Why I do what I do?
Nothing is ever certain in this life, so remember to be thankful for the good and bad times because they are all part of God’s plan for you.
My wife and I migrated to Canada in 1999 for a simpler life and better opportunities for our two sons. One evening, in May 2010, my wife experienced excruciating abdominal pain. She was soon after diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 46. We did not see this coming as we prayed to grow old together.
It was an emotionally draining, physically exhausting 11 months of seeing her deteriorate before King Jesus took her. I could not work as I just wanted to be with her (even when I had to sleep on the chair in her hospital room).
During this time, our expenses increased significantly as my in-laws came to see her. We also had to buy our meals as we could not function as usual. She spent two months in the hospital due to complications and infections from her surgery. Although the cost of hospitalization was covered by the provincial health program, our monthly bills continued to pile up. Her critical illness insurance helped us meet our financial obligations.
After her death, I could not go back to full time work. I was lost. My love, my partner was gone. I had to take care of our sons. Her life insurance helped my sons and I survive this new normal.
By God’s grace, our sons graduated from Sauder Business School of University of British Columbia (UBC). And they did so without any student loan. They are now successful professionals in the insurance industry.
Love you always Maribel,
Leo
Success is born out of the willingness to listen and learn and to observe and absorb.
Leo Mercado
With over 40 years experience in banking, financial advisory, and risk management, Leo brings astute leadership to Asican Financial.
Leo's career began at Citibank where he served as Vice President of the investment bank division. He then broadened his financial expertise as a US Tax Consultant with KPMG.
Leo joined Sun Life Financial and was quickly recognized as one of the top financial advisors in the country. Driven by a passion to provide a full suite of financial solutions to his clients, Leo became an independent advisor and launched Asican Financial.
Today, he serves as the President of Asican Financial where he works to grow and protect the financial futures of his clients.
Lorenzo Mercado, CFP, CIM, CLU, CHS
Lorenzo Mercado is the Certified Financial Planner of Asican Financial. With over a decade of financial experience as an insurance and investment specialist for Canada’s largest financial institutions like AGF Investments, iA Financial Group, Canada Life and RBC Insurance, he has become a respected expert in the personal finance industry.
Lorenzo has helped people pay off student loans and credit card debt, save for vacations and down payments, and plan for retirement and estate transfers. He continues to develop his knowledge and skills to be able to develop plans that provide people with confidence in their financial well-being. To date, Lorenzo is the holder of the Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Investment Manager (CIM), Charter Life Underwriter (CLU) and Certified Health Insurance Specialist (CHS) designations.