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Trusted Saskatoon Group Benefit & Insurance Pro's at Wiegers Financial & Benefits Explain Employee Benefits

10. Feb 2021 Admin Saskatoon Financial Services, Trusted Tips

Wiegers Financial & Benefits is one of the largest private financial planning and employee benefits consulting firms in Saskatchewan. Its Saskatoon Financial Planning Division provides business owners, households, retirees, and students with expert investment and insurance planning services to help them reach their long-term financial goals. They also have a Benefits and Personal Insurance planning division. In this latest Wiegers Financial tip they share information and advice for business owners. Wiegers Financial Benefits are Trusted Saskatoon Financial Advisors and Trusted Saskatoon Insurance and Group Benefits experts


How Benefits Can Help Bolster Your Employees' Mental Health AND Your Company's Bottom Line

What Mental Health Is and Why It Can’t Be Ignored

Most of us have heard – probably more than a few times – that if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. There’s no denying the truth, but increasingly, and all the more during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s an understanding that mental health is just as important and impactful as physical health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines positive mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community” (WHO, 2001, p. 1). Clearly, we all strive for this – or at least should be – but not all of us are mentally well all of the time. Indeed, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) reports[1] that:

  • Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend, or colleague.
  • In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness.
  • Mental illness affects people of all ages, education, income levels, and cultures.
  • Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives.
About 1% of Canadians will experience bipolar disorder (or “manic depression”).

What’s more, though final numbers aren’t yet available, Fardous Hosseiny, the National Director of Research and Policy at the CMHA, predicted that 2020 depression would be the leading cause of disability in Canada (preliminary indications are that Mr. Hosseiny was correct). Even more staggering is that approximately 1.6 million people continue to have their mental illness needs unmet. As Mr. Hosseiny explains, “Mental illnesses are episodic, but the key is that if it’s untreated, that’s when it’s really disruptive. We know that untreated mental illnesses are only exasperated with time.” Given the number of people not being helped, Mr. Hosseiny suspects that the number of Canadians who suffer from mental illness each year is even higher than what research shows (1 in 4 Canadians as opposed to 1 in 5), and that the availability of support systems – or lack thereof – plays a significant role.[2]  Clearly, something needs to be done.

Your Group Benefits Plan Can Be a Terrific Support to Your Employees and Their Mental Health. 

Here’s How.

My team and I have been promoting the importance of mental health and mental health support in group benefit plans for many years – long before the stigma surrounding mental illness started to decay. One of the most effective tools available is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which can be added to a traditional group benefits plan. Though the number of EAP providers is higher than ever, and the number of options available is ever-increasing, most EAPs provide, at minimum, confidential short-term counselling to employees and their spouses and dependent children, as well as referrals and other forms of support designed to help bolster mental health.

Other options include a robust Health benefits plan that provides coverage for mostly physical concerns, knowing that when an individual cannot afford to pay for a health product or service, his or her mental health can be severely impacted as a result. The same idea is behind Wellness and Health Spending Accounts. Providing your employees with healthcare dollars to spend as they need or choose to do helps reduce or even eliminate the financial concern that might otherwise hinder their getting the help and support they need.


The Business Case for Mental Health Supports in Benefits
Aside from the obvious compassionate reasons for providing mental health support at and through work, there’s a strong business case for it, too. The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) estimates that the total cost to Canada’s economy incurred by mental health problems and illnesses is well over $50 billion annually or nearly $1,400 for every person living in Canada in 2016. This includes significant employer costs due to absenteeism, presenteeism, and employee turnover.[3]  And it makes sense. Healthier, happier employees tend to be more productive than their less healthy, less happy colleagues, so investing in your employees’ mental health helps you – and your business!

It’s wonderful that awareness and acceptance of the need to protect and care for mental health are finally on an upswing. Employers' ability to do so much for their employees’ mental health carries exponential benefits for everyone involved, including the employers themselves (given the positive impact on their businesses). As cliché as it might sound, benefits really are an investment in your team, and there’s never been a greater need than now for the mental health support they provide.

