Skip to content

Getting to know the lives behind the life insurance policies

In this week's Midweek Mugging, meet Sun Life agents Owen Craig and Kenneth Parry, who have just opened an office in Collingwood. Visit the new office during the open house this Thursday.
29052018-MidweekMuggingSunLife-EE
Kenneth Parry and Owen Craig are local Sun Life agents who have just opened an office in Collingwood. Erika Engel/CollingwoodToday

In the insurance and investment business, it’s all about who you know.

That’s the approach two Sun Life agents have taken for their business over the years and it’s helped them grow to open an office in Collingwood.

Kenneth Parry and Owen Craig have more than 25 years experience between them as investment and insurance planners. They have had successful careers because they have been focussed on the people they serve before the services they sell.

“Ours is very much a relationship-based business,” said Craig, who has been operating from a Sun Life office in Meaford for the past 10 years.

He takes his professional integrity oath seriously, and considers his role to help people.

Which is why he’s happy to see improvements being made to his industry by way of checks and balances to protect consumers.

In particular, though it has put more work on his plate, he’s fond of something called a Reason Why Letter.

Agents are now required to follow-up with their clients on an annual basis and to submit a Reason Why Letter, after making or recommending changes to a client’s financial or insurance portfolio. The letter is all the actions being recommended and why they are recommended. It is – in essence – a summary of the agent’s understanding of their client’s individual needs and interests. That’s why the relationship between Craig and his clients is so important. He needs to know them well enough to know what services will work best.

Parry has been working in Collingwood since 2002 from his home office. He has teamed up with Craig to open the office as part of his succession plan. He intends to cut back on his work a little bit for a semi-retirement, but he didn’t want to abandon his clients.

“I enjoy doing what I do,” he said. “I enjoy working with the people. They have become my friends, not just my clients. I have clients whose grandparents and parents have worked with me.”

He said, though it’s hard to deliver a cheque when someone passes away, it is also a source of pride to tell a client’s family that someone cared about them enough to make sure they were taken care of.

Parry comes from a technical background installing corporate phone systems in businesses. In 2002 he submitted a resume to a financial planner and dove into his career selling insurance. He’s built up an expertise in group benefits and insurance, which makes him a good partner for Craig, whose expertise is in estate planning and wealth management.

Before Sun Life, Craig was a commodity trader in Calgary.

“I woke up one morning and thought, ‘If I am not here tomorrow, no one is going to notice … I am not making a difference,’” he said. “I thought about how I could make an impact with the knowledge and skill set I had.”

Craig went into financial planning, and he said it’s allowed him to make a very big impact in people’s lives.

“It’s rare for me to have an appointment with a person and not be able to find improvements that can be made,” he said.

Craig’s wife, Heather, has also joined him and Parry in opening the Collingwood business. She’s the office manager and offers support to Craig and Parry as they work with clients.

She is proud of the way the Collingwood Sun Life team does business, and while it may not be for everyone, she said there are clients who like what they do and work well with them.

“We take pride in being able to create a relationship with someone,” she said, adding it’s important when the time comes for the investments or insurance to be paid out as part of the plan. “We’re the ones delivering a cheque when everyone else has their hand out.”

She said the team does make house calls, and they work flexible hours so they can meet with clients from all walks of life.

Craig and his family live in Nottawa and Parry lives in Collingwood.

There will be an open house at the new Collingwood Sun Life office on May 31 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The new office is located at 150 St. Paul Street East, suite 203.


Reader Feedback

Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
Read more