Some readers will know me, and others will not. I am seeking feedback on how this résumé strikes you. It could be slightly modified to send to other businesses in relation to their staff. The suggestion was to do this as an alternative to a brochure. What do you think? I welcome comments on the blog or privately. Thanks,

Tony

A.E. Ratcliffe, résumé in PDF

Stephanie recently obtained Continuing Education (CE) accreditation for her Money Finder BOOTCAMP (for advisors) from The Institute for Advanced Financial Education (The Institute), the body that awards the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) designations. I support and encourage education providers to obtain accreditation for their sessions from The Institute, so I sent Stephanie a note when I saw she had done so. This led to her request for a guest post to help explain the importance of these credits to CLU and CHS holders in particular.

Here is the post: The CE Mystery Solved

You are invited to the hottest culinary event of the year!

hot chefs, cool bEATS is a celebration of the city’s most innovative and creative restaurants, chefs and food trucks! Experience a variety of culinary and beverage delights from a street festival to a brasserie, from a sushi bar to a vodka bar. Stroll through Granville Island and Little India, experience wines of the world, craft beer samples, a tequila bar, and St. Germain cocktail bar. The evening culminates with a spectacular dessert and live auction featuring experiences created by the Chefs of Culinary Team Canada.

Live musical performances, action-packed culinary competitions and other surprises await you at this exclusive culinary event.

Funds raised at hot chefs, cool bEATS 2012 will support Culinary Team Canada in their quest for gold at the Culinary Olympics in Germany in October 2012, and to the High School Culinary Challenge, which provides students wishing to pursue careers in the culinary industry with scholarship and apprenticeship opportunities.

hot chefs, cool bEATS participating restaurants, chefs and food trucks include:

• BISTECCA ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE – Chef Sonny Sung
• DRIFT FOOD TRUCK – Nevin Fenske & Kara Fenske
• DUCHESS BAKE SHOP – Garner Beggs
• ELM CAFE – Nate Box
• FILISTIX – Ariel del Rosario
• GURU – Chef Deependra Singh
• TRANSCEND COFFEE – Poul Mark
• TRES CARNALES – Chris, Daniel, Edgar
• WILD TANGERINE – Chef Judy Wu
• The Chefs of Culinary Team Canada

hot chefs, cool bEATS
Saturday, April 21, 2012, 6:30 pm
Shaw Conference Centre (9797 Jasper Ave.)
Tickets: $150 per person
Dress: Street Chic
Tickets are available at www.hotchefs.ca

A poster is also available here

Yes, exposure is important, and more will be done online. But, my question is how consumers feel they do find the best insurance advisor, agent, broker for their needs. Do you read the bio, do you assess education and professional designations, do you like to read content that may or may not have been written by the advisor, do you just care about the lowest cost, do you evaluate your comfort with the advisor, or do you do something else? Remember, we are talking about finding the best for your specific situation.

Travelling the trains and underground with luggage

Three walking tours – a great way to see a part of the city

My photo sets for the UK and Paris trip are here.

Advisors were interested in learning about the use of social media in relation to their current and future clients, and we were left with advice to consider. As a client or perspective client of a financial or insurance advisor, what do you expect to see in the way of social media usage by your advisor?

For those interested in my academic pursuits, particularly the journey to the PhD, my other account is @aeratcliffe.

Speaking of identity, it is interesting how difficult it is to change perceptions. I went to a seminar the other day, and my company name was shown as Ratcliffe Investments. This has never been my name, and someone just thought of me as the investment guy. This hasn’t been an active area of business for quite some time. Now, just to be known as the insurance guy!

Over the past year in particular, I have handled a number of referrals generated from internet enquiries made through a colleague’s website. Some have been excellent, serious requests for information, while others have been seeking the lowest price for life, disability, or health insurance, often without interest in taking time to understand the different factors involved in providing a reasonably accurate quote. Term life insurance is the easiest to quote, and there are many sites that promote ‘free’ anonymous quotes (while others still want your details to contact you). That is okay, if you understand the various types of term insurance, preferred rates, smoker definitions, etc. and, hopefully, you have at least considered the permanent insurance options. When it comes to disability, critical illness, and long-term care insurance, many more factors must be considered in quoting. Health insurance means you really need to understand the differences between the lowest and highest priced products, and travel insurance offers a number of cautions to ensure you are buying the one right for you.