Debra L. Wiegers, GBA, CFP, CLU., Ch.F.C.

Benefits Consultant, Wiegers Financial and Insurance Planning Services Ltd.

Wiegers’ Benefits Consulting Division includes 11 consultants and support staff who custom-design the most employee-valued and cost-effective group benefits, personal insurance, employee assistance programs, and retirement plans available. Contact Wiegers today for a no-obligation consultation to determine how they can help you.

Wiegers Financial & Benefits are Trusted Saskatoon Insurance and Group Benefits Advisors 



Trusted Saskatoon community welcomes Aurora Workplace Solutions to the Saskatoon Insurance Category

1. Feb 2021 Admin Saskatoon Insurance, Trusted Brag Blogs, Trusted Tips

The Trusted Saskatoon team is thrilled to welcome Aurora Workplace Solutions Inc. to the Trusted Saskatoon community. They have joined the Trusted Saskatoon insurance category, and offer insurance products, group benefits, retirement plans, seminars, and training. Aurora Workplace Solutions Trusted Saskatoon Group Benefits and Insurance Professionals! 

Have You Heard of Aurora Workplace Solutions? 

Aurora Workplace Solutions has over 50 years of combined experience in the industry. They have a reputation for working hard to provide new and improved ideas to serve their clients, and they are always looking to offer an outstanding level of care and professionalism. 

Small and large business owners alike are generally spinning lots of plates. They are busy working on and in their business, and they often rely on Trusted 3rd party advisors to assist them with major financial decisions. The categories most need assistance with are insurance, accounting, legal, HR, and group benefits.  Aurora Workplace is a wonderful choice to assist with several of these areas, and they can be counted on to provide the best possible advice and recommendations for each client and their unique needs. 

Collin Willms is well known in Saskatoon, pre-covid he was a regular attendee at networking events, and consistently stepped up to volunteer his time for various local organizations and charitable events and causes. Collin has great personal style and an easy friendly smile, so it is no surprise that he came highly recommend to the Trusted team by his clients. Collin heads up a stellar team of advisors from across Saskatchewan, as Aurora has offices in Saskatoon, Tisdale, and most recently Regina.  

The insurance and group benefits industry is full of confusing acronyms, and there are so many options to consider; getting the right advice is key! It is great to have a trusted local team focused on finding the right options for their client's individual circumstances. Aurora takes the time to explain the why and the how, they are not the kind of company that you just hear from once a year at renewal time. When we spoke to Auroras clients we heard repeatedly how they considered Aurora to be a part of their team. 

Also, it was noted several times that they go out of their way to get to know their client's businesses really well, this means they can recommend them to their other clients and networks. Collin even went as far as signing up for challenging cross-fit classes with one of his clients Chad, Owner of Synergy Strength and Conditioning,  and now he is a committed cross-fitter who regularly brings guests along, including other clients.  When it comes down to it, the Aurora team are great relationship builders and that is a real strength in the financial industry. 

Don't just take it from us, read the real words from Aurora clients that Trusted representatives gathered. We call and survey the clients of businesses that apply to be a part of Trusted. This is just part of our in-depth Trusted Verification Process and it is a pass or a fail.  We are happy to share that Aurora Workplace Solutions were rated highly by every single client we spoke to, and they passed all of our tests and checks with flying colours. 


"Collin Willms and the team at Aurora Workplace Solutions have been easy, straight forward, and helpful, throughout all our business requirements.  They are quick to respond to questions and offer solutions.  We at CJ Karz auto service are very satisfied with our business with Colin and Aurora Workplace solutions.”- Matt Jamieson and Angela downing at CJ Karz Auto service.


"We've been working with Collin from Aurora Workplace Solutions for a few years now and appreciate their great service and knowledge base. I definitely rate them a 10 out of 10 and would highly recommend them to other business owners looking for workplace benefits for themselves and their employees." Dave T


Aurora Workplace Solutions are well equipped to serve any client. If you need help growing your business.  Check out their listing in the Saskatoon Insurance Category! 

