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Cryptocurrency and Financial Underwriting: Friend and Foe?

“The following article references an opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.”

Financial underwriting. These two words put together are sometimes the subject of heated debate and occasionally, more than mild disagreement between Advisors and underwriters. Even usually agreeable underwriters are known to argue strenuously amongst themselves and on differing sides of a financially challenging case. Unlike medical underwriting where guidelines cover a wide and deep array of conditions and risk scenarios, financial guidelines take up much less space in most underwriting manuals, highlighting the art rather the science of decision making in those cases.

But in every case, the higher the insurance amount applied for, the more thorough the financial underwriting – with extra attention paid to the financial information provided, including the nature of the applicant’s net worth – right down to the types of investments and currencies they hold. How does cryptocurrency, not brand new but still a relative newcomer in global finance, impact financial underwriting? In this Risk Bit, we’ll touch on the topic to get a sense of whether having a bit of Bitcoin is a friendly addition to the file information or whether an excess of Ethereum turns the underwriter into a file foe. Continue reading “Cryptocurrency and Financial Underwriting: Friend and Foe?” →

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Speculating on Life and Death… and Cryptocurrency

Protecting Your Clients’ Retirement with Critical Illness Insurance

How many of your clients are dutifully saving for retirement? It’s probably safe to wager that the vast majority of your clients have some semblance of retirement savings in place.

Now, how many of those same clients have implemented the added step of protecting their investments in case of a severe illness?

While many retirement conversations revolve around RRSPs and their goal of helping clients maximize their returns, another important conversation involves critical illness insurance and the way in which it can benefit your clients by adding another layer of protection.

If a client suffers a critical illness and needs to take time off of work, or if they need to pay for additional treatment, that income replacement or funding needs to come from somewhere. Without insurance, clients will first dip into their savings… but there are better solutions including using critical illness insurance as retirement protection. Continue reading “Protecting Your Clients’ Retirement with Critical Illness Insurance” →

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Protecting Your Retirement with Critical Illness Insurance

Social Media Platforms – Social Media For Your Business – An 8 Step Plan

As an Advisor, your business is important to you, and you would like to promote it on social media. But there are so many things to consider, where do you even start? We have got you covered with a plan to help get you started on social media. From knowing your market to tips on how to set up a social media profile, this 8-step plan will help you and your business get noticed! Continue reading “Social Media Platforms – Social Media For Your Business – An 8 Step Plan” →

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Social Media For Your Business – An 8 Step Plan

Is Social Media Right for Me? A Few Things to Consider

You own your own practice and would like to spread the good word about your excellent services and level of expertise. Great idea! If you’re not already on social media, have you considered it as way to promote your business? A fast, effective and free way to show your prospects and current clients who you are, social media can help you connect and build those long-lasting relationships. And in this line of business…. it is all about those Advisor-client relationships.

But is social media right for you and your practice? There are certainly a few things to consider… Continue reading “Is Social Media Right for Me? A Few Things to Consider” →

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Is Social Media Right for Me? A Few Things to Consider

Learning From Experience: Bernard’s Story

A good cautionary tale makes a person stop and take a look at their own circumstances.  Bernard’s story may encourage your clients to take stock of their assets and consider whether they’ve properly planned for the distribution of those assets.

Share Bernard’s story with your clients to help them see that there are nuances involved in naming beneficiaries and heirs, and that seeking good advice, communication, and documentation when planning can help to ensure their wishes are carried out as hoped.   Continue reading “Learning From Experience: Bernard’s Story” →

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Learning From Experience: Bernard’s Story

The Greatest Hits: Your Client’s Top 3 Videos

Did you know that videos are one of the most effective (and effortless) ways to share valuable content with your clients and prospects? A simple introductory sentence and an informative video can initiate fresh client connections.

This year, we had a few great video hits, all available for you to share with your clients. With topics from mortgage protection to the value of professional advice, we’ve rounded up the top three videos.

Roll ