Register NOW for the 2010 Alberta Spring Summit!

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After a record-setting year in 2009, the 2010 Spring Summit promises to be one of the best EVER. The Alberta Spring Summit offers:

• Up to 7.5 hours of Continuing Education for Life, A&S, and 6.25 hours for General certificates, and to maintain professional designations
• Exhibit area where you can network and learn about new products and services that will help you work smarter.
• Variety and choice -- up to four breakout sessions in each timeslot so you can tailor your Summit to suit your individual interests.

Participating Companies booked to date:
Alberta Insurance Council, Wawanesa Life, ExamOne Canada, Quality Underwriting, Assuris, The Personal Coach, Bishop Communications, Client Centred Advisors, Desjardins Financial Security, Empire Life, Plan Direct Insurance Services, Industrial Alliance Pacific, Equitable Life of Canada, Millenium III Group of Companies, Rogers Oil and Gas, Excel Funds Management, Desjardins Independent Network, Hooper Holmes Portamedic, Canada Life, Unity Life, Standard Life, Magnes, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Hunter McCorquodale, Quadrexx Asset Management, Ebix CRM, Canadian Horizons, CBI Group, Sound Insurance Services -- and more to come!

Click here for a tentative schedule of events!

Here are some of the presentations being offered at the IFB Alberta Spring Summit:

ETF Portfolios for Insurance and MFDA Advisors (ID # 18550 - LIFE)
Larry Berman and Andrew Ruhland, ETF Capital Management
The recent market bounce DOES NOT mark the end of economic challenges facing investors. Larry Berman will educate advisors on present and future economic and market trends, the risks of buy & hold strategies, and how he actively manages client portfolios to optimize risk-adjusted returns.

Being a financial advisor requires adaptation to macro-trends, with resistance to change limiting advisors' ability to prosper in our highly competitive industry. Andrew will educate advisors on how to reduce business stress, broaden their scope of practice, evolve their client service offering and thrive in our ever-changing financial world.

Eight Opportunities to Accelerate Your Practice (ID # 18551 - LIFE, A&S)
Brian C. Popp and Doug Harper, Empire Life
Have you been searching for ways to increase your revenue? Looking for concepts that you can easily integrate into your business?

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best!

The presentation will highlight concepts covering:

- Guarantees - how to give clients what they want.
- Optimizing client's retirement income.
- How to cover the gap that is left, when assets held, rise and fall.
- Leaving a legacy for a loved one or a charity.
- Transferring wealth to the next generation.
- Showing the client how a Tax Free Savings Account is much more than a $5,000 deposit.
- Maximizing the opportunity in the family market.
- Integrating Critical Illness Insurance into the sales process. Would you like fries with that?

Brian and Doug will apply their experience on eight actionable business building ideas to help you grow your practice.

Keep your client's retirement plans safe from unforeseen market events. (ID # 18552 - LIFE, A&S)
Djamal Saleh, Desjardins Financial Security
- Protect your client's savings against market downturns
- Receive a guaranteed and predictable income for life
- Help your client take advantage of annual bonus
- Provide your client with 100% Death Benefit with inflation adjustment
- Access tailor-made investment funds

Mental Capacity in a Commercial Setting (ID # 18553 - LIFE, A&S, GENERAL)
Melanie McDonald , Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Melanie McDonald is an associate in the Calgary office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, and practices in the areas of Wealth Management, Personal Tax and Estate Planning, and Estate Law Litigation. In this session, Melanie will discuss mental capacity issues in serving elderly clients and their attorneys for property. This session will provide new and thought-provoking insights into the complex business of relating to clients.

"Yes! When Can We Start?" - Get your clients and prospects to experience your unique value
(ID #18554 - LIFE, A&S, GENERAL)
April-Lynn Levitt and Fortunato Restagno, The Personal Coach
In today's competitive marketplace how does the independent financial advisor stand out in the hearts and minds of their customers? The answer is to build a strong personal brand and create a unique customer experience around your client processes.

In this new presentation, hear from an advisor coach and brand strategist how to improve client loyalty, communicate your unique brand, and take you through the steps on how to fully engage your clients throughout all phases of the client development process to help you increase your profitability. Finally, we will show you real life examples of how advisors across Canada are using these concepts to enjoy confidence, focus and freedom in their business and their lives.

