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October 2009 Bulletin

News from The Benefit Specialists Corp.

From: The Benefit Specialists Corp. <sean.murray@telus.net>
Subject: News from The Benefit Specialists Corp.
Reply: sean.murray@telus.net

The Benefit Specialists Corp.

October 2009 Bulletin



Celebrating 10 Years of Business!

Thank you for all your support!
Just a Reminder,

As independent brokers we have the ability to go to any insurance company to get insurance quotes. If you are looking at your group benefit plan (or know of another company who is) and are wondering if you are using your dollars in the most efficient way possible please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you.

IN THIS ISSUE
ARE YOU HITTING HOME RUNS IN YOUR BUSINESS?
By Denise Baril
CEO, Marketing Matters
 
If you think about your business as a game of baseball, are you in control of where the business ball is landing or are you still just hoping the next strategy swing you take will knock it out of the park? more...

"CRASH TEST" YOUR RETIREMENT ASSETS:
WILL YOU SURVIVE?
By Kevin Wheeler, CFP, EPC, FMA
President, Living Benefit Solutions Inc.
 
Many Canadians today are blindly driving down the road to retirement unaware that a very likely scenario is going to take place. That scenario is a head on collision with our struggling Canadian healthcare system. more...

IMPORTANT NOTICE- Flu Vaccines in Alberta
Jennifer Creighton, TBSC     

Considering getting the flu shot this year?  The Alberta government has recently released new information which may help you make your decision. more...
  Any Questions, Suggestions?

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or ideas you may have, we would love to here your feed back!

Just click the link below
www.beneco.ca

one1ARE YOU HITTING HOME RUNS
IN YOUR BUSINESS?
By Denise Baril
CEO, Marketing Matters

 
If you think about your business as a game of baseball, are you in control of where the business ball is landing or are you still just hoping the next strategy swing you take will knock it out of the park?  "I tried investing my marketing dollars, and I just don't get the returns I was banking on."  "I spend money on different types of ads but the results are always short term."  "There are only so many hours in a day and I can't seem to do it all".
 
If this sounds like you, it is time to reflect on your approach: what could you use more of, time or money? Is business slipping away because you do not have time? Or does your business need more activity to increase your cash flow? Can you do it all? What are you sacrificing by wearing all the hats in your business?  
Most entrepreneurs have ideas coming out of the ying-yang, so to speak, and know opportunity exists to grow their business to reap unlimited levels of success.  They have thought it through and formulated a great business that has the potential to grow nationally and internationally. They are committed to get what needs to be done.  So why is it that all of these entrepreneurs, though passionate about what they do, are not hitting home runs?  Why are they running the race of having hit and miss game of success?
 
I can tell you, that there is a secret that will bring you a home run with every ball you hit.  It is the reason why we see some companies rise and others fall. It is the reason why people are getting their business to new levels of growth.  It is a system that is bringing overwhelmed entrepreneurs back in control and feeling they are on track personally, professionally, and spiritually.  The secret is this:
 
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT AND OUTSOURCE THE REST.
 
I was the youngest of 9 children, and learned early on from my entrepreneurial parents, that the key to success in life and in business is to do what you are good at.   Delegate the rest.
 
As you open yourself up to focusing on what you are good at, you will find that you get more done and feel more accomplished.  Instead of feeling like a slave to your business, you will feel alive once again.  Kind of like the rush effect of a double cappuccino racing through your body at warp speed.  When was the last time you experienced this?
 
In the book Good to Great by Jim Collins, he identifies a few key factors that take a company from being good to great. It doesn't matters if you have high profile players on your team.  It doesn't matter if you have people who can multitask and do whatever you throw at them.   What does matter is this: realizing that people are not your greatest asset.  The right people, in the right position in your company are your greatest asset[i].   Take a look at your company and ask yourself "Do we have the right people sitting in the driver's seat in all the key areas of our business?  What business potential is lost by having the wrong people in the wrong seats?  Ask yourself what do I need to delegate in my business so I can create the change I am looking for?
 
Take the time to question where you are at and what benefit would result in your business in time, money, or renewed passion, if you focused on your strengths and outsourced the rest.
 
Not only will you see business differently, you will create a flood of activity in your business that you could not have imagined.  Having more time, more money, and more energy for achieving your personal and professional goals.   Take the time today to look within and imagine the possibilities.  It matters!
 
 
If you have a story to share or wish to get more information, contact us at

Phone:(403) 620-5010
e-mail: marketingmatters@me.com
web: www.marketingmatters@me.com.


