Tag: Emergency Support Benefit

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Brandon Blog Post

CANADA EMERGENCY RESPONSE BENEFIT: THE COVID-19 WORKERS BENEFIT

The Ira Smith Team is fully operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are available for telephone consultations, conference calls, and virtual meetings. Stay healthy everyone.

Canada Emergency Response Benefit introduction

Last week I wrote COVID 19 RESOURCES CHECKLIST FOR CANADIANS UNABLE TO WORK. In that Brandon’s Blog, I described the Government of Canada’s proposed help for Canadians needing financial backing to employed and self-employed people who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I wrote the blog late on a Wednesday night. That was the night Parliament had an emergency sitting to create the legislation. The information I provided was based on the Government’s own website. When I woke up in the morning, the name of the legislation changed to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

So the purpose of this blog is to describe the proposed support and how this COVID 19 resources package magically appeared.

Back to the future leads us to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit CERB

When I went to bed on March 25, the Government had stated that it was going to get legislation passed to provide support to Canadians. The opposition parties indicated that they would cooperate to pass such legislation. Mixed in with the proposed wording, were wide-sweeping powers for Finance Minister Bill Morneau. If that was passed, it would have given him unprecedented spending powers not requiring Parliamentary approval. Needless to say, no Finance Minister in Canada’s history ever had such powers.

The opposition parties claimed that they were never told that would be part of the package. Especially as it had nothing to do with getting money into the people’s hands. So, they opposed that aspect of the proposed legislation. Discussions and negotiations went on all night.

The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially told everyone that they wanted to help Canadians by creating the:

  • Emergency Care Benefit
  • Emergency Support Benefit
  • EI Sickness Benefits modifications

The purpose of each “E”

The stated purpose of each “E” was as follows:

Emergency Care Benefit – Prime Minister Trudeau specified that the Emergency Care Benefit (ECB) is for those employees, who do not get Employment Insurance (EI) and do not have accessibility to paid sick leave. The brand-new ECB was to include assistance for both traditional employees and the self-employed. In the self-employed category, freelancers, professionals, consultants, part-time workers and also gig economy workers would be included. They would be given earnings protection if they are in self-isolation or in quarantine or looking after a relative in that scenario.

The ECB would provide up to $900 bi-weekly for Canadian workers that meet the criteria. The regular 1 week EI waiting time would also be forgoed.

Emergency Support Benefit – A new Emergency Support Benefit (ESB) was to be created for workers that lose their jobs and do not qualify for EI. This was mainly for the self-employed. The requirements to qualify for the ESB were not available when the Liberals wanted to pass the legislation. They obviously were scrambling. This is not a criticism, it was just the reality.

The ESB strategy was to provide 14 weeks of support as a revenue replacement device. The ESB, part of the overall COVID-19 resources plan was also being presented for those that cannot immediately apply for EI because they had coronavirus and were either self-quarantined or in hospital.

EI Sickness Benefits modifications – The Federal government had stated they would be proposing the following amendments to EI sickness benefits:

  • The one-week waiting duration for EI sickness benefits will be waived for new applicants who are quarantined so they can get the benefit for that first week of their insurance claim.
  • There will be a top priority for processing EI applications for Canadians under quarantine.
  • People getting EI sickness benefits as a result of quarantine will not have to show a medical certificate to be approved.

These proposed amendments would apply for those who have coronavirus or have entered into self-isolation, or for those that are looking after those in self-quarantine. The brand-new support, now called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, was to help those Canadians who would otherwise not be approved for EI.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit

When I woke up, I discovered that all the names had changed. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit or CERB, was for those people losing income as a result of COVID-19. He claimed the aid will be in individuals’ pockets within 10 days of their applications. He said that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit will supply as a taxable benefit, $2,000 per month for those whose work has actually been affected or lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are still working, but not receiving your salary or wages due to this crisis, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is there for you too.

He also stated that the Canada Emergency Response Benefit can be applied for through a secure government website beginning in very early April. The Federal government has yet to clear up whether the brand-new Canada Emergency Response Benefit can be accessed by people without immigration status or with perilous immigration standing.

