A two-day hybrid event designed for independent financial professionals across Canada. Join industry experts and peers for timely discussions on issues shaping today’s advice landscape, along with opportunities to connect, learn, and exchange ideas.
The IFB National Summit features 10 expert-led sessions, covering key industry trends, practice management strategies, and insights to help strengthen your practice and support your clients.
Check out some of the exciting sessions below and keep your eyes posted for more to be announced!
As retirement planning evolves, advisors are increasingly expected to help clients navigate not only financial decisions, but also the complex lifestyle, housing, caregiving, and family considerations that accompany aging. This practical session introduces a structured senior-care planning toolkit designed to help advisors confidently lead these conversations before a crisis occurs.
Participants will learn how to integrate senior-care discussions into their existing planning process using proven frameworks, conversation guides, and readiness assessments. The session will explore how housing transitions, health changes, family dynamics, and care considerations can impact long-term financial outcomes and overall retirement success.
Presented By
Amanda Richards
Chartwell Retirement Residences
Amanda Richards is the Senior Director of Sales Strategy at Chartwell Retirement Residences and a recognized thought leader in senior living in Canada. She brings deep expertise in how older adults and families navigate complex, emotionally charged transitions, and how professionals can better support those decisions with empathy, clarity, and confidence.
Amanda regularly delivers continuing education programs that help advisors and professionals across industries understand the senior living landscape, evolving consumer expectations, and the behavioural dynamics that influence decision-making. In her role at Chartwell, she provides enterprise leadership for national sales strategy and business development inclusive of leading strategic initiatives that drive growth, strengthen market positioning, and enhance customer engagement.
Amanda holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees and maintains professional designations as a Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA) and an Elder Planning Counselor (EPC).
Building Permanent Clients in the Coming Benefit Plan Boom
Benefit plans are about to become bigger, more expensive and more complicated. In this session, we’ll compare the Life and Benefit sides of the business, the advantages of each, and the organizational support available to advisors. Attendees will discover the value of prioritizing client building and retention over selling, and how and why how and why conscientious and unique services will turn a sale today into clients for decades. The session also explores the key metrics behind building a successful block of business, along with the novel 6 Tricks of Testimonial Letters.
Presented By
Mark Kempf
KEMPF
After a 45 year sales career, the last 33 at a large brokerage focused on Employee Benefits, (clients up to 1,000 employees) as well as Executive Life and Disability, Mark retired from client work and published Unfurl Your Sales (2025). He now shares his elevated sales craft concepts through advisor and team coaching, and public speaking.
Where Do We Go From Here? Embracing Technology to Attract Tomorrow's Insurance Clients
Today's insurance consumer researches and compares online long before ever speaking with an advisor. This session helps advisors reposition themselves as trusted, visible experts within their target market by building an authentic digital presence that reinforces, rather than replaces, the advisor relationship. We examine what it means to become an insurance influencer, someone whose online brand, content, and touchpoints consistently attract and educate prospective clients, and outline a practical framework for streamlining a website, social channels, and content cadence so they work together to build trust. The session then turns to technology reshaping client-facing work: online needs-analysis tools and eligibility questionnaires, and how artificial intelligence is beginning to influence underwriting and advisor-client communication through automated workflows. Attendees leave with a clear, actionable view of the digital and AI trends most likely to affect how they attract, serve, and retain clients, particularly younger, digitally native buyers, over the next several years.
Presented By
Richard S. Pyper
Monarch Wealth
Richard S. Pyper is the President of Customplan Financial Advisors, a national MGA, where he helps advisors build practical, needs-based financial practices. With a growing focus on digital client engagement, Richard has spent recent years exploring how online tools, needs-analysis technology, and social media can help advisors reach and serve a new generation of insurance buyers.
Kevin Pledge
Kevin Pledge is the President of Acceptiv, a technology led workbench for Advisors and Underwriters. Using leading technology to enhance and expediate the issuance of life insurance to consumers in a cost efficient and user-friendly way.
