30 Aug

Our Favourite Day of the Year!

Bowfest 2019!

Our community of Bowen Island comes together at the end of every summer to put on the annual community festival, aptly named “Bowfest.” We have participated for more than a decade now, by sponsoring and volunteering to man the rides. This year, we were responsible for the inflatable Bungee Run that had kids straining to race against one another.

Giving out our signature Enjoy Your Life t-shirts celebrating each years event, and spotting these around the lower Mainland throughout the year has become a tradition for a generation of Bowen Islander, big and small. We would LOVE to get tagged if you see one of these t-shirts out and about. On facebook we are @allanfinancial and on instagram we are @enjoyyourlife.af

If you were there you know all about it, but if not, you can tell from the photos that we had a blast catching up with friends and clients all day long!

15 Aug

Like Family

Change is inevitable, but certain things will always stay the same. One of those constants in *our* world is Kal Sangha who just celebrated 25 years with Allan Financial. She’s seen our business and our family grow, but one thing is the same – she’s always here for our clients.

02 Jul

Next Steps

We are thrilled to announce that Rachel Rogers is a Licensed Life Insurance broker at Allan Financial. Rachel joined the company six years ago and has advanced through progressively more responsible positions in Client Service and Product Design to her current role as Director of Client Service.

Rachel brings her wealth of experience to this new role providing services to individuals seeking life insurance and tax-advantaged investment strategies. We are pleased that she will now advise clients on these issues at Allan Financial.

Please join us in congratulating Rachel on this exciting next step in her career!

As Rachel says here, “Having good people in your corner is key to helping you make the right choices.”  We couldn’t have said it any better.

01 May

We have lots of exciting news at Allan Financial to share with you!

The first is that Hardeep Arreaga, our Director of Underwriting, is on her second maternity leave with baby boy Cruz joining his brother Kiaan. At this point in time, Hardeep plans to return around May of 2020. We can’t wait to meet this new addition to the Allan Financial family!

The news of growth and change doesn’t stop there though. You’ve all gotten to know and appreciate Katie Erickson in your dealings with Ross, and we are pleased to say that she has been in training to take on the role of Underwriting Associate. The addition of her natural care and concern to this position is such a natural fit for clients during the many complexities of the underwriting process.

But you needn’t fear that once Katie transitions to Underwriting that you will need to rely upon Ross alone to manage all the many details of his life! We have brought a new team member, Laura Jane “LJ” Klassen, to be the Executive Assistant to both Ross and Danielle as of April 1st. Coming from a background in program coordination, working with youth in and around the Downtown East Side, Laura Jane brings the ability to (in her own words) “herd cats gently and effectively”. If you need anything of Ross or Danielle, LJ will now be your go-to contact at laurajane@allanfinancial.com.

 

Always growing and stretching into change, just like our clients!

11 Apr

More Than Life Insurance

You’d never guess what one of our clients is now able to buy because of the investment aspect of her policy. While everyone’s financial goals are different, our clients typically have something enjoyable they are planning for.

Not your run of the mill life insurance policy – for not so run of the mill people!

 

09 Jan

Who Knew?

When we partnered with Kiva 3 years ago, our initial goal was to create $250,000 in small loans to women around the world. We never imagined what was possible . . .

Watch our short documentary on how this all came about!

03 Dec

Wait, charitable giving can be “smart finance”?

It may seem counter-intuitive to say that giving away money can make smart financial sense, but we’ve found that to be exactly the case!

We all know that there are tax benefits to giving to charitable organizations, but the WAY in which we give can also have a huge impact.

This past year we set up an endowed fund with the Bowen Island Community Foundation. The goal of the newly named “Foxglove Fund” is to provide bursaries for preschool on Bowen Island for families who otherwise could not afford it.

Instead of fundraising every year for this bursary, having an endowment means that the interest earned on the endowment fund is distributed back instead. Ensuring the sustainability of this cause far into the future.

That’s what we call smart finance!

11 Sep

Nothing can dampen community spirit!

We have roots on Bowen Island, and every year participate in the annual end of summer festival “Bowfest”.

Our team typically assists with one large field game on the day, and this year we were looking forward to manning the inflatable (!) Human Hungry Hungry Hippo game. Alas, the weather gods were not kind, and the games company insisted that it was too dangerous to offer this when the inflatable would be getting rained on.

So, we made the best of our time, catching up with friends and clients all day long. And if you happen to see one of our signature Tshirts around, let it be a reminder that NOTHING dampens our spirits!

12 Jun

Kiva Loans Are More Than Just Money

Together we’ve raised $612,245 in small business loans!

Hear the story of how 23-year-old Rwandan Jean Bosco, used a Kiva loan to start his own biofuel business, managing his district’s poor waste system by turning their trash into fuel.

His solution was so innovative that this past June, he had the opportunity to meet ex-President Barack Obama and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in the US, and was asked to join them in a panel discussion about small businesses.

Reflecting on his $5,100 Kiva loan, funded through 145 lenders all over the world, he says –

“For me, it’s like a debt that I owe to people, not in terms of money, but a debt in terms of trust. Because these people are giving you money, and they didn’t come to see first-hand what you’re doing. So you need to pay back in terms of making it happen just like you said you would…”

See the full story on Kiva’s blog.

18 Apr

Building for the Future

It’s hard starting out today, especially in the Lower Mainland, but having good people in your corner is key.