My suggestion, self-serving as it may appear, is to focus on finding an independent broker with whom you feel comfortable. This person will guide you through a process of needs assessment and determination of the best approach for your personal needs, desires, and budget. Some brokers will represent a small number of companies with which they are comfortable and familiar, while others may consider a wider range. This is certainly a factor in considering the one to work with, and it is certainly a reason to assess how different brokers are approaching your situation. Even an agent working for one company may have a good solution, but the concern arises if comparisons are not made. Insurance products do differ! Most agents and brokers are compensated by commission from the insurance company, so all of the quotes and advice are free. There is no need to simply try and use a free online program when you can supplement the information with informative assistance.

So, without naming names, what have your experiences been in purchasing life and living benefits related products? How did you ultimately make your decision?

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This is the blog of Antony (Tony) Ratcliffe of Ratcliffe Wealth & Risk Management, operating in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Tony is an independent Life and Accident & Sickness Insurance Agent and Broker. Blog entries are an expression of the author’s personal opinions, and the insurance companies represented will not be held liable in any way for the opinions expressed herein.

In March, I will complete the online portion of another seminar I attended in the fall. Since I did not need the credits for 2011, taking it in March will give me an additional 6 hours for 2012 for The Institute and count toward my licensing requirements. What else do I need? For licensing, we do 15 hours approved for the life insurance license and 15 hours for accident and sickness. Often, a session counts toward both. For my Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation, I require 20 hours, including 10 hours that are directly fraud related.

The requirements add up, so it is important to get started early and not leave it until the last moment. Learning is an ongoing activity. What CE credit do you have to do?

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This is the blog of Antony (Tony) Ratcliffe of Ratcliffe Wealth & Risk Management, operating in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Tony is an independent Life and Accident & Sickness Insurance Agent and Broker. Blog entries are an expression of the author’s personal opinions, and the insurance companies represented will not be held liable in any way for the opinions expressed herein.

In its 57th year, the Advocis Banff School was held at the Banff Centre, from August 21 to 25, 2011. This is a continuing professional development (CPD) and networking experience for financial and insurance advisors and planners, run on a volunteer basis (including speakers) by advisors for advisors. It was my first year attending. In past years, my CPD has been achieved through the designation programs I have taken and by attending various continuing education (CE) sessions. This year, my CE needs have changed.

As a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), I am now required to complete 30 hours of CE credit approved by The Institute for Advanced Financial Education (The Institute). These hours are not necessarily the same as those approved to meet provincial licensing requirements, as originators of other CE sessions may apply for licensing body recognition but not necessarily for approval through The Institute’s CE Accreditation Service. Conversely, those courses approved through The Institute are often approved for provincial licensing (I write of my experience in Alberta). Commencing in 2012, approval by The Institute will also be required for 10 CE credit hours to maintain the Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) designation. I, along with others, took advantage of the recent opportunity to exchange the Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) designation for the CHS. The 10 hours is included in the 30 required for CLU holders.

Banff School provides participants a significant number of CE credits toward The Institute and insurance body licensing requirements. It was one of the main reasons I attended. However, it is not the only reason that I and others chose to be there, with many repeating for a number of years (29 seemed to be the most). On the first full day, I found myself wondering why others did register. Admittedly, I was reflecting on my doctoral research interest in CPD. I wondered if it was truly for learning, if personal learning environments/networks evolved from meeting others, and whether it was just a good excuse for a vacation in the mountains.

I can’t presume to speak for everyone, but based on my observations and experience, along with comments made by others, there are a number of reasons why Banff School continues to enjoy its success. As mentioned, it is a good place to get CE credits (anticipating about 20 approved by The Institute) in a condensed period of time. The learning that came from the sessions included updates, new information, and reminders of what we have learned in the past. Many speakers were inspirational. From the social side, it is obviously a networking opportunity with old and new friends and colleagues. During breaks, meal times, evening events, and other activities (such as golf), there was a reasonable time in which to do more than just pass on the way to sessions. Also, if you haven’t already imagined, this is a beautiful location in the Canadian Rockies, so it serves as a vacation destination. I’m sure that many enjoy the short getaway from the office. The combination of technical training, CE credits, networking, and inspiration certainly made the trip worthwhile for me.

Back to my thoughts as a PhD research student, I can only assume (bad to do) that there is some development of personal learning networks (PLN), especially due to contacts made with insurance industry company representatives, the speakers, and others. I’m not sure if advisor participants tend to consult each other for learning purposes throughout the year. However, to the extent that PLNs are maintained, those PLNs and the other resources to which we are exposed can become part of our personal learning environment (PLE). I would love to hear from anyone who attended, in this or past years, and is active online in what can be seen as networking and/or learning in the insurance industry.

Photos from Banff and the Advocis Banff School

“Advocis, The Financial Advisors Association of Canada, is the oldest and largest voluntary professional membership association of financial advisors and planners in Canada.”