ALIGNMENT Matters issue 23 – Family Matters

ALIGNMENT Matters issue 23 – Family Matters

ALIGNMENT Matters issue 23 [Family Matters] My wife, Mikaela and I just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. We’ve been together since 1999 which is over 17 years! The reason I mention this is because family matters to me and it matters to ALIGNED owners across Canada. We believe our shared values are part of what makes ALIGNED different + better than your average insurance broker.

I mention this because I deeply appreciate Mikaela’s support. Building a business, career and family isn’t easy. Every day, spouses, partners and family members work hard to help each other succeed. Success – however you define it – doesn’t come without sacrifices like late nights and long hours, travel, events during family time and more. All too often it’s the people who we love the most who don’t get the appreciation they deserve.

When I think about the relationships I’ve fostered over the years with clients, colleagues and partners, I’m struck by how similar these are to a successful marriage. That’s because at any stage in life, mutual appreciation is key a strong relationship.

Sadly, as is sometimes the case in marriages, some insurance buying clients may only feel appreciation or ‘the love’ when they raise concerns, push back or threaten to leave. Their insurance partner may be too focused on other things and perhaps too comfortable or complacent to appropriately appreciate what’s right there in front of them. This is not healthy or sustainable for either partner and that’s why we’ve built a culture of gratitude and appreciation here at ALIGNED.

That said, we want to pause and say “THANK YOU” because we are incredibly appreciative of your support and for the kind words and notes of encouragement that so many of you have and continue to share with us – it helps us know we’re on the right track!

We also wanted to mention that because we recognize your good word is the highest compliment, we have a formal referral program which many people have participated in and benefitted from.

In addition to wanting clients to always feel like valued and appreciated family members, it’s critical that our team feels the same way. This is why every ALIGNED employee is also an owner. Each one of us has ‘skin in the game’ and deeply appreciates every ALIGNED client. We also have flexible working hours and arrangements, a parental top up plan and generous benefits to ensure that our extended family members are taken care of so they can take care of our nearly 1,400 clients across Canada!

As always, please scroll down for new, practical & useful insights about trending Canadian insurance matters such as:

• Will your insurance respond to a data breach?
• How well do you know the ABC’s of D&O?
• Our referral program rewards your generousity
• ICYMI: adventure tourism can be covered, and
• We support the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario

Sincerely,

Andrew Clark, MBA, CAIB, RF, FCIP, RPLU
President & CEO
ALIGNED Insurance Inc.
www.linkedin.com/in/andrewclarkalignedinsurance

ALIGNMENT Matters issue 23

• [hot topic] Cyber security and data protection is a growing area of concern for businesses of all sizes. Despite this, most SME’s don’t buy data breach insurance. This means that many Canadian small businesses are at significant risk from internal data breaches caused deliberately or inadvertently by staff, consultants and/or contractors… READ MORE
• [101] Directors & Officers coverage is both complex and unfortunately poorly understood by many. Given our deep experience and expertise with D&O, we thought we’d go back to the basics and explain the 3 fundamentals. First off, a D&O policy is effectively an “all risk” liability insurance policy which means that everything that satisfies the definition of loss/claim and wrongful act is covered unless it’s excluded… READ MORE
• [thank you] Part of our growth comes from the kindness of people who refer clients to us. As such, we’re proud to clearly and broadly share the details of our referral programs. The programs we operate strictly adhere to the insurance broker referral program rules and regulations in each province. We consider a referral the highest compliment and have designed referral programs for licensed insurance brokers as well as non-licensed professionals who generously… READ MORE 
• [coverage] DYK the fastest growing sector of tourism in North America is adventure tourism? Exploring remote areas, travellers eagerly anticipate the unexpected! Adventure-seekers are taking part in hikes, trail rides, mountain biking, fishing charters, dog sled tours, guided tours, boat tours, snow shoeing, kayak and canoe tours, rock climbing, zip lines, white water rafting, hunting and more. While many thrill seeking activities can be considered high risk for insurance… READ MORE
• [give generously] As part of our commitment to give regularly, every month an ALIGNED Advocate selects a Canadian charity of their choice and ALIGNED makes a donation to that organization on their behalf. In recognition of the great work they do, Laura Van Vliet selected the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario… READ MORE

Thanks for reading ALIGNMENT Matters! To learn more about how we can deliver Canadian business insurance that’s ALIGNED with your bottom line call us today at 1-866-287-0448

© 2017 ALIGNED Insurance. All rights reserved. ALIGNMENT Matters issue 23 is a publication of ALIGNED Insurance.