I had a meeting with a representative from Sunlife just to get an idea of what services he had to offer. On the one hand, he did seem to know a fair bit more than me about financial stuff (no real surprise there). And he was reasonably friendly. But I decided not to go with them because of the experience I had with the rep.
For one, my husband and each manage our own accounts, and work together to manage joint expenses (like rent, food, and bigger financial decisions). Typically I'm a little more proactive, like in terms of keeping records, trying to learn about investing, etc. than my husband is. However, the rep kept talking mostly to my husband, asking him about all the bookkeeping, and leaving me out of the conversation a bit - except for when he would explain financial concepts to me (and only me) with shopping metaphors. I kid you not, I felt like we were back in the 50s.
Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, cos the visual aids he had to explain some stuff looked like they were from the 70s or 80s in terms of style (and were a bit beat up).
They may seem like small things, but I can't help but wonder how my experience would be with someone who can't even keep their materials up to date, and who assumes the husband does all the work and that the wife could understand better through shopping allegories. It was bizarre. Maybe their services themselves are alright; I don't have much to compare to. But I certainly won't go with a company that treats me in such a bizarre manner. read more