The opinions expressed are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those of Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.

What They Say:

"Our goal at 101 is very simple. We want to run a successful enterprise and think it takes great people, products, knowledge and experience to do that—the right kind of people. We hire for attitude and work ethic. Product knowledge and skills can be taught. Attitude and work ethic can't. We believe if we take good care of our employees, they will take good care of our customers. We are continuously working to find the best products and are always adding to our knowledge and experience. We appreciate the Trusted Saskatoon team’s support and promotion, and we are proud to be part of community of locally owned businesses that is built on a foundation of integrity — Tom Knudtson

A word about 101 from Sara, owner of Trusted Saskatoon

“ I couldn't be happier to sing the praises of 101 Doors and Windows. They embody everything you'd want in a contracting company. First and foremost, their commitment to manufacturing locally sets them apart. In an age when so much is outsourced, it's refreshing to find a company that takes pride in crafting their products right here in Saskatoon. Their reputation in the construction industry is nothing short of stellar. They are a preferred client with their suppliers for a reason. They remain humble and approachable and they're always ready to answer questions and offer advice. 101 Doors and Window is  a breath of fresh air. They are a company that lets their work speak for itself!”  

As we mark their 5th anniversary as Trusted Saskatoon Window & Door Pros, they can celebrate that we have never heard of or received a complaint about their products or service! Here's to five years of a successful partnership and the many more ahead.Thank you to the 101 Doors and Windows team for your trust and embodying what it means to be an integrity-driven local contractor and an outstanding, Trusted Saskatoon Partner in the window & door category.

Wiegers Financial & Benefits Trusted Saskatoon Financial, Insurance & Benefits Partner for five years

Trustedsaskatoon.com will save you time, save you hassle and save you money. Our local Trusted Saskatoon team is committed to finding outstanding businesses like the Partners we have highlighted above. Be assured ALL the companies featured on our Saskatoon directory have been checked and verified,  and in addition, they are annually contracted to uphold the 5 TRUSTED GUARANTEES of service! 

5 Trusted Guarantees

1. Provide the service and quality promised.

2. Complete the job on time.

3. Charge the price quoted with NO surprises.

4. Communicate honestly and be responsive to customer needs.

5. Resolve any issues with customer satisfaction in mind.

Trusted Saskatoon was founded on the principle that great local businesses deserve promotion. 

Please help us by nominating your favourite Saskatoon businesses here.

When employees think about their benefits plan, the benefits that most often come to mind are for prescription drugs, massages, and maybe a dental check-up every year. However, I’m confident that if you were to ask any Benefits Advisor or Consultant, he or she would swiftly tell you that benefit plans are so SO much more than that! These benefits are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what a plan can provide for employees and their families.

Many people – employees and employers alike – are surprised by just how extensive an employee benefits plan can be. They’re often also surprised by how much a plan can do for an employee’s physical, mental, and financial well-being. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that our well-being is something we can no longer take for granted. And having an employee benefits plan is one of the best ways to stay protected.

There are two cornerstones of a benefit plan that deserve a lot more attention than they typically receive: Life Insurance and financial protection in the event of a disability or illness, namely, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance. These benefits are often included in benefit plans but are not touted enough for the critically important protection they provide.

Benefits Canada reported recently that many people between the ages of 30-50 have no Life Insurance outside of what is provided through their employee benefits plan. On the one hand, this makes for a hefty responsibility for employers. But on the other hand, employers who provide their employees with a strong Life Insurance benefit have a competitive advantage that helps them attract and retain top talent.

As for Disability Insurance, Wiegers Financial & Benefits is passionate about including it in every benefits plan. The reality is that many employees work paycheck to paycheck, and in the event of a severe or prolonged illness or injury, most don’t have enough money saved to be able to weather the storm financially. Disability Insurance is very often a financial lifeline that enables employees to focus their time and energy on getting better instead of stressing about how they’re going to pay their bills. And it’s apparent that the pandemic’s impact on mental health and disability is not going to lessen any time soon. This Benefits Canada article speaks to how the majority of Canadian employers are prioritizing mental well-being, and Disability Insurance benefits are a key part of what they’re doing about it.