[i] Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't. (New York, NY: HarperBusiness, 2001).
  two2"CRASH TEST" YOUR RETIREMENT ASSETS:
WILL YOU SURVIVE?

By Kevin Wheeler, CFP, EPC, FMA
President, Living Benefit Solutions Inc.

 
Many Canadians today are blindly driving down the road to retirement unaware that a very likely scenario is going to take place. That scenario is a head on collision with our struggling Canadian healthcare system.  This is going to be no minor accident.  It is going to be a massive pile-up that will end up wiping out the retirement savings of countless Canadians. 
 
This retirement catastrophe has already started.  Rates of personal bankruptcies for those ages 65 plus are skyrocketing and more Canadians than ever are entering retirement with some form of debt.  The question is, "What happens to your investment portfolio when you suddenly require homecare or need to enter a long term care facility?"  The "sub-compact" retirement vehicle that most Canadians are driving, will crash and burn when they collide with the "Cement Truck" of our over-burdened healthcare system.  Thousands of Canadians currently spend in excess of $3,000 per month in additional care costs to keep themselves or a family member at home.  Facility care is becoming increasingly more expensive.  Even in Alberta, which has the lowest price for a government subsidized facility care bed in the country, the government is off-loading more and more care costs to their constituents.  For example, Alberta increased the long term care facility costs in each of the past two years, 5% in 2007 and 7% in 2008.  This trend will undoubtedly continue and at a more vigorous pace.  Our population is rapidly aging, healthcare costs are rising and the baby boomer generation hasn't even got on the retirement road yet. 
 
So what's the answer?  How can you protect your retirement assets if you're involved in this "crash"? One of the best safety features for any retirement portfolio is Long Term Care insurance.  Like airbags in a car, Long Term Care insurance will increase your chance of financial survival.  Long Term Care insurance benefits can last a lifetime and the costs are virtually insignificant when compared to the price people pay when they don't have any other funding in place.  Speak with your financial advisor and ask them to inform you about the available options.  There is only a handful of Long Term Care insurance companies in Canada, so make sure you're dealing with someone that can provide a solution that works best for you. Remember, drive safe.
three3IMPORTANT NOTICE- Flu Vaccines in Alberta
Jennifer Creighton, TBSC 
    

Considering getting the flu shot this year?  The Alberta government has recently released new information which may help you make your decision.               

Having to pay for the vaccine can hurt more than the jab in the arm, but there's good news.  An Alberta Health and Wellness news release dated July 23, 2009 announced that the common influenza vaccine would become free in October.  This vaccine is offered to all Albertans, aged six months and up and is available through public health clinics, some pharmacists and some doctor's offices.  According to the Minister of Health and Wellness, Ron Liepert, this is a project that has been in the works for several years and "...is a valuable investment in strengthening the public health system in Alberta..." [i]  Furthermore, in response to the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, the government is now working on a publicly funded vaccine that is projected to be available in November 2009. 

Health and Wellness recommends that individuals who are considered 'high risk' receive this vaccine.  These individuals are:
  • Children 6 to 23 months of age;
  • People 65 years of age and older;
  • People of any age who live in an assisted or chronic care facility, nursing homes and lodges;
  • Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding;
  • People with chronic medical conditions, such as:
o   Heart or lung conditions;
o   Diabetes or other metabolic diseases;
o   Cancer or weakened immune systems- including those who are HIV positive;
o   Kidney disease;
o   Anemia or hemoglobinopathy.

However, do not get the vaccine if you have a severe allergy to eggs, or have had a severe reaction to this vaccine in the past.[ii]

For more information on the seasonal influenza and pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccines, please check the Government of Alberta Health and Wellness website at http://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/imm-influenza.html.
 

[i] Alberta Health and Wellness, "Albertans Eligible for Free Seasonal Influenza Vaccine: Universal Coverage to Begin in October," press release, 23 July 2009, http://alberta.ca/acn/200907/26557A80CCD12-CA69-E603-4802323EB3040F89.html.  (24 September 2009)
[ii] Alberta Health and Wellness, "Influenza Vaccine," Alberta Health and Wellness, http://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/imm-influenza.html.


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Sean Murray
The Benefit Specialists Corp.
sean.murray@beneco.ca
403-547-5236
The information contained in this bulletin is for general information purposes only. The articles published in this bulletin have been collected by The Benefit Specialists Corp. (TBSC) and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained.  Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.  In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits out of, or in connection with, the use of the information contained in this bulletin.  Through this bulletin you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TBSC.  We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
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