An Interview with Mike Randall, Insurance Advisor at Nour Insurance Services

An Interview with Mike Randall, Insurance Advisor at Nour Insurance Services

by | Feb 7, 2024 | Advice, Interview, New Blogs

Our CEO, Karen Try, recently had the opportunity to meet and talk with Mike Randall with Nour Insurance Services. Mike and Karen’s conversation centered around one of his products, Key Partner Insurance for business owners (sometimes referred to as “Key Man” Insurance).

Getting to Know Mike Randall

Since 2003, Mike has been a trusted advisor, offering solutions to individuals, business owners, professionals, and their families. With over 20 years of experience in insurance, investments, and business financing with reputable institutions such as London Life, Scotiabank, BMO Bank of Montreal, and IG Wealth Management, Mike brings a wealth of knowledge. Rooted in his entrepreneurial background, Mike, a former Financial Consultant and Relationship Manager, understands the entrepreneur mindset, allowing him to serve his clients effectively. His business principles revolve around building strong relationships and delivering exceptional client service, focusing on life insurance, business insurance, cashflow management, and investment tax and estate planning strategies.

Mike applies an integrated approach to create personalized and successful programs aligned with each client’s goals. He values client relationships as true partnerships, ensuring integrity and care at the core of his services. Beyond his professional life, Mike, a London, Ontario native, enjoys golf and actively volunteers as a parent head coach for the local high school varsity baseball team, where his son attends school.

We would like to note that while Mike has been gracious to share his expertise with us, he encourages you to discuss any tax related matters specific to your business with your Accountant.

Q&A with Mike Randall

Q: Mike, could you tell us about the insurance solutions you offer for businesses, families, and individuals?
Mike Randall: Certainly! As an Insurance Agent at Nour Insurance Services, I provide a range of insurance solutions, including term, whole life, universal life, critical illness, and disability insurances. For businesses, we offer protection plans such as disability, key partner, and other business insurances. Additionally, we specialize in tax-efficient corporate wealth transfer plans and provide Group Benefits for employers.

Q: One interesting aspect you mentioned is key person life insurance for business owners. Can you explain how this type of insurance works?
Mike Randall: Absolutely. Key person insurance is designed to financially support a business in the event of the death of a crucial individual, whether it is a company owner, partner, or indispensable employee. The policy is owned by the business, and the company pays the premiums. The benefit is triggered upon the death or disability of the key person, providing funds to ensure business continuity.

Q: When should a business consider a key person insurance policy?
Mike Randall: Businesses often consider key person insurance when applying for a loan or financing, as it may be required by lenders. Other situations include businesses named after key individuals, where the loss could jeopardize the company. Partnerships may use it as part of a buy-sell agreement, and sole proprietors may utilize it to provide heirs with an insurance payout to close the business and pay off debts.

Q: Determining the coverage amount seems crucial. How can a business decide on the right coverage for key person insurance?
Mike Randall: It’s essential to consider a range of factors, such as the cost of finding and recruiting a replacement, operational disruption, lost sales, and the impact on the company’s finances. While there is no magic formula, a starting point is adding the person’s salary to their direct financial contribution to the company’s bottom line, then multiplying the result by at least 5.

Q: You also mentioned the type of policy matters. Could you elaborate on whether a term or permanent life policy is more suitable?
Mike Randall: Certainly. Term life insurance is more affordable but temporary, while permanent life insurance has higher premiums but provides additional benefits. Whole life insurance offers a guaranteed premium with accumulating cash value, while universal life insurance provides flexibility and potential market investments. The choice depends on factors like ownership and long-term goals.

Q: What are the tax implications of key person insurance?
Mike Randall: Premiums are generally not tax-deductible, but the cash value in a permanent policy is tax-deferred. Small businesses can borrow against the policy without causing a taxable event. Depending on policy details, the death benefit may not be taxable either.