Leveraging Financial Planning Software to Unlock Business Opportunities
Using real-world case studies, this session demonstrates how financial planning software can be used not just to build plans, but to uncover new business opportunities. It helps advisors identify where clients need more advice, where value is being left on the table, and how to act on it.
Presented By
Mike Logashov
RazorPlan
Mike Logashov is the Product Manager for Financial Planning at Objectway Solutions Inc. (formerly Nest Wealth Solutions Inc.), where he leads the design and development of financial planning tools for wealth professionals. With over 15 years of experience spanning client advisory and product management, Mike combines deep planning expertise with a focus on building technology that makes advice more intuitive and impactful. He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU).
The Complexity of a Complete Financial Protection Strategy
Your clients don't live their lives in product silos—and neither should their protection strategy. In this joint session, Tour+Med and Humania Assurance will show advisors how to build comprehensive financial protection plans that span travel, health events, and every stage of life. Through real-world case studies, attendees will explore common gaps in travel insurance coverage, the financial risks associated with medical emergencies abroad, and the growing opportunity to protect visitors to Canada, including parents, international students, and new permanent residents. The session will also highlight how Humania's ProHealth and IWME solutions complement travel insurance to create a more complete protection strategy. Advisors will leave with practical conversation starters, cross-selling opportunities, and a repeatable framework for identifying unmet client needs, strengthening relationships, and growing their business through more holistic client conversations.
Presented By
Marie-Michèle Duchesneau
Tourmed
Marie-Michele Duchesneau serves as Director of Customer Success. With 13 years at Tourmed, she leads marketing, communications, strategic partnerships, and broker enablement through training, tools, and resources.
Louis-Charles Laliberté
Tourmed
Louis-Charles Laliberté is National Director of Sales at Tourmed. With 14+ years in financial services, he specializes in partner network development, distribution growth, and delivering value through strong collaborative partnerships.
Alex Mustafa
Humania
Alex Mustafa is National Director, Individual Insurance at Humania Assurance. He brings 10+ years of experience in insurance and financial services. He has built high-performing teams, driven business growth, led sales, and strengthened strategic partnerships through innovative and collaborative leadership.
Adding Value to Client Conversations Through Assuris Protection
Assuris is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting Canadian policyholders if their life and health insurance company fails. This session will provide financial advisors with a comprehensive overview of the organization, Assuris' protective measures, along with real-life scenarios to illustrate how these protections are applied in practice. Assuris will also share resources and tools available to support client education so you can confidently reassure clients that their benefits remain secure, even in unexpected situations.
Presented By
Adrien Bonhomme
Assuris
Adrien Bonhomme, Assistant Vice President, Communications, joined Assuris in 2023 and leads efforts to raise awareness of Assuris protection among policyholders. He oversees a team focused on strengthening Assuris’ credibility as the expert in protecting Canadian life and health insurance policyholders and establishing the organization as the authority on life and health insurer resolution in Canada.
The Next Wave of Advisor Liability: AI, Cybercrime, and Documentation Failures
AI, cyber fraud, and evolving client expectations are creating new challenges for financial advisors. As technology transforms the way advisors interact with clients and deliver advice, new sources of professional liability are emerging. This session will explore how AI, cybercrime, social engineering, and increased regulatory scrutiny are reshaping advisor risk. Participants will learn why strong documentation remains one of the most effective tools for managing exposure in an increasingly digital environment.
Presented By
Joanna Reid
Willis Canada Inc
Joanna Reid is the National Leader of Commercial Programs at WTW Canada and has spent more than 25 years specializing in professional liability, Errors & Omissions insurance, and affinity programs. She partners with professional associations, financial advisors, and insurers across Canada to develop insurance solutions, analyze claims trends, and promote risk management best practices. A frequent industry speaker, Joanna provides practical insights on emerging risks, claims prevention, and E&O coverage to help professionals better protect their businesses and serve their clients with confidence.