If you are ready to set up a group benefit or retirement plan, or just want to learn more about their services, just Click Here For A Quote

'Creating Brilliant Futures'


Aurora Workplace Solutions Is A Trusted Saskatoon Group Benefits and Insurance Professional! 

 



Trusted Saskatoon Team Brags About Saskatoon Bag & Case, Your Trusted Saskatoon Speciality Bag & Case Store!

20. Jan 2021 Admin Saskatoon Retail, Trusted Brag Blogs, Trusted Tips

The Trusted Saskatoon team is thrilled to welcome Saskatoon Bag & Case to the Trusted Saskatoon community. They have joined our Saskatoon specialty retail category, and specialize in custom designs of high-quality and durable bag and case products. They work with any industry, including sports teams, work crews, company promotions, and music and audiovisuals. Saskatoon Bag & Case are your Trusted Saskatoon Custom Bag & Case Experts!

Have You Heard of Saskatoon Bag & Case?

If not we have some news for you! Did you know that Saskatoon Bag and Case is one of the very few case facilities in Canada that offer such a wide variety of cases and bags under a single roof? And this local, family-owned business has been providing its huge selection of products combined with exceptional service since 1984! 


Saskatoon Bag and Case carry a huge selection of Pelican branded products as well as standard cases and bags, but their specialty is designing custom, one-of-a-kind cases and bags of any shape and size, designed to meet your exact specifications. Whether it be high-quality, durable bags for sports teams, work crews, musicians or company promotions they are the experts in this industry in Canada.


Even if you have your own case, Trevor Sonstelie, the owner  will design custom foam inserts to protect your valuable equipment or musical instruments. Many of Trevor’s customers regularly ask for custom embroidery and screen printing for company logos or team names, and we are happy to share that yes, SBC will do that as well. 


You can check out their website to see all they offer https://sbccase.com or visit their showroom on Faithfull Avenue in Saskatoon. Go and talk to Trevor in person about what it is you’re looking for, he is happy to help you navigate through the options to find the one best suited to you! There is no better place to buy personal or business cases and bags in Saskatchewan than Saskatoon Bag & Case. Their service is exceptional and their products are the best!

Don’t take it from us - when surveying Trevor’s customers as part of the Unique Trusted verification process, we consistently heard great things. Read some of their first-hand experiences below. 


"Saskatoon Bag & Case has provided Team Power Solutions with custom cases for sensitive test equipment. They are very responsive to design cases that protect our equipment and stand up to the field use and shipping requirements." - Allen, Team Power Solutions

"Trevor at Saskatoon Bag & Case is very willing to help and open minded for any project. He has been a big plus to our team and product at Guardian Angel Auto Flagger Mfg." - Kim, Watrous SK

You can read more glowing client testimonials and see all Saskatoon Bag & Case offers by checking out their listing in the Saskatoon Specialty Retail Category.

“If you Need It Covered...They’ve Got It Cased!”  


Trusted Saskatoon 2020 Mystery Bag Contest. Supporting Local and GIVING back!

17. Dec 2020 Trusted Saskatoon Trusted Contest



The Trusted Saskatoon Team LOVE a good contest!! 


We really like surprises and get so much joy from making other people happy. If that supports our Trusted Saskatoon Partners that we promote and partner with, heck, that's a WIN-WIN!

In our latest contest, we are dusting off our Mystery Bags and packing them with amazing goodies from our partners. 
Over 9 weeks we will be announcing 9 lucky Trusted Saskatoon fans as the weekly Winning Wednesday Winners. 
EXCITING!!! 

Each mystery bag prize will have a value of at LEAST $300.00 and all prizes are from our very own Trusted Saskatoon Partners! 

Unfortunately, we can't guarantee every one of our fans gets a prize, but we can guarantee that if you DON’T enter you definitely WON’T win! 

MYSTERY BAG 2020 - 9 Weeks of Winning


Starting Wednesday from Oct 28th EVERY week a lucky Trusted Saskatoon Facebook Page fan will win! 