Q: Finally, how does key person insurance fit into the broader picture of protecting and strengthening a business?
Mike Randall: Key person insurance is just one way life insurance can safeguard a business. Collaborating with financial professionals helps assess complex needs and tailor solutions for immediate requirements and long-term goals.

Thank you, Mike, for shedding light on key person insurance and its importance for business owners!

If you have additional questions, you can contact Mike directly at 519-872-5705, or by email at mrandall@nourinsuranceservices.ca.

Feel free to visit his LinkedIn profile:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-randall-a3735119/

An Interview with Tyler Jeffery

An Interview with Tyler Jeffery

by | Sep 6, 2022 | Bookkeeping, Business Tips, Interview, New Blogs

On Thursday September 1st, our CEO, Karen Try met with Tyler Jeffery who is an Account Manager at The Business Development Bank of Canada [BDC]. In his role, Tyler works with small to medium-sized businesses to provide guidance and assistance in all areas of financial management so they may increase profitability and boost the value of their company.

The Business Development Bank of Canada [BDC] complements the charter banks and is a financial institution devoted to Canadian entrepreneurs. It is a Crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from their sole shareholder, the Government of Canada. The mandate of the BDC is to be the bank for all entrepreneurs, offering support for the business life cycle and making entrepreneurs’ well-being a priority. The BDC provides funding and advice to small and medium-sized firms in all industries and stages of growth.

Industries such as manufacturing, wholesale, construction, transportation, food, and beverages have been hit hard by the pandemic and have reached out when they have reached their line of credit. Because of flexible financing, advisory services, and smart capital, the BDC can often support businesses when charter banks cannot.

If you have additional questions about the BDC, you can visit their website: www.bdc.ca or contact Tyler directly at tyler.jeffery@bdc.ca. During their one-on-one, Tyler and Karen discussed various topics that small business owners may find useful. Read on to learn more.

Q&A with Tyler Jeffery

Q: What is the most common challenge that leads a small business owner to seek advisory services?

A: Business owners are good at what they do but often find they are lacking in financial management. Owners get consumed by the day-to-day business management. Tyler’s role is to assess the business’s current financial situation, identify gaps, and then help them to prioritize processes to improve cashflows and avoid financial pitfalls in the future. 

The duration of the program is 8-12 weeks. During this time, Tyler advises his clients on the available funding opportunities, either in the form of financing at a reasonable interest rate or grants that are currently available. One example is the current grant referred to as the CDAP [Canada Digital Adoption Program] that was implemented by the government in January 2022. This grant helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) build their digital plan and adopt digital technologies to increase their competitiveness.

The CDAP covers items directly related to the digital plan, such as the following:

  • Acquiring IT equipment
  • Installation of new technologies
  • Updating and/or expanding IT equipment
  • Training staff on onboarded technologies
  • Materials and support services directly related to onboarding the technology
  • Further advisory services on particular aspects of the digital adoption plan

Source: bdc.ca

Q. Do you have general tips to help all business owners avoid financial pitfalls in their business?

A. The ability to analyze cash flows and maintain regular financial oversight is crucial for business owners. Developing financial acumen can reveal more opportunities to boost cash flow for a better and healthier organization.

 

Q. At what stage in a business’s life cycle would you recommend that a small business owner get in touch with you?

A. Tyler works with business owners at all stages of their business life. A new business owner that brings experience, a solid business plan, and cashflow projections can benefit from the services of the BDC. Generally, a small business would go to the BDC after 24 months in business with demonstrated growth and $250K – 350K (CAD) annual revenue.

 

Q. Since many small business owners relied heavily on rent and salary subsidies to survive the pandemic, they agreed to take out a loan that now must be paid back in full by the end of 2023. Can the BDC help those already cash-strapped businesses?

A. Where a chartered bank generally requires securities for lending, the BDC can be more flexible in financing a business with strong cash flow projections and a solid business plan. In other words, if a business is currently operating with positive cash flow and is solid overall, the BDC may be able to help as financing is typically more flexible.

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