Theresa Mukoyi
Willis Canada Inc
Director, Client Relationship Management
With over 15 years of experience in commercial insurance and risk management, Theresa collaborates closely with clients to design and manage customized programs that address complex and evolving risks. She brings specialized expertise in professional liability programs supported by a strong focus on service excellence and long-term client relationships.
Explore the exempt market landscape, including regulatory requirements, compliance, due diligence, risks and rewards, advisor opportunities, and the role of exempt securities in effective portfolio construction.
Presented By
Peter Jarman
Axcess Capital
Peter Jarman (BSc), Partner and COO at Axcess Capital, oversees domestic and international business development. With more than 25 years of experience in private capital markets, he has served as a product issuer and private-market asset manager. A published author and speaker, Peter chairs the Axcess Investment Review Committee and brings deep expertise in exempt-market distribution.
Modelling the Power of Personal Pension Plans for Entrepreneurial Clients
This session examines how IPPs and PPPs can enhance retirement and succession planning for incorporated professionals and entrepreneurs. Using a practical case study and financial planning software, participants will compare pension strategies with traditional RRSP and corporate investment approaches, assessing impacts on retirement income, after-tax cash flow, tax efficiency, and succession assets.
Presented By
Jean-Pierre Laporte
Personal Pension Plans
Jean-Pierre Laporte is the co-founder of the Personal Pension Plan (PPP), a leading retirement solution that helps incorporated professionals maximize retirement savings and tax efficiency. Before founding Integris Pension Management Corp. in 2011, he practiced as a Bay Street pension lawyer with several top Toronto law firms. A recognized expert in pension policy, he has contributed to pension reform across Canada and appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. In 2012, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his leadership in pension innovation. Today, Jean-Pierre educates professionals on PPP and (Canadian Physicians’ Pension Plan) CPPP strategies to build a secure and comfortable retirement.
Global Medical Care Worldwide: Understanding Health Care Choices
Examine how Global Medical Care relates to Canada’s healthcare system, including access to private and international care, specialized medical services, treatment pathways, and situations in which these options may be relevant.
Presented By
Sona Sargis
Best Doctors Canada
With more than 15 years in insurance and business development, Sona has built and led hundreds of advisors and is passionate about helping brokers bring meaningful, innovative healthcare solutions to their clients. Her work focuses on strategic partnerships, advisor growth, and expanding access to advanced diagnostics, specialists, and international care.
Rohit Sharma
Best Doctors Canada
Rohit Sharma, RHU, COT, MDRT, is Director of Sales at Best Doctors Canada Insurance Services and a health and life insurance professional with more than 20 years of industry and leadership experience. He leads sales, broker partnerships, and business development initiatives for Global Medical Care, working with advisors and industry partners to expand access to specialized healthcare solutions in Canada and internationally.
Reserve your room by Sept 28th for the group rate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
About the Event
What is the IFB National Summit?
The IFB National Summit is a two-day hybrid event for independent financial professionals across Canada, featuring expert-led sessions on industry trends, practice management, and strategies to strengthen your practice and support your clients.
The IFB National Summit combines our two most popular events - the IFB Toronto Summit and the IFB Virtual Summit, - bringing together more people, perspectives, and voices, into one streamlined event.
Is this event hybrid?
Yes. You can join us in person in Mississauga, ON, or attend virtually via live stream from anywhere in Canada.
When and where will the event take place?
The Summit will take place October 28–29, 2026, at the Mississauga Grand Banquet & Event Centre and will be livestreamed to our virtual audience through Zoom Events.
Sessions will run on October 28th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET, and from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM ET on the 29th.
For in-person attendees, breakfast & networking will begin at 8:00 AM.
Please see the agenda for a detailed breakdown of each day.
**A note for our virtual attendees in Pacific, Central and Mountain time zones:**
**A note for our virtual attendees in Pacific, Central & Mountain time zones:**
We know a 9:00 AM ET start means an early morning if you're joining us virtually from other time zones. However, we don’t want that to stop you from registering, so we've built in some flexibility to make sure you can still fully participate and earn your CE credit, even if the live start time doesn't work for your morning. You can read more about it in the Virtual Attendance section of the FAQ.