The intent of the CERB is to encompass the proposed ECB, ESB, and the modifications for EI Sickness Benefits right into a single Canada Emergency Response Benefit program for those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit will be readily available to Canadians that:

  • reside in Canada, who are at least 15 years old;
  • have stopped working as a result of COVID-19 or are qualified for EI regular or sickness benefits;
  • had an income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months before the day of their application; and
  • that are or expect to be without employment or self-employment revenue for a minimum of 14 consecutive days in the first four-week duration.

The government website says that applications can begin on April 6.

canada emergency response benefit
canada emergency response benefit

Support to Businesses – the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

You have no doubt heard press reports and Prime Minister Trudeau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, and other government officials talking about the wage subsidy program for support to Canadian businesses. Originally, they were talking about a 10% subsidy. To obtain the subsidy, businesses would be allowed to take a credit against the amount of income tax deducted from employees and remit the balance in the normal course.

That program changed quickly too. The government announced that rather than a 10% wage subsidy, it would increase to a 75% payroll allowance. Late last week, Prime Minister Trudeau said details would be released very soon. As recently as in his 11 AM press conference on Wednesday of this week, the PM said that Bill Morneau would hold a press conference later that same day to announce how the program will work.

As of this moment, all the government website says is:

“Providing small business with wage subsidies

We announced an up to 75 percent wage subsidy for qualifying businesses, for up to 3 months, retroactive to March 15, 2020. This will help businesses to keep and return workers to the payroll.

More details on eligibility criteria will start with the impact of COVID-19 on sales, and will be shared before the end of the month.”

Our Finance Minister is now scrambling trying to figure out how it is all going to work. Although we are taxed heavily in Canada, there is not enough income tax deducted from each paycheque to cover a 75% subsidy!

Right now what is being floated is that the program is for businesses that can show that business revenue has decreased by at least 30%. This maximum benefit is up to $847 per week. The program will be in place for the 12-week period beginning March 15. Businesses will need to show the decline from the same months in 2019.

My current understanding is that the program is available for any Canadian business that can show that they have a 30 percent decline in revenue to be eligible for the federal government’s 75 percent wage support. There is also being proposed a 6 week wait time.

I must caution that this is just my understanding. It is only a proposal. The Liberal government did not include this kind of wage subsidy language in last week’s legislation that passed. They now have to recall Parliament in order to get this legislation passed. No doubt things will change before this is put into legislation.

That condition could be a killer for many companies and businesses. It does not take into account seasonality changes, 1-year-old startups or just differences in revenue patterns this year from the previous one. As soon as the government releases details of the program, I will write Brandon’s Blog about it.

“There’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.”
Different Seasons, Stephen King

Canada Emergency Response Benefit summary

I hope you have found this Canada Emergency Response Benefit Brandon’s Blog informative and useful. The Ira Smith Team family hopes you and your family are staying safe, healthy and well-balanced. Our hearts go out to every person who has been affected either through inconvenience or personal family tragedy.

We are all part of our community and we have to all cooperate to help stop the spread of this infection. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that are not optional. Families are physically separated from one another. I hope this information is helpful to you.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has always employed clean and safe habits in our professional practice and continues to do so.

If anyone needs our assistance and is unable to go out, either through self-quarantine measures or just general precautions, rest assured that Ira or Brandon can still help you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual meetings are available for anyone wanting to discuss their personal or corporate situation.

Are you now worried about how you are going to survive? Are you worried about how long your company will be able to pay employees who are not working and meet all of its other obligations? Those worries are normal.

The Ira Smith Team understands these fears. More notably, we know the requirements of the business owner or the person who has too much individual debt. Because you are dealing with these stressful financial issues, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. The pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball. We have not been trained to deal with this. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will listen to the unique issues facing you and provide you with practical and actionable ideas you can implement right away to end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air…but only for one second without hope.”
Hal Lindsey

The Ira Smith Team is totally operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are here for a telephone consultation, conference calls and virtual meetings.

