and their client's in today's marketp...

How does someone with a mathematics/actuarial background become the National Sales Leader for RBC Insurance? In this episode, we chat with Matt Butters of RBC Insurance.  We learn a bit about Matt's background and how he found his way into employee benefits sales and why his education in the U.S. made him realize why he had to return to Canada.  He further fills us in on what he sees as...

In this episode my business partners Al McDonald and Joe Ferreira join me on The Benefits Corner.  Al speaks to us about his role at Life & Legacy Advisory Group that includes Financial Planning, Estate Planning and as well as a new tool that he's using with his clients.  Joe fills us in on what Living Benefits are and why they're important.  The guys also talk to us about how t...

Dave is the President and Founder of the CGIB (Canadian Group Insurance Brokers) Association.  He is passionate about the employee benefits industry and is a recognized leader and contributor to various Industry publications.  Listen in as Dave talks about the 800 pound gorilla, what the CGIB is all about and what advice he offers to new entrants into our industry.  Finally, we lear...