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  1. Elevate your business with industry best practices and needs-based selling Keeping your business aligned with industry best practices is vital for your success. It not only supports the fair treatment of clients – it also helps you meet certain market conduct requirements and Equitable’s expectations for needs-based selling.

    The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) has a program that checks how well advisors follow the Insurance Act and its conduct rules. FSRA looks at how well advisors follow industry best practices and fair treatment of clients guidance (see CLHIA’s guidance document, “The Approach”). Their focus is on key areas such as giving sound advice, managing conflicts of interest, and putting clients’ needs first. FSRA selects advisors’ client files and looks for documentation that indicates needs-based selling. 

    In December 2024, FSRA released its latest Market Conduct Supervision Report. It highlights the need for advisors to follow certain rules and industry best practices. The report found five key areas where improvement is needed:

    1. Missing notes from client meetings and calls
    2. Inadequate advisor disclosure
    3. Missing sales illustrations for different product options
    4. Missing insurance needs analysis
    5. Missing policy delivery receipts


    By following industry best practices and keeping thorough records, you show your commitment to providing clients with the solutions they need. For example, taking notes during client meetings helps you track all discussions that support your recommendations. Having an insurance needs analysis shows you are providing clients with suitable advice to buy the solutions that best meet their needs.

    Resources: Equitable® has resources that can help improve your business practices and help you treat clients fairly. We encourage you to check these out:

    1. PPT: “Ensuring a Compliant, Needs-based Insurance Sale”. The steps to follow in needs-based selling and the records to keep.

    Get CE credits! We offer the above as a self-study course that qualifies for 1 Continuing Education (CE) credit. Access it here: https://equitable-life-education.teachable.com/. (Use your contracted email to log in).

    2. Client File Reference: The records to keep when selling investments, life insurance, or critical illness insurance, including key documents insurers and regulators look for during compliance audits.

    3. Investor Profile Questionnaires: These will help you document your sales recommendations for:
    ● Universal Life (UL) sales: 1190.pdf, and
    ● Pivotal Select (Segregated Fund) sales: 1165.pdf

    Questions? Contact your Equitable wholesaler. They are ready to support your success!

    ® or TM denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
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  5. Regulator Reviews of Advisor Business Practices The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) began targeted life agent examinations in 2021 as part of its Market Conduct: Life and Health Insurance Agent Supervision Framework. In March 2022, FSRA released its industry report which included a summary of the top regulatory violations or business practice gaps identified during those reviews, which included:

    ● Agent Disclosure – failure to ensure proper disclosure to clients regarding the insurers that the agent is authorized to represent, conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest and agent compensation;
    ● Continuing Education Credits – failure to complete CE credits as required or misrepresentation to the regulator regarding completion;
    ● Failure to complete the Life Insurance Replacement Declaration with clients when replacing an existing insurance policy;
    ● Missing or inadequate financial needs analysis and/or risk assessment (wealth) and insurance needs analysis;
    ● Missing or inadequate Reasons Why Letters for insurance recommendations;
    ● Missing evidence of policy illustrations;
    ● Missing or inadequate AML/ATF programs; and
    ● An overall lack of adequate notes to document client conversations and support recommendations made.  

    While these reviews are focused on agents licensed in Ontario, the review findings are helpful for all licensed advisors to ensure your business practices are aligned with regulatory and industry standards.  Following these standards also helps you meet Equitable Life’s Advisor Code of Conduct. FSRA’s full report includes a copy of the Insurance Agent Market Conduct Questionnaire and can be viewed at https://www.fsrao.ca/newsroom/new-life-and-health-agent-supervisory-framework-enhances-consumer-protection.


     
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  7. Why fair treatment of clients matters

    Building strong client relationships


    Fair treatment of clients and excellent service goes beyond offering great products. It's about understanding and meeting clients’ needs at every single stage of life. At Equitable, we believe in putting clients first and building lasting, trusting relationships. 

    As an advisor, it’s important to build these strong client relationships for your business growth and success. This is achieved by focusing on each client’s interests and providing personalized financial care and support. 

    Here are some tips to build and maintain strong client relationships:

    ● Meet with clients at a minimum of every two years to maintain relationships and ensure clients have the right coverage for their needs. Updates to their insurance may be needed with life changes like marriage, children or purchasing a home. 
    ● Regularly review products with investment components with clients. This may help ensure client investments stay on track to meet their needs and align with their financial goals. 
    ● Reassess term policies and riders with clients throughout the term period, and at least six months before renewal. This can help clients understand any premium changes and consider options that may meet their ongoing needs. 

    Another important tip...

    ● Document each attempt to engage with clients. Regular meetings with advisors are needed to ensure the client has the right coverage for their current and future needs. Keeping a record of these attempts helps protect advisors when clients don’t respond or don’t want to meet. 

    Treating clients with fairness and ensuring their interests are protected will show that you are providing support to help ensure your clients' needs are covered. Building trust leads to happier clients, stronger relationships, and more business opportunities to help protect clients throughout their lifetime.
  8. Important cybersecurity readiness guidance As an advisor, you collect and store clients’ sensitive personal information. Protecting this information is essential. In July 2023, the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organization (CISRO) released a guide on Cybersecurity Readiness. It includes tips on keeping this sensitive client data and your business systems safe. 

    Please read the guide in full. Also, check your own practices to be cyber ready and reduce your risk of an incident. 

    Some key tips in the guide include:

    1. Make cybersecurity a priority: Stay alert to cyber threats. These can be suspicious emails, texts or calls. Make sure your team knows how to keep your data and systems safe and has clear, documented processes to follow.

    2. Know what to protect: Understand what data and business systems need to be protected. 

    3. Identify the risks: Spot the risks in your practice and those from third-party service providers.

    4. Implement security measures: Take steps to protect your data and business systems.


    5. Be ready to respond: Know how to spot and react to cyber incidents. The guide has useful tips on creating a Cyber Incident Response Plan.

    And lastly – if you receive client instructions electronically (by email, text, or messaging apps), always confirm these over the phone to ensure it’s really the client sending the instructions.

    Keep your business and important client data safe by staying informed and alert. We encourage you to read the full  Cybersecurity Readiness document to learn more about how to prepare for cyber threats.

    In our industry, protecting clients’ sensitive data and systems is essential. Thank you for your commitment to cybersecurity!

    ® or TM denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
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