Testimonials
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Testimonials
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Kathryn Walker. Hanukah 2009 Brian Chelsky, President, Careful Hand Laundry & Dry Cleaners Ltd. Two generations of Chelskys and Browns have been friends for more than 25 years, and Careful Hand Laundry and Al G. Brown & Associates have been doing business for about the same time. AGB provides Careful’s employee group benefits, and Brian and Risa’s life and critical illness insurance policies. AGB also helped manage the transition of Careful’s business from one generation to the next. Brian sees many parallels between Careful and AGB: both are long-standing family businesses that value integrity, community, quality, pride, and commitment to clients. “Over time, the industries change,” says Brian, “but the qualities that are important to us do not.” Dr. Michael Gordon, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care Michael
Gordon decided to buy a charitable life insurance policy and make the
Baycrest Foundation his beneficiary. It was a giving strategy that
made practical sense to him. “The gift to the Foundation is more
than the premiums.” And there are tax advantages for his estate. “I
would say to anyone who supports an organization and wants to make
a commitment to its long term viability, that you should consider giving,
using a life insurance process. You don’t have to be rich to
do it.” Sound advice from a man who has spent his life ensuring
those around him have every opportunity to experience the richness
of life - at every age and in the years to come. Rosanna Palma, Controller, Eastern Packinghouse Brokers - Employee Group Benefit Client "It
was a pleasure meeting with you. I really enjoy working with you and
I know I can always depend on you.
“Reason why business is referred is because of competence and respect – so thank you!” Kurt Rothschild " I
can think of no other firm that I would trust to formulate my charitable
giving Gella Rothstein, President, Dover Imports When Gella was working to raise funds for the United Way’s Tomorrow Fund, she again went to Al G. Brown & Associates to create her endowment. “I felt good about it because they have the expertise. They found the right product at the right price, so that I could see it happening. They made it easy. They are very service oriented and share our values. There is a very warm feeling in the office.” Al G. Brown & Associates are now working with a third generation of Gella’s family. Michael, Hugh and Peter Schure As their business has grown, the “Karbon boys,” as they’ve come to be known, have relied on AGB to meet their business’s insurance needs. Their father worked with Al G. Now the Schure brothers work with David Wm. Brown, Al G.’s son. Whether it’s helping to create a shareholders’ agreement or ensuring that coverage is in place in case one of the partners dies or is incapacitated, David “has been instrumental,” says Hugh. “We count on him to give us the product that suits our needs. Those needs change from time to time, and we know he’s there to research, review and — if necessary — modify our coverage.” Hinda and Allan SilberAllan Silber, Chairman & CEO, Counsel Corporation and his wife, Hinda have set up a charitable insurance policy with Al G. Brown & Associates. The policy, says Allan, will “provide ongoing financial assistance to several charitable institutions while helping us perpetuate our basic ideals and philosophies as a family.” AGB was a perfect fit when it came to setting up the policy, says Allan. “David [Brown] was able to come up with creative, personalized solutions while being very sensitive to our needs. I have a great level of personal and professional trust and respect for him. ”As a family,” says Allan, “all the Browns embody the same values of community involvement I’ve talked about. They are an incredible example to our community. Jocelyn Smith“Fred was just a wonderful man. Because he had a very good relationship with Golda Brown and AGB, he wanted us to benefit from that relationship. And we have — we’ve been with them now for at least a dozen years. It’s a business, but they’re always working at that personal level,” says Jocelyn. Jocelyn Smith laughs when asked if she sees any parallels between the clinic she runs and Al G. Brown & Associates. It’s easy to see why: at first blush, it would seem that an infertility clinic and an insurance and financial-planning company wouldn’t have much in common. But dig a little deeper and the parallels begin to emerge. “I guess it comes down to helping people realize their hopes and dreams,” says Jocelyn, an RN and senior administrator of the LifeQuest Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Toronto. “Here, we’re trying to provide people with a family and AGB is trying to protect the interests of that family.”
STAT members also benefit from economies of scale. David Wm. Brown and Andrea Ballett-Kozak of Al G. Brown & Associates worked hard to design and put in place an employee benefits plan for STAT’s collective staff. “Smaller synagogues and temples, which typically have fewer than 10 staff, can find it difficult to get health insurance,” notes Karen Grimm, ED of Temple Har Zion, a Reform congregation in Thornhill. A group plan gave even small synagogues purchasing power, cost effectiveness, and good-quality coverage. One of the unique features of the plan is the autonomy and flexibility it offers its members, each of whom has a plan tailored according to its particular needs, desires, and budget. Both STAT and its common benefits plan, says Sheldon, reflect the changing needs of the present-day synagogue. “In the old days, synagogue staff was usually volunteers who put out the bulletin, and the rabbi did everything else. As synagogues have grown in size and complexity, they needed skilled people to manage them, and those volunteer administrators became professionals. To attract them, you need to offer benefits in line with other organizations.” “STAT comes from the standpoint of people working well together to manage their congregations,” says Karen. “The fact that we were able to come together for this insurance policy speaks to our desire to work to make things better and more affordable for us all. There’s strength in numbers.”
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