Keep healthy and safe everybody.

canada emergency response benefit
canada emergency response benefit
Categories
Brandon Blog Post

COVID 19 RESOURCES CHECKLIST FOR CANADIANS UNABLE TO WORK

The Ira Smith Team is fully operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are available for telephone consultations, conference calls, and virtual meetings. Stay healthy everyone.

Introduction

On March 18, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced a new set of financial steps to support the Canadian economy during these challenging and unprecedented times. These steps, delivered as part of the Federal government of Canada’s Covid 19 resources package, will supply up to $27 billion in support to Canadian workers and businesses. This Brandon’s Blog focusses on the government’s programs for workers.

I caution that at the time of writing this blog, many details of the available support have not been fully stated and documented. So accordingly, certain information known today about the proposed plans may change.

NOTE: After writing this Brandon’s Blog, legislation passed by the Canadian Parliament has amended plans for the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit. So, the information in this blog should be read as the policy issues the Canadian government wishes to address. In the next Brandon’s Blog, I will provide an update.

Covid 19 resources for Canadian workers

The new programs announced for specifically due to the coronavirus pandemic are for people who need assistance because they are:

  1. dealing with unemployment;
  2. Ill with the coronavirus is quarantined and therefore cannot work; or
  3. well however cannot go to work since they are taking care of someone ill with the coronavirus.

The new government programs announced are the:

These programs belong to a new set of economic actions to help support the Canadian economy following a Canada-wide reaction to the coronavirus.

Emergency Care Benefit

Prime Minister Trudeau stated that the Emergency Care Benefit (ECB) is for those workers, who do not receive Employment Insurance (EI) and do not have access to paid sick leave. The brand-new ECB will include support for the self-employed, contractors, freelancers, part-time workers and gig economy workers, with income security if they cannot work due to the fact that they are in self-isolation or in quarantine or looking after a family member in that situation.

The Canadian Government introduced the ECB as part of Canada’s economic recovery plan to offer financial support every 2 weeks to those who meet the standards who have to stay at home. The ECB will cover Canadians who are sick, quarantined, have been instructed to self-isolate or are taking care of someone with coronavirus.

The ECB will offer up to $900 bi-weekly for Canadian workers who meet the criteria and are impacted by the implementation of processes to stop the spread of this pandemic. The normal 1 week EI waiting period will be waived.

Standards to get approved for the ECB is extremely specific. Applications for the ECB are to become readily available in April 2020, the government said. Applications can be made via your Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) account, your My Service Canada Account or by calling a toll-free number, which they have actually not yet established.

The ECB does not apply to people that are laid off, however, they are not sick, quarantined or looking after someone else as a result of the coronavirus. The ECB will also cover parents of children that need treatment or supervision because of school closures and are therefore not able to earn income from employment, irrespective of whether they qualify for EI or otherwise.

Thomas Davidoff, an economics professor at the University of British Columbia, claimed the ECB is a good beginning however governments ought to also be looking at other measures like implementing a rent freeze.

Emergency Support Benefit

A new Emergency Support Benefit (ESB) will be created for workers that lose their jobs and do not qualify for EI, including the self-employed. Currently, the qualification criteria for the ESB has not been disclosed. The ESB plan is to provide 14 weeks of support as an income replacement tool.

The ESB, part of the overall Covid 19 resources package is also being introduced for those that cannot apply for EI and are ill. The ESB will also be available to people that lose their job or see a reduction in hours as a result of the slump in the economy. The ESB will be delivered through the CRA to give up to $5 billion in support of Canadians who are not eligible for EI and are dealing with unemployment.

From the information on the Government of Canada’s website, the ESB is also set to come out in April. Tammy Schirle, an economics professor at Wilfrid Laurier University stated that while the ESB is a step in the right direction, the Prime Minister’s statement had very little real information on how the program will work.

Unfortunately, as I write this Brandon’s Blog, I cannot give you any more specifics. The Liberal government’s $82 billion help bundle to assist Canadians facing the coronavirus pandemic is delayed in the House of Commons. The opposition parties are balking at some measures in the suggested legislation that would offer Finance Minister Bill Morneau extraordinary powers never seen before in Canada.