How many CE credits can I earn?
Attendees can earn up to 10 hours of CE credit. Each session is approved for Life, FP Canada, and MFDA requirements.
CE credits are only issued for the sessions you are physically present at (or logged into for virtual attendees). Attendance is carefully tracked and recorded in accordance with regulatory requirements.
In-Person Attendance
What's included with an in-person ticket?
Live access to all 10 keynote sessions. A hot breakfast will be served on both days, and lunch on the 28th. Your ticket also includes access to the exhibitor area, plus the chance to connect face-to-face with speakers, sponsors, and fellow attendees.
Is there a hotel discount available?
Yes. We've secured a group rate at the Holiday Inn Mississauga Toronto West & Hilton Garden Inn Toronto/Mississauga.
Holiday Inn
100 Britannia Road East, Mississauga, ON
Standard room, king bed - CA$151/night.
Reserve online here or call 1-800-660-8550 and reference the group code: IFB.
Hilton Garden Inn
100 Traders Boulevard, Mississauga, ON Standard Room, King Bed - CA$161/night
Tickets are not sent out in advance. We will have your badge with your name available to pick up at the door, which is also what we use to track your attendance.
Your badge must be scanned when you arrive and leave each day for your attendance to be tracked and for CE to be issued.
Virtual Attendance
What's included with a virtual ticket?
Live-stream access to all 10 keynote sessions, plus a virtual exhibitor area to explore from wherever you are.
Do I have to attend the live session to get CE credit?
For most attendees, yes — CE credits for virtual participants are normally earned by being logged into the live session. However, if you're tuning in from Pacific, Mountain, or Central time and the early start time doesn't work for you, you have an alternative. Full recordings of each session will be made available. You can earn your CE credit for the 9 AM and 10 AM (Eastern) sessions by watching the recording, provided you do so on the same day the session airs.
Will recordings be available for all attendees, or just those in PT/MT/CT?
Recordings will be available as a resource to all virtual attendees in the event lobby for 30 days following the event. CE credits are not issued by watching the recording. Exceptions will only be made to accommodate time-zone differences for early morning sessions. If further accommodations are required, please contact us at stephen@ifbc.ca.
Will I be able to ask the speaker questions during a session if I’m attending virtually?
Yes. Just like a typical virtual session, you will be able to input questions in the Q&A box during the session. An on-site team member will be monitoring the Zoom Q&A and share them during the Q&A.
Complete the registration form for your ticket type and make your payment.
Your registration will be confirmed once payment has been received. To pay by credit card over the phone, you can call us at 905-279-2729 / 1-888-654-3333.
What do I need to attend virtually?
A stable internet connection and a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Login details and access instructions will be sent ahead of the event to all registered virtual attendees.
What do I need to attend virtually?
A stable internet connection and a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Login details and access instructions will be sent out the week before of the event to all registered virtual attendees.
I purchased a virtual ticket, but I’d like to attend in-person. Can I come?
Yes! We would love to have you join us. Please notify us at general@ifbc.ca at least one week in advance of the event and we can transfer your ticket.
I am interested in attending, but I do not require any CE credits. Are other ticket options available?
Yes! We offer a ‘No CE’ ticket options at $75 plus tax for individuals would like to attend but do not require credits for any licenses.
You can register for this option online through the regular form or call our office at 1-888-654-3333.
Who can I contact with questions?
Have a question we haven't answered here?
Reach the IFB team at general@ifbc.ca or 1-888-654-3333.
IFB is a self-accrediting provider in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. For accreditation for RIBO licensed brokers in Ontario, IFB submits all material to RIBO Accreditation, and does not post RIBO credit categories or hours until formal confirmation is received. For accreditation for CFP designates and MFDA registrants, IFB submits all material to FP Canada accreditation, and does not post FP Canada or MFDA credit categories or hours until formal confirmation is received.
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