A busy day

I started the day in Calgary today, arriving at Global TV shortly after 6 a.m. Just in case I needed any further proof that I`m not a morning person, this morning was it! I was interviewed by Angela Kokott for the 6:00 news and will post a link if one becomes available. I then went to the McKenzie Pointe branch of Scotiabank in SE Calgary, where I was interviewed and filmed by SE Calgary News. Thanks to the staff there for accommodating us! There will be a link of the film clip available in the next few days and I`ll post that so you can check it out. There will also be a written story to accompany the film clip.

After that I went on to the Sylvan Lake Scotiabank branch and visited a bit with the staff and a couple of really nice clients. More thanks to the very friendly Scotiabankers in Sylvan Lake who took the time to chat with me.

Then I came back to Edmonton to catch up on all of my voice mails and emails and the tons of reading materials that always await me at the office.

My trip to Sylvan Lake

Today I spent the day in Sylvan Lake, meeting with about 45 Scotiabankers from Airdrie, Red Deer, Olds, Innisfail and other central Alberta towns. The point of these meetings is to help my colleagues identify customers who need or want help with will planning, enduring powers of attorney or trust services that deal with incapacity. It's also to make sure that they are up to date with our estate planning services.

I was very impressed with how enthusiastic everyone was about learning. It made me feel great to hear so many questions and comments by people who really care about our customers.

In one afternoon session, about 25 of us had a really excellent discussion about seniors coming into the bank with their adult children to arrange banking for the senior. I gave some information and suggestions for ways to deal with this. For the record, I am not in favour of intergenerational joint bank accounts unless the senior gives clear, written instructions about his or her intentions for the money. I think Enduring Powers of Attorney are a better choice.