Billyard Insurance Group
173 Brock St. North, Suite # 101 L1N 4H3 Whitby, ON, Canada

Apartment hunting? Being a renter in today’s market isn’t easy, and there are many things you should be looking out for while finding the perfect place. Watch out for these 5 red flags when apartment hunting. Phantom listings, application identity theft and the bait and switch tactic prices that are too good to be true, or properties that look nothing like the photos are red flags. Always vet the landlord/listing agent before you agree to a lease and provide your informat...ion. If the property manager/landlord is difficult to contact, this is a BAD sign, especially if you needed emergency repairs. Read online reviews and chat with other residents to get a better sense of the landlord’s availability. Landlord asking questions that infringe on your Human Rights. Questions about age, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, welfare/public assistance, or citizenship status are prohibited. A lease that looks incomplete, non-standard or adds unreasonable additional terms. Get familiar with your province’s landlord and tenant act and don’t sign a lease if it looks suspicious. A landlord asking to be added to your tenant insurance policy. Landlords should have their own insurance coverage. This will avoid confusion about who would receive a payout if you make a claim on your policy. Once you have found the perfect place, BIG insurance is here to get you a great price on tenant insurance. Contact us for a quote! #thinkBIG #rentersinsurance #tenantinsurance

BIG is wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Diwali! #happydiwali #celebratediwali

The holiday season has arrived, and your holiday office party is coming up quickly! Your team has worked exceptionally hard, adapting to changes this year, so they deserve a little holiday party fun, even if it looks different. In this blog, we’ve combined some COVID-friendly holiday office party ideas for both in-person and virtual gatherings.https://www.thebig.ca/blog/title/holiday-office-party #thinkBIG #businessinsurance #holidayparty

Your first experience on a big highway can be intimidating and scary, but with this little guide to highway driving, you’ll be confident in no time! Do you remember your first time on the highway? Share your stories with us in the comments. For your first experience, pick a quieter time of day and low-traffic location. Also avoid poor weather conditions. Start off in the right lane to help maintain your speed and interact with traffic entering the highway.... Leave enough space for lane changes approximately 4 to 6 seconds of space around you. Check your mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes and use your turn signals. Keep a wide viewpoint looking further down the road and in your rear-view mirror to continually observe what’s around you. Keep calm and stay focused by putting all distractions away. Make sure you are properly insured on the vehicle you drive Keep practicing and with these tips and you’ll be on your way to being a confident highway driver! Stay safe on the roads and give us a call to talk about your insurance coverage. #thinkBIG #newdriver #gotmylicense

If you've seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation or Home Alone, you likely have a sense of what could go wrong during the holiday season. While you put up your twinkly lights, decorate your Christmas tree, find the perfect gifts, and plan your (safe) holiday parties, enjoy the season worry-free by reviewing your property insurance policy and following these holiday decorating home safety tips on our latest blog. https://www.thebig.ca/blog/title/home-safety-tips #thinkBIG #holidayseason #holidaydecorations

If you’re a high-achieving and driven business owner, you’ve dedicated countless hours to make your dream business come true. But maybe you’re feeling exhausted, unmotivated and disconnected from your business and vision. Entrepreneur burnout doesn’t happen overnight, but many factors build up leading to chronic stress, fatigue, irritability, and depression, as well as physical symptoms like headaches and gastrointestinal issues and insomnia. So, what causes entrepreneur burn...out? Being online all the time, the demand of unrelated skills, the invisible workload that goes unacknowledged, being an over-achiever, always saying yes, commuting time. If this is you, you are NOT alone. These approaches can help you safeguard against burnout and also benefit you and your business in the long term: Create clear, healthy boundaries. Set an end-of-workday time, take effective breaks to refresh, delegate tasks to others, say no to things you cannot do (or don’t want to do!), minimize interaction with toxic people. Take care of your body, mind and soul. Get the right nutrition, drink enough water, be physically active, get enough sleep, practice mindfulness, meditation or prayer, connect with healthy relationships, find a creative outlet. Change your work mindset. Give yourself permission to slow down. Have reasonable work expectations. Set realistic goals and focus on your top 3 each day or week. Celebrate the small accomplishments. Take a vacation and REALLY unplug. Get help from a mental health professional if you need more help to identify triggers and strategies to recover. Share this post with your friends, family and business friends. So many people are unaware of the tolls work can take on our well-being. Let’s spread awareness before it’s too late. #businessinsurance #smallbusiness #thinkBIG

If the instability of our current situation has taught us anything, it’s that we must be prepared for financial emergencies. We have no idea how long COVID-19 will continue to impact our jobs, our economy, and our lives, but no matter where you’re at, you CAN be financially prepared! Here are some goals to help you become financially secure in the days ahead. Pay off high-interest consumer debt ASAP. Talk to your bank about debt relief programs or look for a low-interest c...redit option that offers a balance transfer, making your debt more manageable. Find a low-interest option for borrowing such as a low-interest credit card or line of credit. Use this ONLY as an emergency safety net. Plan a crisis budget to know where you can cut back in hard times. You may have to adjust your lifestyle by prioritizing fixed expenses, savings second, and extra indulgences last. Get back on track with your savings ASAP. With the magic of compound interest, even saving a tiny amount of $25 per week can help soften the blow of unplanned expenses in the future. Remember your long-term plan for investments. The markets took a hit, but they will recover, so keep investing if it’s within your means to do so. You may also consider adjusting your risk tolerance. If you have questions about budgeting or investments, our financial team at BIG would be happy to help you get back on track with your financial plan! Visit our website or give us a call for more details. #financialadvice #financialliteracymonth #thinkBIG

Business owners greatly influence the culture of their business. Maybe you’ve started up a new business, or you’ve stepped into a senior leadership role and there are some things you’d change. Navigating a culture change at work takes time and patience. As you spearhead a culture shift at your business, remember employees usually need more time and support to get there because of the uncertainty it brings. Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to adjust your wor...kplace culture. 1. Understand the current culture from the perspective of the employee BEFORE you change things. Be a listener and learner, build trust with your employee base before assessing and implementing changes. 2. Envision your new work culture. Write down specific details of your vision whether behavioural, environmental or physical. 3. Clearly communicate your vision and expectations. People will especially resist change when they do not understand why. Cast the vision so that your staff can see it will be worth it. 4. Accept the phases of changes. You will get pushback, so do your best to be compassionate and understanding in your approach. Leadership must be united in response to hold firm to the changes while being kind. 5. Celebrate the small successes, motivating your team to see the process through. 6. Talk to your insurance broker about changes you make (company size, changes in products, property renovations, etc.) While you envision change, think through the whole process before you begin. It can be draining and confusing to manage through a culture shift, so being prepared will keep you motivated to continue moving toward your vision. #thinkBIG #businessowners #cultureshift

With winter comes wonderful things like snow, cozy socks and hot chocolate, but it also comes with severe weather and dangerous driving conditions. Here are some tips on preparing your car for winter to keep you and your family safe. Winter tires, while optional, can help you have better traction on the road and can also save you money on your car insurance! #thinkBIG #autoinsurance #carinsurance https://youtu.be/pDzoUSzT-WA