(Guest posting by CancerIFA)
Cancer is the most powerful word in the English language. Although medical science has dramatically improved recovery from most cancers, and terminal cancer has become largely an old person’s disease, people of all age groups nevertheless suffer from cancer, and everyone remains fearful of even the word ‘cancer’.
There is currently a range of anti cancer treatments, anti cancer drugs, diets and support services, and Cancer IFA is a new service principally for members of Employee Benefits Schemes who are terminally ill with cancer; Cancer IFA is therefore also a new support service for IFAs.
The story of Cancer IFA
The founder of Cancer IFA is George Emsden, a retired banker and financial adviser who four years ago had a sore throat that wouldn’t go away, that was ultimately diagnosed as throat cancer.
Cancer diagnosis is always a shock, but probably less so for George who at 19 years old saw his mother die of cancer, and a succession of friends and family thereafter. When George was diagnosed, he received lots of advice from doctors and charities on how to deal with friends and family, but no advice on having a big end of life experience. George loves Latin-American dancing, and he wanted a big end of life experience visiting Argentina, the home of the tango
To pay for his big end of life experience, he needed to know how much a two month, or three month tour of Argentina would cost, and how much his insurance policies pensions and other financial assets were worth. As a financial adviser, George already had the skills to value his financial assets, but most people don’t, and so the idea for a new business was born.
A service that helps cancer sufferers and also IFAs
Early diagnosis, a positive attitude, and the wonders of medical science have assured George has since recovered from cancer. And as he openly speaks about his cancer experience, many cancer sufferers and other people have described his story as an inspiration.
However, when relating his story to financial and pension advisers, George noticed they seemed uncomfortable advising clients recently diagnosed with terminal illness. Of course, George had no such discomfort, and above all felt a calling to help other cancer sufferers. So Cancer IFA was born as a service that assists the clients of financial and group pension advisers to find out how big an end of life experience they can have.
What is Cancer IFA and how does it work?
- Cancer IFA is a unique service for terminally ill cancer sufferers
- It helps sufferers to articulate, and ultimately to experience the dream of a last holiday or even to organise a final gift to the community
- The service is offered to sufferers and their spouses, who are members of a group pension or employee benefits scheme
- Cancer IFA provides the service by listening to the sufferer’s end of life dreams
- During two telephone meetings, the sufferers’ priorities and inspirations are carefully listened to, analysed and noted as options
- Cancer IFA then researches the cost of those options compared to the value of the sufferer’s assets, and recommends a ‘doable’ end of life dream experience
As a retired financial adviser, George Emsden is used to listening to people and comparing people’s dreams with their assets, and having experienced cancer, George is also able empathise with cancer sufferers
But Cancer IFA is neither a financial advice service, nor a holiday organiser! Rather, it is a pastoral service that researches ‘how big an end of life experience a cancer sufferer can have’, and therefore Cancer IFA, is quite different from the advice given by cancer charities and doctors
In summary, Cancer IFA is an inspiration
Cancer IFA is ‘open for business’ and every year will pay 5% of turnover to cancer charities. The Cancer IFA name is trademarked, and the service is offered direct to clients or through employee benefits schemes.
Cancer IFA is therefore a service offered via IFAs who lack the expertise to work with the terminally ill and want an expert to work with clients recently diagnosed with cancer
In summary, Cancer IFA is an inspiration for cancer sufferers who want a big end of life experience and need an empathetic and qualified professional to show how big an end of life experience they can have.
(Guest posting by CancerIFA)
For further information, contact:
C Morrison
Partner
07899 661 281