Honesty: The Best Policy ... or is it Whole Life? (ID # 18555 - LIFE, A&S, GENERAL)
Rick Forchuk, Empire Life
This presentation involves two basic premises that affect both the advisor and the client:

(1) What do our clients really expect of us?; and
(2) How much honesty is expected from ourselves, and from the carriers we choose to represent?

The client expectation portion is derived from a 2009 LIMRA study in which more than 2,000 Canadians were interviewed with regard to their feelings about the need for insurance and financial products, and advisor behaviour. The "honesty" portion looks at recent research that asks the advisor some provocative questions about his or her motivation, about what expectations exist at the supplier level, the distribution level, the customer level, and at the advisor level. Are you "basically honest," "marginally honest," or "not honest at all?" The results of focus group data and your own advisor input at the point of the presentation may surprise you!

The Problem With Penguins: How To Dramatically Increase The Revenues of Your Financial Service Business By Branding & Packaging Your Big Idea (ID # 18556 - LIFE, A&S)
Bill Bishop, CEO Bishop Communications Inc.
If you search for financial advisor on Google, how many results do you get? More than 15 million! No wonder most advisors feel lost in a crowd. There are millions of them who look exactly the same. As a result, most people think one advisor is the same as the next. Thats why, if they want to stand out, advisors need to brand and package a BIG Idea - something new, better and different that will present them as totally unique in their marketplace. In his speech, Bill outlines this penguin problem, and explains seven (7) branding and packaging techniques proven effective by hundreds of his clients that advisors can use right away to attract more high-quality clients, and make more money, a lot more money. Attendees can also obtain a copy of Bills new book The Problem With Penguins.

What Advisors Should Know About Policyholder Protection in the event of Insolvency (ID # 18557 - LIFE, A&S)
Gordon Duning, Assuris
An educational session for financial advisors on how Assuris coverage protects their clients in the event their life insurance company becomes insolvent (www.assuris.ca) . Assuris is a not-for-profit organization funded by the life insurance industry that protects Canadian policyholders against loss of benefits should their life insurance company fail. Our role is to protect policyholders by minimizing loss of benefits and ensuring a quick transfer of their polices to a solvent company where their benefits will continue to be honoured.

10 Things You Need to Know About E&O Insurance (ID # 18558 - LIFE, A&S, GENERAL)
Roberta Tasson, The Magnes Group
Agents often say the reason I purchase errors and omissions insurance is because I have to as a condition of licensing. In an increasingly litigious society Errors and omissions insurance is too important to take for granted. It is needed to protect your assets from the risk of seizure as a result of a legal dispute. How does the policy really work? What are your obligations to the insurer? Which terms and definitions in the policy can have the most impact on your coverage? Which extensions of coverage have the most benefit? Our speaker will outline 10 important things you need to know about purchasing E&O insurance.

Alberta Insurance Council Update (ID # 18559 - LIFE, A&S, GENERAL, ADJUSTER)
Joanne Abram and Warren Martinson, Alberta Insurance Council
Always an engaging and entertaining speakers, Joanne Abram and Warren Martinson offer a unique perspective on regulatory changes and developments that will impact insurance brokers. This is your opportunity to hear about the latest trends in insurance regulation in Alberta, and to ask questions directly of the Alberta Insurance Council.

Opportunities in BRIC Markets (ID# 18560- LIFE)
Gavin Graham, Excel Funds Management Inc.
In his presentation, Mr. Graham will discuss the changing face of BRIC economies. Growing economies such as India and China are changing the historical perception of 'emerging markets'.

BRIC markets represent a majority of the world's population and more than 80% of the global growth in the year 2009. However, these economies are underrepresented in a typical Canadian investor portfolio. These markets are the future global leaders. The growth of these markets is built on a foundation of young demographics, accelerating GDP, urbanization and a growing middle class.

There are merits to an explicit asset allocation to BRIC markets, rather than an implicit approach with global products.