If you’re like a lot of Canadians who believe that employee benefit plans are most important for getting their prescription drugs paid for or their massages covered, I encourage you to delve into the details of your plan. You’ll likely be surprised by what you learn, and you’ll be in a better position to know what you can be, or should consider, doing outside of your plan to protect your well-being. Your personal financial advisor will be a great asset to you in advising you on a good path to take and then actually putting these wheels into motion. But always remember that your benefits plan is likely doing more for you than you realize so be sure to provide your advisor with all of the details. Your benefits plan is there to help take care of you; let it do all that it can!

Jewelian Berry,
Benefits Account Manager, Wiegers Financial and Insurance Planning Services Ltd.

In 1991, I joined a coaching program called The Strategic Coach which was run by Dan Sullivan out of Toronto. The program has since gone international and has thousands of participants involved globally. Put very simply, it is intended for individuals who are interested in growing both personally and professionally. The goal is for participants to have a great personal life with lots of time off, as well as a great business that generates a lifestyle for them that allows them to live a preferred life.

Why Consider Business Coaching?

Most people think that in order to be successful in business, you have to give away all of your time or to have time off you have to give away money. This program helped me build a good business and have a great personal life. The program offers tools that I can use to enable me to have both personal and professional growth. If you are a business owner, at some point you will likely develop the feeling of complexity. What this means is you simply have run out of time and you can’t get any more results. In fact, running out of time means that you have already potentially cut into a lot of your own personal time as well. The program that I got involved with is not the same program that I’m in today but has many similar characteristics. 

In order to achieve personal and professional growth, you need to have a good team around you. You must identify what your unique abilities are and try to operate in that area. By doing this, you will generally work in areas of your business that give you energy and are usually associated with the highest economic bang for the buck. This means you have to delegate. In order to delegate, it’s critical that you empower people by ensuring they know what they are doing and have the necessary tools and resources. You will also be building empowerment so that bigger results can be made, and making an investment back into your business. Many times when business owners are adding employees they look at it as a cost. It is actually an investment and, if done properly, will yield results that are greater than what you invested.

This is just scratching the surface on coaching and what it’s done for me. If you ask me who needs coaching in business, I would say that everyone needs coaching. But it’s important also that you hit that scene of complexity, you still want to grow, and you’re willing to spend the time and money to do so. If each of those criteria is met, business coaching is something I strongly recommend you pursue.

Clifford A. Wiegers

CFP, TEP, CH.F.C., CLU, B.Comm.

Insurance Representative, Wiegers Financial and Insurance Planning Services Ltd.

Financial Planner, Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.

As a Canadian farmer, you’ve lived through your fair share of unpredictability. Whether it was the farm crisis or one too many years of lackluster harvests, you took your farm through the worst combinations Mother Nature and the markets could throw at you, beating the odds to build something your family is truly proud of.

Looking back at the ups and downs of farming, you’d never take any of it back. And you want to leave the challenge behind for the next generation so that your family’s legacy can continue to flourish long after you’re gone. Successful farmers are constantly thinking about what’s next. If you’re over 50, planning the future of your farm should be your top task. The work you put in now could set your farm’s estate up for one of the most anticipated outcomes in your entire farming career. You know how rare that can be in the agriculture industry!

Speaking of your career, you’ve worn many hats over the years: accountant, labourer, veterinarian, weatherman, mechanic, scientist – the list goes on. Through the demands of your job, you’ve learned to ask for help when you need it. So if you’re willing to call your neighbour down the road at harvest, you should be willing to work with the expert up the street on financials.

A financial advisor provides leadership when you need it. They have your best interests in mind while navigating the blind spots of your farm’s estate, connecting a knowledgeable team of specialists to determine how to best plan your family farm’s future. The most common regrets farm estate financial advisors hear from farmers are that they wish they would have talked about it either ten years earlier before they lost their health, or before inflation led to a big misstep in their tax strategy.

You may be thinking about farm estate planning because you’ve been pressed by your child who’s made sacrifices for the farm or you’ve witnessed what happens when farmers leave a mess behind. Don’t wait until things fall apart. If you have a lot of unanswered questions about your farm’s estate, proper planning will bring clarity to problems that exist and provide answers that may solve them. Bring in your biggest concerns and prepare to give your financial advisor honest answers to the following questions.

These are the top six considerations when you're farm estate planning:

1. How do I want to spend the rest of my life?