Today we are very excited to unveil our beautiful new website, which also showcases our new bios, photography and videos.

The centrepiece of our new messaging is our commitment to you, one that gets to the heart of what makes us different:  Just the right match for your money™.

Our new promise is an especially important element of our new brand foundation, a document which also includes our vision, mission and values – together with our very reason for being:  To walk with our clients through their financial lives.

This work is the culmination of several months of consultations with a branding expert. We have been thinking very hard about what makes us different and how best to express it moving forward – in terms of the language we use, the client experience we provide and how we visually communicate.

The objective has been to clearly articulate the unique value we bring to our clients – so they can take full advantage of our services, be proud of their association with us, and be proud when referring us to people they care about.

We would love to know what you think of our new message!

The post IT’S A BIG DAY! first appeared on Ardill Group.

By Ian Ardill

The next time I travel outside of Ontario, I am going to look at it like never before.  Because one of the things that stands out to me the most, in this most unusual 2020, is that travel is purely a privilege – and not one to be taken lightly.

It has been a year that, to one degree or another, has opened all of our eyes.  Life has been an adjustment – a series of realizations – for every person, for every family, for every business.

At Ardill Group, we have of course been working remotely since March.  Although working from home has its pitfalls, 2020 has rewarded many of us with the opportunity to spend more time with family, in my case my wife and children.

Like many of our clients, I shifted some dollars from travel to the home front, where we took the literal plunge and bought a hot tub.  And like many hot tub buyers this year, I gained a new perspective on patience, in that we ordered the tub many, many months ago and only received it in November.

In the end, though, the wait has been worth it.  The hot tub has been great family time with lots of laughter, and, best of all, it is zero-tech time: there are no phones allowed in the tub, a very cool additional feature not mentioned in the owner’s manual.

The pandemic has also created much less commuting time, which has translated into considerably more time for a number of things, including cooking and breaking bread with my family.  We have even established a new tradition:  a big roast beef dinner together every single week.  That time, together as a family unit, has truly been priceless.

Something else that is priceless:  your trust in us as we’ve worked to create the very best solutions for you throughout this challenging year.  We believe that earning – and keeping – our clients’ trust is the ultimate accomplishment. On that basis, therefore, 2020 has been our most rewarding year yet.

All of us here at Ardill Group wish you and your family the very warmest holiday season and Happy New Year, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Ian

PS. What good things has the exceptional year of 2020 brought to you? We would love to hear from you and have a discussion in the comments.

Ian Ardill, B.A., M.T.S.
Private Wealth Advisor
CEO, Ardill Group

Direct: 1 905 717 5698
Office: 1 905 907 7000
ian@ardillgroup.com

The post Reflections on 2020 first appeared on Ardill Group.

By John Ardill

I really do hope you get the chance before too long.  I have been looking closely at my travel insurance options recently, because I will be out of the country for six months.

Especially in the COVID-19 era, travel insurance is a vital tool that many people mistakenly assume they don’t need because they think their health insurance, credit card or retirement plan covers them outside of Canada.

Unfortunately, these do not protect us enough, if at all.

Travel insurance coverages can include emergency medical care, trip cancellation and interruption, baggage, and – crucially these days – COVID-19.

I have become familiar with SecuriGlobe and like them because they shop the market for me, and will do the same for you.  They will include COVID-19 coverage in their recommendations if you ask them (and I strongly encourage you to do just that).

I have arranged for them to expect you if you want to get a quote, by calling 1-877-442-0442 and giving them this code:  Sgn026.  You can also have a look at their website:  www.securiglobe.com.  And if you have any questions at all, please let me know.

John Ardill
Founder and Mentor
Ardill Group
Direct: 1 416 400 5882
Office: 1 905 907 7000
john@ardillgroup.com

The post Going somewhere? first appeared on Ardill Group.

If we’re excited about our brand launch, we’re really excited about the value that our partnership with our field underwriter Michelle Roussin of Sun Life is delivering to our clients.  Michelle’s 21 years of insurance experience, strategic brilliance and unstoppable enthusiasm are giving our clients a clear and powerful voice at the table from hour one of the medical and financial underwriting process. Underwriting is such a crucial part of the application process because this is where the final decision is made on the final pricing of the solution we are applying for.

Underwriters – the people who decide whether someone is given an insurance policy and under what terms – consider hundreds of cases every day.  If you don’t have a voice at the table, you are essentially just a number.  But with Michelle’s guidance, we have been and continue to be successful at painting a full, accurate and meaningful picture of our clients when they apply for a policy.  A picture based on deep understanding of you not as a number, but as a human being.  A picture from multiple key perspectives including financial, health and lifestyle.

The result?  Confidence. The best possible experience for our clients, including faster approvals and better terms.  For example, a client’s life insurance application was recently declined – but with Michelle’s leadership, we were not only able to reverse the decision, but also achieved a standard pricing (meaning base or entry level pricing, as opposed to higher, premium).

Michelle lives and works in Ottawa, has held many roles during her more than two decades at Sun Life and has published several articles on how advisors can better control the underwriting process.  And she is right here with us, sleeves rolled up, working hard for our clients.

Thank you, Michelle, for providing us with a true concierge service!

The post Ecosystem update first appeared on Ardill Group.