14 Mar

Feeling Safe

Ensuring our clients feel comfortable and safe in every growth phase of their life is what it’s all about for us. Everyone’s journey is so beautifully different, and the fact that we get to be alongside for this journey is always a privilege.

Hear the heart of one such core story.

01 Mar

We Answer Some Common Questions About Life Insurance

There are certain questions we hear a lot when folks are interested in life insurance. Things like “How much insurance do I really need?”, “What’s the difference between all the types of policies out there?”, or “What is the process of getting life insurance like?”

So we’ve put together an FAQ to help you out!

16 Feb

Making Dreams Come True

We love hearing about the dreams and goals that we’ve enabled our clients to reach. Everyone has that special something they’d love to do if they had the means. Helping this happen never gets old!

16 Feb

A Throwback to Last Year and Forum Magazine

It’s a throwback to last year when Ross, Danielle, and Chriselle were on the cover of our industry publication!

Every industry seems to be changing. Insurance is too. Hard to believe that such a stalwart of traditional commerce can change, but clients are requiring this sector to keep pace with how they now expect to do business.

Hear how we’ve managed to have success by embracing change. It’s never too late!

Read the full article from Forum Magazine, Revive Your Firm.

 

22 Jan

More Than Life Insurance

You’d never guess what one of our clients is now able to buy because of the investment aspect of her policy. While everyone’s financial goals are different, our clients typically have something enjoyable they are planning for.

Not your run of the mill life insurance policy – for not so run of the mill people!

30 Nov

Concrete Caring

Caring can be uncomfortable.

Caring can shake things up, inject passion and purpose into the workplace and transform our understanding of how corporate social responsibility can function in a small-business context.

After our team participated this Spring, I was inspired to sleep on the street alongside other CEOs.

And close to a million dollars was collectively raised for Covenant House to support homeless youth.

Leading up to the Sleep Out I was pretty scared about the prospect of spending the night on the pavement (see Ross is Sleeping on the Street on November 16!).

You can also see the impact this had on our team earlier this year – see Team Building with a Mission.

20 Nov

Life Insurance is no laughing matter

Or is it?!

Life Insurance can feel scary so the last thing you might expect to see are our clients having a blast.

We love being ahead of the curve, doing what matters most for our clients, and pioneering custom products that are in our clients’ best interests.

So when we had the opportunity to take a group of clients and their friends who they had referred to us, where else would we go but the circus?

Putting the Joy in Enjoy Your Life. ?

Thank you so much to our co-sponsors HUB Financial, SSQ Insurance and Manulife Financial who support us in these community-building experiences.

25 Oct

Happy Friday with Paperclip Law

Many thanks to Elizabeth Mah from Paperclip Law for presenting at our last Happy Friday event!

07 Jun

The Madness of the Real-Estate Market

The real estate surge in Vancouver continues to push families to purchase their homes, condos and even live/work spaces in surrounding communities in Squamish, Bowen Island, and the Sunshine Coast. To those who relocate, there’s an excitement of making new friendships with like-minded people holding similar interests towards family life and health living. 

The facilities for sports like ice hockey, figure skating, swimming and gymnastics in the outlying communities do not have the capacity to meet the demands of their new residents, particularly in Squamish which has seen a major influx of newly married couples with young children.  

Civic leaders need to put solutions in place that don’t force a dramatic increase in property taxes or result in excessive user fees. Good listening, planning, and goal setting will be needed by all interested parties. 

The madness of the Vancouver real estate marketplace has had a positive impact on the life insurance business of which I am a part. Record high mortgages have become normalized here. So covering that good debt and the income replacement needed to keep a family stable in the case of a claim has never been more important. 

Many never dreamed they would have to move out of their beloved city… but wise financial decisions and smaller community values have never failed us. 

 What issues are you finding in your community backyard, while you enjoy your new life outside the big city? 

 Want a snicker? Check out the ‘debt worth’ client by Ross Allan. See anyone you know?

08 May

We Got This – You Can Too

If you know us, you already know that we do things a bit differently. I mean, how else would you explain the fact that a life insurance company has an open weekly “Happy Friday” in the office for partners and clients?

So it probably won’t surprise you to hear that we are once again stepping out boldly into new territory.

While Allan Financial has been in business since 1984, we owe much of our longevity to not only all of our amazing clients who have stayed with us since the very beginning but equally to our responsiveness to change.

Through the decades, we’ve gone through many different changes. One was focusing solely on life insurance and letting go of being an overall financial advisory firm. Then there was the 2008 economic downturn. And along the way, many different insurance products we sell have been redesigned, eliminated, and new rules put into place. 

It’s never been easy, but by focusing on being adept at navigating change, we’ve managed to grow in some amazing ways. 

We’d love to share our thoughts on how you might also navigate the changes in your own business. Download our article on “A Tale of Transformation”.

 

Old School Tips for Financial Advisors

 

17 Mar

Bowen in the News!

Most of us have had to go through reinvention at some point in our lives, and while it is never an easy path, we always knew it was crucial for us to remaining relevant.

We’re pretty pleased, and honestly, a bit amazed, to have such a high profile feature. We hope you enjoy seeing a bit of a behind-the-scenes view of Allan Financial. Read the full article from Forum Magazine, Revive Your Firm.


 





Bowen Innovation Series