There has been quite a bit of panic and hype surrounding this law which was actually introduced on January 1, 2013 that required Canadians and other foreigners to use an international driving permit in order to get behind the wheel in Florida.  This has certainly caused a great deal of concern for many Canadian drivers who travel to Florida for vacation, and many of them for the entire Canadian Winter.  Canadian drivers were told that if they did not purchase this…

Just a small note today from all of us at The Shepherd Group to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! We hope Santa was good to you and you got everything you wished for and more!

The MBA is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. It is a degree designed to give you the ability to develop your career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace. What will you get out of an MBA? Aside from a powerful life experience, the MBA degree should supply three main value propositions: Skills, Networks, and Brand. Skills These include the “hard skills” of economics, finance, marketing, operations, management, and accounting, as well as…

I am born and raised in Manila, Philippines, which makes me a true-blue Filipino. So, this time around, allow me to brag about it, my motherland. Missing her is probably one reason why I’m driven to write this. Although a thousand words will never be enough to describe how beautiful, natural, and fun it is to be there. Let me go through this as enjoyable as it really is, as if you’ve personally toured it (virtually). Visiting every corner of…

November being Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is a good time for men to grow out their biggest, bushiest moustaches. This will generate meaningful conversation about men’s health especially, Prostate Cancer, the most common cancer in men. One in seven men will be affected. What is Prostate Cancer? The prostate is a walnut-size gland in men, below the bladder. In the normal aging process it continues to grow slowly, eventually causing men to have difficulty urinating. In some cases the cells…

As a kid, Halloween  was always a day I looked forward to.  My family would decorate the house, we’d eat some pizza and then my Mom would stay and give out candy as my Dad took us trick or treating.   When we got home we usually spent a good hour or so laying on the floor dividing up our candy and of course,  eating as much as my Mom would let us, and trying to keep my Dad’s hands off it!  I guess it was your basic…

Since I am working from home in order to celebrate Halloween with my family, I wondered what could be going on at the office today without me there…I got an email this morning, containing a few pictures that answered my question…

It is becoming more and more popular these days for people to purchase homes with the sole intention of renting them out to a tenant, or family of tenants.  As good of an idea as this is for a supplementary income, it is still important that you take every precaution you can to ensure you protect your investment.  The most important way to protect your investment (in my opinion anyway) is to add the rental property to your property insurance…

Ever wonder why the Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day in November and we celebrate in October? To be honest, this is something I have never really questioned because my Mother’s family is American so I was lucky enough to have grown up celebrating both holidays, and of course enjoying the abundance of wonderful Fall comfort food that comes with it! However, for those of you who may be curious, I did some reasearch on this, and found the following information to share….

In Toronto, Ontario we have numerous choices for car insurance but sometimes it feels like we’re missing out on true convenience. For example, many sites will say they sell “Online Insurance” because they have a call-to-action that asks a few questions and then produces one or more of the following: Please contact our office at 1-800… to speak to one of our experts. OR Please note that this is NOT a true quote but a guide for us to see…

Here are some of the comments we have received from clients over the past year.  Here are a few that stood out to me so I have quoted, and responded to them below.  Please feel free to provide your comments and/or ask us anything you’d like! “I wish my broker did a better job of explaining the policy, I have no idea what I’m paying for, I just know I have to have insurance” I definitely wish I had a nickel for every…

September is just around the corner and Dance Studios everywhere are gearing up with registrations for the coming season.  All dance teachers need liability insurance to cover them in case something goes wrong during a class, for the majority of dance teachers, there are two insurance coverages in particular which should be considered – professional insurance and third party liability insurance. If a student falls and hurts themselves while taking your class, either the student or the parents of the…

  I’m an avid reader. I read everything I can get my hands on, but as you can probably figure out, as a business owner, my main interest is reading books that have to do with what I love – business.  I recently completed a book all about finding the next big idea and the process you need to follow, and it really got me thinking. Do people really come up with their own unique and creative ideas? Or do they just take them from…