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Posts from the ‘Living Benefits’ Category

5
Dec

Protecting Your Family

Let’s face it, raising a family today can be financially challenging.  The cost of living continues to increase, housing costs are rising along with education and extra-curricular activities for our children.  It is tough to make ends meet and still have something left over at the end of each month.

Most families today require both parents to work to afford the lifestyle they enjoy.  Losing one of those incomes through premature death, illness or a disability is a real risk that many families would have a difficult time facing emotionally and financially.

How do you protect your family?

  • Life insurance is designed to protect your family by providing the resource to replace income, pay off debt, and fund future education costs in the event that one of the parents dies.
  • Disability, or income replacement insurance, is designed to replace lost income if an individual is not able to work due to accident or sickness.
  • Critical Illness insurance will pay a lump sum benefit in the event of a diagnosis of many major illnesses.

Read more

27
Nov

What is Key Person Insurance?

Most business owners understand that assets vital to the success of the enterprise should be insured.  Premises are routinely covered for fire and/or theft; vehicles used to make deliveries, insured; machinery needed for manufacturing, also insured. Given that these tangible assets are instrumental in the success of the business, it makes good business sense that the business is protected in the event of a loss.   But what about key employees? Many business owners overlook the impact on their business should a key employee die unexpectedly.

If you own or manage a company whose continued success is dependent on key people (it might even be you), it would be prudent to insure all key personnel whose death or incapacity would negatively affect profitability.  Key persons are those who contribute to the continuing success and profitability of the enterprise.

What happens when an owner or key person dies or becomes disabled? Read more

30
Jul

Basic Planning for Young Families

As a young family, you will be facing a lot of new challenges that you may or may not be prepared for along the way. Whether it’s children, a mortgage, or unexpected expenses that come up, now is the perfect time to start thinking about all the potential pitfalls that may arise.

In this article we want to share some of the ways that insurance can help you stay ahead of these issues, as well as how to prepare yourself for some of life’s obstacles that you and your family may face.

What Issues Should Concern you the Most?

Now that you’re starting a family, your life is just one piece of the puzzle. Your spouse and any children are also top priorities, meaning that you should consider what could happen to everyone in a variety of scenarios. Here are some crucial questions you and your partner should discuss:

What happens if one of us dies? – While this question may seem a bit morbid, it’s a necessary possibility to plan for, particularly if you are a one-income household. Even with two breadwinners, chances are that your bills and financial responsibilities are too much for one person, meaning that you need to supplement any lost income as a result of one of you passing away. Read more

5
Jan

The Importance of Critical Illness Insurance in Retirement Planning

There are a number of obstacles that could potentially de-rail a comfortable retirement. These include marriage breakdown, a stock market crash, and being sued. Another huge obstacle would be the diagnosis of a life threatening critical illness affecting you or your spouse. While it might be difficult to insulate yourself against some of the threats to retirement security, Critical Illness insurance goes a long way to mitigate the financial disaster that could result from a change in health as we approach retirement.

Considering that the wealth of many Canadians is comprised of the equity in their homes and the balance of their retirement plans, having to access funds to combat a dreaded illness could put their retirement objectives in jeopardy. Imagine that you are just a few years into or approaching retirement and you or your spouse suffers a stroke. The prognosis is for a long recovery and the cost associated with recovery and care is projected to be substantial. Statistics show that 62,000 Canadians suffer a stroke each year* with over 80% surviving* many of whom would require ongoing care. Since 80% of all strokes happen to Canadians over 60 those unlucky enough could definitely see their retirement funding jeopardized. Read more »