Providing exceptional service and delivering innovative solutions to business owners and leaders requires specialized expertise. In Bridgewell’s case, that’s built around key pillars including group benefits, executive planning, insurance and financial planning. Helping our clients bridge the gap between wealth and health—specifically, connecting their total well-being to strategic financial decisions—requires extensive knowledge to deliver what could potentially be life-changing advice. The good news: we have decades of combined experience across the firm. But that was taken to another level when we welcomed the team from Seligman Insurance into the Bridgewell family earlier this year.
One of the team members that joined us from Seligman was Fran Perkins, our Director of Individual Client Service. Having begun her insurance career in the late 1980s, Fran’s experience proved to be an immediate asset to our firm. Her management skills and dedication to clients’ service needs is what truly sets Fran apart. It’s easy to see why her career has spanned nearly four decades and how she continues to deliver value to her clients and colleagues. In our latest Meet the Bridgewell Team blog, Fran sheds light on her professional background, the similarities between the Seligman and Bridgewell cultures—and why they jelled so well when our two firms joined forces—along with her favourite pursuits away from the office.
Can you provide a few details about your professional background?
I’ve been in the insurance business for more than 37 years. I started my career at Seligman Insurance in 1988. My first job title was marketing assistant. I stayed in that role for many years, before I was eventually named Director of Insurance Services. That promotion happened when I earned my life insurance license in 2012.
You have decades of industry experience. Can you talk about how you’ve seen the insurance sector evolve over that time?
I would say that today, there are many more underwriting challenges. There’s more attention paid to the age and health of the people applying for insurance, and the underwriting process is generally longer. There’s also a lot more government regulation in terms of how we deal with compliance, which is a huge deal in this business.
An area of compliance that’s become more complex is around information management and client privacy. What we retain in the office in terms of client data, even the means in which we have documents signed, has changed a great deal. For example, when I first started out—and throughout much of my career—all documents had to be signed in person, but now everything is signed electronically. Policies that used to be presented across the table are now mailed and emailed to clients, so those are major differences.
How do you support the Bridgewell team on a daily basis?
My role hasn’t changed that much from when we were at Seligman Insurance, only now my job title is Director of Individual Client Service. Rather than supporting two advisors, I now support five. The advisors work with the clients on determining their policy needs, then we deliver the policy to the client through the underwriting process.
I answer client questions during throughout that process and if I don’t have all the answers they need, I go to one of our advisors for clarification. Because I have my insurance license, I sometimes even answer advisor questions.
What do you think is unique about Bridgewell’s service offering and culture?
I think Bridgewell and Seligman were aligned from the start because we both look at the client in a very personal way. It’s not transactional for us. Bridgewell is a relationship-building company and we want to make the client feel like they’re not just a number. Our clients are important to us, whether it’s a corporate or personal account.
That’s reflected in the way that we’ve retained clients across generations. I now work on the insurance side with some of our original Seligman clients’ adult children. They feel like family to me. I think that’s a nicer, more homey approach to business than dealing with clients transactionally. To retain those clients, we’ve always focused on treating them like they matter, while working to respond to their needs in a timely manner. You need to make them feel like they’re being taken care of.
What do you like to do away from the office?
I like to stay active by golfing, snowshoeing and walking. I belong to a local club that supports women’s charities and resources in my community. I’m also a mother of two adult children and a grandmother to two active grandchildren who keep me busy.
The Bridgewell team
For assistance with your wealth and financial planning, insurance or group benefits planning needs, contact a member of our team today.