All you have to do to be entered for the first 8 weeks is:

  • Pick a mystery bag number:  1, 2 or 3 

  • Comment on the weekly post with your chosen lucky number. 


Every Wednesday on Facebook we will reveal the mystery bag number of the week. 

At that time we will randomly select a winner from the correct entries on the Mystery Bag Facebook post that week. 
The weekly winner will be announced on Facebook and we will reveal the contents of the mystery bag they won! 

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...


On December 23rd's Winning Wednesday we have a special mystery prize.  

To enter that draw you must sign up on the website BEFORE December 22nd here:  

https://www.trustedsaskatoon.com/contest.aspx  


On Dec 23rd at noon we will randomly select a lucky winner from the website entries and they will win ALL 3 bags!! We will call the lucky winner and announce on Facebook live and reveal all the prizes.    


Remember it ALWAYS pays to be a fan of TrustedSaskatoon.com 

Supporting Saskatoon businesses, consumers and the community is what we do BEST!


TRUSTED CONTEST RULES

  • 1 weekly Facebook entry per person  - any double entries will disqualify you that week. 
  • 1 grand prize website entry per person - any double entries will disqualify you.
  • Winners must pick up their prize IN Person and bring ID within 5 days of winning or they forfeit the prize. 

 

Winners and Prizes! 





WEEK 1 - Bag #1 

Winner was Anita Schrutek
Prize: $350.00






WEEK 2 - Bag #2 

Winner was Raelyn Dawn.
Prize: $350.00






WEEK 3 - Bag #3 

Winner was Holly Stasiuk.
Prize: $350.00






WEEK 4 - Bag #1

Winner was Heather Peters
Prize: $300.00






WEEK 5 - Bag #2

Winner was Fanterra Fisher- Belak 
Prize: $425.00







WEEK 6 - Bag #3

Winner was: Jaime Pitz 
Prize: $425









WEEK 7 - Bag #1

Winner was: Pearl Kapiniak
Prize: $300






WEEK 8 - Bag #2

Winner was: Cindy Radcliffe
Prize: $425






2020 GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS ...

Linda Gubbe

Prize: $1500



The last bag  - Community $2000 donation 


The following partners donated : 


Trusted matched the donations and rounded up to $2000.00 - this will be divided equally between 3 Trusted Saskatoon non -profits.




Trusted Saskatoon IT Pro’s at Burnt Orange Solutions Owner Shares 5 Tips To Secure Data

16. Dec 2020 Admin Saskatoon Computers & Web design, Trusted Tips

Gareth McKee and his Trusted Saskatoon IT team at Burnt Orange, promise to have a one-hour response time for all your IT support needs. Honesty and respect are important to them. They pride themselves on ensuring their clients understand IT concerns by providing a straightforward and reliable solution with exceptional service. Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts and in their latest Saskatoon IT tip, Gareth provides 5 tips on how to safely secure data at your company. 


GARETH'S 5 TIPS TO SECURE DATA AT YOUR COMPANY

Secure Data with Gareth’s 5 Tips for Your Company

Owner of Burnt Orange IT Solutions, Gareth McKee, provides his top 5 tips on how to secure data safely and improve the security of your data at your company. Watch the video below or read on.

1. Secure Data with the Use of Strong Passwords

According to Forbes, in the last 6 months of 2019 over 4 billion records were exposed by data breaches. Included in these records were over 1 billion passwords retrieved.

The top 5 easiest passwords to hack are:

#1 – 12345

#2 – 123456

#3 – 123456789

#4 – Test1

#5 – Password

But they are not always the easy ones to crack by hackers, as shown here:

#21 – princess

#30 – monkey

#48 – chocolate

#97 – babygirl

So, what do we learn from this? There are ‘bots’ and phishing scams active every day on the internet, looking to gain access to your network, steal your data or encrypt it to extort money from you.

What Does a Strong Password Look Like?

Strong passwords need 2 things: length and complexity. Both are really easy to achieve with a little imagination. Let’s firstly achieve the length. Rather than think of a passWORD, think of passwords (plural) or a passPHRASE.

