Our process
Five steps, from the first conversation to the annual review. None of them carries a fee, every meeting is held online, and you can stop at any one of them without explaining yourself.
People often ask what working with us actually looks like before they book anything. Here is the whole process, including the step where the decision is not ours to make.
The five steps
Thirty minutes, online, no products
The Discovery Meeting
We listen. You describe your situation, what you are trying to protect or build, and what you have already tried. We answer questions in plain language.
Many people arrive having read part of this site or the book, and that makes the conversation better. It is not required, and nothing is assumed of you.
At the end we tell you whether this fits. If it does not, we say so in that meeting rather than sending you a proposal.
No fee. Nothing is sold in this meeting, and no application is started.
The one piece of work we ask of you
Your Financial DNA
Between the first meeting and the next, you complete what the industry calls a Know Your Client record. We call it your Financial DNA: assets, liabilities, income, expenses, obligations, the pressures you are managing, and what you actually want money to do.
This is not a sales form. A licensed advisor cannot responsibly recommend an insurance product without establishing that it suits your circumstances, and that obligation is why the step exists.
Your information is held under our privacy policy, Quebec’s Law 25 and PIPEDA. You decide what you share, and an incomplete picture simply means a narrower recommendation.
Suitability is a regulatory obligation, not a formality. We would rather ask more questions than fewer.
Scenarios, not a single pitch
The Design Meeting
We bring you more than one way forward, and we walk through each in plain language. Where a projection is shown, we separate what the contract guarantees from what it does not, because participations are declared annually by the insurer and are never guaranteed.
You ask questions. You take the time you need. We coordinate with your accountant and your legal advisor where the structure calls for it.
If you would rather not proceed, that is a complete answer. You owe us nothing and we will not chase you.
You sign nothing you do not fully understand. If a scenario is unclear, that is our failure to explain, not yours to follow.
The insurer decides, not us
Application and underwriting
If you choose to go ahead, we prepare and submit an application. From that point the decision belongs to the insurance company.
Underwriting usually involves health and lifestyle questions, and may involve a medical examination or a request for records. Acceptance is not automatic. An application can be:
- accepted as applied for
- accepted with a rating, meaning a higher premium for the same coverage
- accepted with an exclusion on a particular cause
- postponed pending treatment or test results
- declined
A small number of guaranteed-issue products ask no health questions, but they cost more for less coverage and usually limit benefits in the first years. They are a last resort, not a shortcut.
We tell you where the file stands at each stage, including when the news is not what you hoped.
No outcome is promised here, by us or by anyone. Anyone who promises you approval before underwriting is not telling you the truth.
Where we stay with you
After the policy is in force
A policy is the beginning of the work, not the end of it. We review it with you annually, and we are available between reviews when something changes.
That includes how and when to use a policy loan, how repayment affects the death benefit while the loan is outstanding, what a change in the participation scale means for your plan, and how the policy interacts with a home purchase, a business decision, a child’s education, or retirement income.
We coordinate with your accountant and your legal advisor as your situation changes, because the tax and estate treatment is theirs to advise on, not ours.
CWCC is a family firm. These strategies unfold over decades, and looking after them year by year is the part of the work we care about most.
How we are paid, and what we ask
You are not charged a fee for any of the steps above. Not the discovery meeting, not the Financial DNA, not the design meeting, and not the application.
We are paid by the insurance company, as a commission, and only if a policy is issued and put in force. We are paid when you buy, and not paid when you do not.
So there is one thing we ask, and only one. If the work we have done together leads you to proceed, we hope you will place it with us. If it leads you to decide this is not for you, that is a genuinely fine outcome, and we will not treat it as a loss. We would rather you leave well informed than proceed unconvinced.
Frequently asked questions
What does all of this cost?
Nothing. None of the five steps is billed to you. We are paid by the insurance company, as a commission, and only if a policy is put in force.
Am I obliged to continue after the discovery meeting?
No. You can stop at any step, without explanation and at no cost. If you decide this is not for you, that is a complete answer.
Am I guaranteed to be accepted?
No, and nobody can promise you that. The insurer decides after underwriting. An application can be accepted as applied for, accepted with a rating or an exclusion, postponed, or declined.
Why do you need my finances in detail?
Because a licensed advisor must establish that a product suits your circumstances before recommending it. That is a suitability obligation, not a sales step. You decide what you share.
How long does it take?
The discovery meeting is thirty minutes. The Financial DNA moves at your pace. Underwriting usually takes from a few days to a few weeks, depending on what the insurer asks for.