It appears the only distinction between the ECB and the ESB is that the ECB is for individuals who are sick or caring for an ill person, while the ESB is for people that are well yet cannot work because they have been laid off and are also disqualified for EI.

EI Sickness Benefit

The Federal government of Canada has revealed that as part of the overall economic resources package:

  • the one-week waiting period for EI sickness benefits will be waived for brand-new claimants that are quarantined so they can be paid for the first week of their insurance claim;
  • there will be priority EI application handling for EI sickness claims for Canadians under quarantine; and
  • individuals applying for EI sick benefits because of quarantine will not have to provide medical certification to qualify.

The EI Sickness Benefit will be for those who have acquired coronavirus or that have gone into self-isolation, or for those that are taking care of those in self-isolation. The new provisions include assistance for those who do not generally qualify for EI.

If a person believes they are eligible, they can call the new committed toll-free phone number 1-833-381-2725 (toll-free) or online. For those who cannot apply because of self-isolation, EI sickness benefits can be filed later on and also backdated. Unfortunately, that still will not reduce any financial trouble they may experience in the meantime.

The checklist

If you would like to download for no-cost our checklist to help you understand what program you may qualify for, please CLICK HERE to download the checklist.

The checklist will help you find out what benefits you may be entitled to in the following situations because you are:

  1. Laid off due to work closures but you are not sick or caring for someone who is.
  2. Unable to work due to self-quarantine.
  3. Laid off and ineligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
  4. Self-quarantined and ineligible for EI.
  5. Unable to work due to school closures.
  6. Sick due to having contracted the virus through your work.

So please feel free to download the document HERE. It is a useful guide that you can refer to quickly to figure out what category you fit into. Again, I caution that this information is as described to date by the Government of Canada. It has yet to be enacted into legislation. Accordingly, it is tentative and subject to change.

Summary

We are all part of our community and we must all work together to help stop the spread of this virus. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that need to be done for sure. Families will not be able to get together face to face. The use of technology to hold virtual family gatherings will have to suffice. I hope this Covid 19 resources blog is informative for you.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has always employed clean and safe habits in our professional practice and continues to do so.

If anyone needs our assistance and is unable to go out, either through self-quarantine measures or just general precautions, rest assured that Ira or Brandon can still help you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual meetings are available for anyone wanting to discuss their personal or corporate situation.

Are you now worried about how you are going to survive? Are you worried about how long your company will be able to pay employees who are not working and meet all of its other obligations? Those worries are normal.

The Ira Smith Team understands these fears. More notably, we know the requirements of the business owner or the person who has too much individual debt. Because you are dealing with these stressful financial issues, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. The pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball. We have not been trained to deal with this. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will listen to the unique issues facing you and provide you with practical and actionable ideas you can implement right away to end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

covid 19 resources
covid 19 resources

The Ira Smith Team is fully operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are available for telephone consultations, conference calls, and virtual meetings. Stay healthy everyone.

If you would like to download for no-cost our checklist to help you understand what program you may qualify for, please CLICK HERE to download the checklist.

Categories
Brandon Blog Post

WORKING REMOTELY IN CANADA – RELAX, YOU ARE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN

working remotely in canada

If you would prefer to listen to the audio version of this Brandon’s Blog, please scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the podcast

On March 23, 2020, Premier Doug Ford announced the shutdown of all non-essential services across the province in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Ira Smith Team will be working online remotely and both Ira and Brandon Smith are available for telephone consultations, conference calls, and virtual meetings.

Introduction

Working remotely in Canada is a hot subject today as the COVID-19 breakout has people preventing most human to human meetups. Every person’s health and wellness must be the number one priority. Functioning from another location for a time appears to be the smartest way to secure everyone’s well-being.

The purpose of this Brandon’s Blog is to explore some of the issues involved with Canadians’ need to work remotely if your job can be done working remotely. I will also look at ideas for keeping the entrepreneurial business alive.

Even those normally working remote jobs from home may have problems now

As a precaution from the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of businesses have informed their staff that they will be functioning remotely for the next two to three weeks, or possibly longer. For some employees, working remotely is a new thing. During these coronavirus social distancing times, remote work will simply be one more day in an electronic nomad’s life. Nonetheless, even those who are accustomed to working remotely may find it harder to operate nowadays.

