In 1985, Claudia Boduel found herself in the insurance business quite by accident. Her idea was to start in sales at a Canadian company, and then move into management, on her way up the corporate ladder. However, once she settled in to working with business owners and their employees, she found that empowering people to secure their financial futures was her passion. She saw first-hand how insurance done right, protects income and preserves equity. While working for various insurance companies across Canada as a group account executive, Claudia became increasingly alarmed at the skill level of agents who believed themselves competent to ‘do-it-all’ themselves. Often, they structured programs poorly, leaving the company underinsured and ‘underwhelmed’ with their programs. Claudia’s newest venture, Focused Benefit Solutions Inc., is built on her philosophy that when clients hire professionals, they not only expect but also deserve competency, integrity, and expert advice. She interviews clients as much as they interview her, to see if working together is a good fit for both. Claudia has developed a process which not only works to align the client company’s vision for their employees with the actual insurance program, but her company also provides ancillary programs to assist employers in setting corporate policies, and communicating the program fully to end-users to avoid surprises. Claudia surrounds herself with professionals in complimentary fields such as human resources, employment law, business succession planning, executive search experts and financial planners, to be able to make introductions and to build the client’s team of trusted advisors. Claudia is a graduate of York University and has achieved Fellow Status with her Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation from Dalhousie University. She worked for five major insurance companies in both Toronto and Vancouver over 18 years before partnering with a financial planner in 2003 to build a group benefits consulting firm in the Vancouver area. In 2012, Claudia created Focused Benefit Solutions Inc. in order to make the consulting work she had always dreamed of a reality. Claudia is married to Oliver, who is her life partner and biggest supporter in her business ventures. Oliver and Claudia have 2 successful adult daughters, who live near-by. To get further info on Claudia, finding a competent broker or structuring a plan for maximum effectiveness, visit: www.focusedbenefitsolutions.com, or send an email. (N.B. Claudia Boduel is licensed to give insurance advice in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.)