One solution is to think of 4 unrelated words such as:

#Potato plastiC either strong!

The above is 30 characters and notice I have added the # and ! to make it a little more complex.

Or, you can use a phrase such as:

!Theres a m00se 0n the 100se#

The above is 29 characters. Replacing letters with numbers can be a good way to achieve complexity (for example, changing O’s to zero’s).

The best solution is to use a password manager, which is a secure app that remembers all your complex and long passwords for you so all you have to remember is the 1 password to the manager.

2. Secure Data by Locking Your Computer

How easy would it be for someone to walk past an office, walk-in and steal data from an unlocked PC? This happens more often than you think, and whether it is a disgruntled employee or a stranger who has walked into your building, it is so easy to steal data in this way.

The solution is to have your PC lock itself after a certain amount of inactivity. This is easy to achieve, simply decide the length of inactivity before allowing your PC to lock. I recommend 5 minutes.

Looking after a network properly can be a difficult and time-consuming job so to make your life easy, engage with a local, professional IT Security company such as Burnt Orange IT Solutions. You will find that the money spent on network security is easily recovered by staff efficiencies.

3. Receive a Suspicious Email? Call the Sender Before You Click

Email spoofing costs businesses millions of dollars every year. I am sure you can remember Saskatoon City Council being duped in 2019 to the price of $1 million.

If even a known client emails you asking to transfer money, providing you with new banking details, large orders, or asking you to click anywhere, call the client to ensure the information has come from them directly. A quick phone call can save a lot of money, embarrassment, and is a way to secure data. This should be a standard practice in your office. If you don’t have an Acceptable Use Policy or User Best Practice Policy in your organization, contact your best local IT company. They can help you achieve the best practices in your business.

4. Take a Breath

We all have 10 hours of work to complete in an 8 hour day, but just by taking 1 second to look at an email can save a lot of heartache. Hovering over an email address or a web link can show you where it is actually directing the click. Just because the link reads www.rbc.com, this does not mean it will direct you there.

Also, hackers often send a link which looks real, but is slightly misspelt, for example:

https://www.saskatoononliinetrucks.com/saskatoon/cheapestdeals/buytoday

if you look closely there are two ‘i’s in online. In a busy day that may be easy to miss, you navigate to a website with a virus, allowing it to download, the virus waits a day and ultimately encrypts all the data on your server. Not a good day for you or your company.

The accepted solution here is to put DNS protection in place. This service scours the internet all day, looking for dangerous websites, whether they are legit or not, and if a dangerous website is found, the service will stop you from accessing the website. If you can’t access the website, you cannot download the virus. Simple as that! Professional IT companies offer this service for a fraction of the cost of the downtime experienced should a virus be download by accident. Contact your local IT company for help.

5. Back Up Your Data

Even in a small office where there is no ‘real’ server, it is always a good idea to treat one of the PCs as a file server. Have all the data held there, back up that PC, and only that PC. This makes the backup and recovery activity simple and easy. Impose a rule that all data must be held on that PC. Configure each PC to share to that PC. Complete this task and you have just saved yourself days of non-productivity in a recovery situation.

The best backup solutions today backup to the cloud. They will:

Encrypt your data before it leaves your PC,

Be password protected,

Be automated,

and YOU will test it, at least once per month to ensure the data can be recovered.


A backup that does not work when you need it is as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Test it before you need it. As with all the problems discussed, your local professional IT security firm can help you with all these tasks, and for much less than you think.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Burnt Orange IT Solutions.

We hope this article gave you some insight. If you want to ensure your business’s IT security, contact the Trusted Saskatoon IT professionals at Burnt Orange Solutions and we can take IT worries off your plate.

Burnt Orange IT Solutions Products & Services:

  1. Managed Networks

  2. Backup and Recovery

  3. Data and Network Security

  4. Hosted Services

  5. Telephone Systems

  6. Secure WiFi Networks

"IT Support You Can Trust and Understand"

Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts

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