There are extra stress and anxiety as well as uncertainty. That’s before you throw in many other aspects like all the youngsters at home and the need for homeschooling because of all the school closings. People that have actually been working from another location for several years have discovered that they actually enjoy entering into the office when the demand for a face to face meeting arises. To the degree that has actually kept remote employees really feeling included with a group and a business community, that opportunity has now been removed.

Working remotely in Canada now has lots of newbies

For some teams and staff members — working from another location is undiscovered waters. Functioning remotely is currently a brand-new experience for many. Remotely working from home will with any luck be an efficient way of regulating the potential spread of COVID-19. Whether working remotely is a routine thing for your group or not, the coronavirus situation recently has actually pushed many companies to adopt it as default.

People might see that functioning from their residence will cause durations of decreased performance, anxiety and a lack of communication. While taking these necessary safety measures to keep you and our community risk-free is a wonderful thing, working remotely is most definitely an adjustment. Your residence may not feel as office-ready as you may like. Anyone working from another location must have accessibility to suitable platforms for completing their job. Workers that working remotely in Canada frequently discover that working from home is different than they expected and that it needs somewhat different abilities and habits.

From an innovation point of view, working from another location can be rather comparable to operating in the office. However, working remotely is not without its flaws. How much each person will take pleasure in working from home will, of course, vary a great deal from one person to another.

The largest advantage of working from home is versatility, however, this can be a drawback too. Working from home can be really tough for those not used to it and not have been their choice. It typically calls for a much greater degree of personal accountability and organization than working in the office. Theoretically, remote jobs can appear truly lonely, however, it doesn’t need to be. Managers need to make certain that they will continue to support their staff with online team meetings.

Among the best aspects of working remotely is that you do not need to wake up at a certain time every morning (unless it’s agreed with the team). On the other hand, staying with your regular timetable, as much as possible, helps to keep both your spirits and your efficiency up. It also helps to get dressed and not stay in your PJ’s all day long, even if you do not have a video conference that day!

Among the challenges of working remotely from home is that we often start to really feel isolated. Another factor that some people dread with the concept of a remote job is that they do not completely trust their ability to properly handle all that time. An effective time management approach is key. While the method that everyone uses might differ, one point particularly helpful for concentration and productivity is to make daily and weekly checklists of tasks that you are aiming to complete.

However working from another location is often seen to have one great drawback – you’re not as visible to your associates and supervisors. If managers set normal on-line group conferences where results are always a requirement to be discussed, it might, in fact, improve the efficiency of staff members, conquer the feeling of isolation and allow projects to push forward. So if you are working remotely, to deal with the stress and anxiety brought on by isolation on top of the pandemic fears, don’t be afraid to use messenger programs to help keep your connections with colleagues.

Maybe working from home will become a thing

The anxiety that people would not work as hard when working remotely will most likely show to be misguided. Instead, I think it will appear that everyone works more! This forced boom in remote jobs may be relatively short-lived, even if the fad behind it is not. Whenever things return to normal, it will certainly be interesting to see if companies want to continue having more employees working from home.

There are numerous advantages to having the alternative of working from home in Canada for a day. It is a bit of a novelty. But how about each day? Will employees ask if they can turn their work into a work from the home job after this crisis is over? For now, the hope is that working from home will avoid any type of spread of the virus as well as assist in social distancing. But what if both employers and employees favour this new arrangement for the long term, albeit for different reasons?

According to BuzzFeed News, some people already are hoping for that moment when working remotely will broadly replace working face to face. Will those employers who never believed in employees or teams working remotely start finding that it can work? Will employees and employers alike start liking the new benefits it brings? Things like work/life balance, employee satisfaction, staff retention, and cost savings?

Working remotely online isn’t for everyone

We are all stressed concerning our family and friends, particularly those most vulnerable. Working remotely in Canada has its own added collection of difficulties and anxieties. Working from another location can be the dream. For some workers though, working remotely is not an option. Every person working in the hospitality business, factory jobs, dental and medical offices, for example, cannot work remotely in Canada.