Excel Funds focuses exclusively on BRIC markets with on-the-ground portfolio management in each region. Active research is a competitive advantage in these growing economies. The presentation will discuss the value of on-the-ground research and why our investment process has created a successful long-term track record

Helping Your "Uninsurable" Clients (ID 18561 Life, A&S)
Michael Taylor, Hunter McCorquodale Inc.
Every year roughly 1 in 20 life insurance life insurance applications and more than 1 in 10 disability insurance applications in Canada are declined. As an advisor, you want to explore every possible option when this happens to one of your clients. Although not always well known, there are markets that can provide alternative solutions in the majority of these situations. This presentation will provide an overview of alternative or special risk insurance markets, including a new life product designed specifically for medical declines. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of what to do the next time a client's application for life or disability insurance is declined.

The Benefits of Debit/Credit Underwriting (ID 18562 Life)
Ross Morton and Tom Belanger, Unity Life of Canada, a Foresters Company
In part one, sponsored speaker Ross Morton, with over 40 years experience in the international and Canadian reinsurance and life insurance industries, will provide invaluable insights will help you understand current underwriting practices and the direct impact they can have on your business. Part two of this presentation features Tom Belanger, who has devoted his 35 year career to training and development of life insurance advisors. Tom's engaging style and deep experience makes even complex subjects simple to understand. The focus of this workshop will be on understanding Preferred Term products and the unique underwriting approach, designed to maximize your sales.

Advanced sales strategies involving cash value life insurance (ID 18563 Life)
R. Jordan Tanner, Canada Life
Beginning with a brief overview of how participating life insurance works, the audience will be introduced to a series of advanced sales strategies illustrating how participating and universal life insurance may be used together. In combination, these product solutions can help ensure a client's assets are managed effectively while they're alive, and their wishes are carried out after death. Using participating and universal life insurance solutions together helps distribute estate assets in an orderly fashion and minimize taxes.

Introduction to Limited Pay Universal Life (ID 18569) & Raising Financial Literate Teens (ID 18570 - Life)
Ken Doll and Noreen Santer, Equitable Life
Part One: Equitable Life's Limited Pay UL combines the benefits of a Universal Life policy with the guarantees that the marketplace and clients are looking for now. Limited Pay UL also helps clients pay for their Insurance faster and with a lower lifetime cost. This is a product who's time is here!
Part Two: Parents play a vital role in shaping kids' ideas and attitudes about money. Teens who learn healthy money habits at home are generally more financially literate than kids only taught about money at school. Many teens will graduate from high school without the skills needed to manage basic household expenses. Learn how to raise financially literate teens.

"Napkin Based Selling" (ID 18565 Life, A&S)
Neil Friesen, Industrial Alliance Pacific
Tony Gordon once said, "This is a simple business, this is not an easy business."
We will take a look at some simple selling ideas that have been collected over the years and can be delivered "on a napkin". We will cover all areas such as:
-Life insurance planning
-Estate planning
-Business Planning
- Critical Illness
-Disability
- Retirement
Come prepared to be interactive and to participate.

The changed world of Exempt Market Products (ID 18566 Life)
Mark Wainberg and Ron Lastwika, Quadrexx
Any individual that is in the business of trading in exempt market securities in a Canadian jurisdiction will have to become registered as a "dealing representative" under a EMD registration. As an individual, you need to take and pass the Exempt Markets Products Exam or the Canadian Securities Course Exam , and be employed by a firm that is registered (or is applying for registration) as an EMD in each province where you have existing or prospective clients.
We will discuss:
" As a selling agent now after Sept. 28, 2010 what are you going to do?
" How you will be able to differentiate yourself and add value to your practice.
" Review investment asset classes that can increase practice value.

Income Delivery Strategies and Tools (ID 18568 Life, A&S)
Tim McLeary and Ryan Lightfoot, Standard Life
In today's market place it is widely agreed that there has been a shift from the accumulation focus of the investment world to income delivery. As baby boomers continue to retire and move forward into their retirement years the retirement income market has become one of the core focuses of Investment Professionals.

Standard Life is well positioned in this market. Our goal is to provide Investment Professionals with the ability to provide their Clients with the Income Delivery Strategies their Clients are looking for. During this session, it is our goal to offer you options…but more importantly, the ability to use our tools & materials so you are able to apply them to your business with ease.

Oil & Gas Investment Opportunities in Western Canada (ID 18567 Life)
Mario Molina, Rogers Oil + Gas
Mario's presentation will be on the global oil demand and what part Western Canada will play in the near future to fulfill that demand. He will also be speaking on how Western Canada is benefiting from new technological advances in the oil industry.

Click here for a tentative schedule of events!