This help for the unemployed, provided as part of the Federal government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, will supply up to $27 billion in direct assistance to Canadian workers and companies. Both major programs for those left unemployed and low-income individuals are called the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit programs.

What can businesses do to stay alive in these uncertain times?

There has never been a more vital time to connect with your customers, clients or patients than now. As most of us are working from home or otherwise remaining inside because of COVID-19, you are most likely to have not been seeing as many customers, and perhaps even none at all. And that’s what we’re talking about today. The what and how of interacting during this massive business interruption.

Communicating with your clients is most essential, Starting Now! So, what kind of communication makes the most sense? There are 3 crucial messages you need to get out to your customers as soon as possible.

First, provide an update on where you are at with your business. I know I’ve gotten a lot of emails in the last few days doing that. A short statement concerning exactly how COVID-19 has impacted your company and your solution for that. If you can maintain your business, let everyone know the steps you are taking. If you now have modified business hours, tell everyone. That is going to let everyone know the best way you can continue to serve them.

In my case, we are all using a mixture of working remotely and being in the office. When in the office, we are limiting the number of people at one time and are keeping our distance. That allows us to maintain our normal business hours.

Second, let your clients know the steps you are taking to ensure their safety and security throughout this time. Let them know that you are cleansing regularly. Let them understand how you are handling social distancing by doing delivery of an item or giving them online webinars to stay connected.

We are considering starting a new online community to allow people who are feeling anxious over their debt situation or just have questions on how to handle certain situations during this crisis to communicate with us and each other. Webinars may also be part of that. If you have any thoughts on topics you would like to see covered please let us know by email. Your feedback will help us immensely.

And this is the moment to impart self-confidence that you’re taking action. Third, urge them to continue using you and thank them for their support.

In my case, although we have always used proper cleaning methods in our office, they are now enhanced. If you wish to meet with us in person, we can do that. However, don’t expect me to shake your hand. Also, if I give you a pen to sign documents, you can now keep it. Small things, but necessary ones. If you are not going out, then I am happy to meet with you on the phone or even have a virtual meeting.

There are ways you can stay in contact with your customers without meeting face to face.

First of all, use your company website. Add messaging as to how you are continuing your business so your clients can see it.

Second, if you have a normal e-mail marketing channel, or a blog or a newsletter that you use on a regular basis, now is the time to make use of that for your messaging. And let your clients know, you will be making use of that for future updates. In our case, we are using Brandon’s Blog to get the word out that we are open to help everyone either in person or through the use of technology. As a matter of fact, we have had many meetings this week to get ready to begin two new cases. On both of them, we haven’t met anyone in person yet and our meetings were held both from the office and from Ira’s and Brandon’s respective homes.

Third, if you use social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram, use those to get your message out to your customers and followers. If you are not using any of those networks, it may be a good time to start using some of them for your business now.

Regular messaging is key. Once you start using these methods for normal updates, your clients will get used to hearing from you in this way and will respond.

COVID-19 has added additional difficulties to doing business, yet it doesn’t need to be impossible. Now is the time to communicate promptly and also clear with your clients.

Summary

We are all part of our community and we must all work together to help stop the spread of this virus. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that need to be done for sure. Families will not be able to get together face to face. The use of technology to hold virtual family gatherings will have to suffice.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has always employed clean and safe habits in our professional practice and continues to do so.

If anyone needs our assistance and is unable to go out, either through self-quarantine measures or just general precautions, rest assured that Ira or Brandon can still help you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual meetings are available for anyone wanting to discuss their personal or corporate situation.

Are you now worried about how you are going to survive? Are you worried about how long your company will be able to pay employees who are not working and meet all of its other obligations? Those worries are normal.

The Ira Smith Team understands these fears. More notably, we know the requirements of the business owner or the person who has too much individual debt. Because you are dealing with these stressful financial issues, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. The pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball. We have not been trained to deal with this. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will listen to the unique issues facing you and provide you with practical and actionable ideas you can implement right away to end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

Call a Trustee Now!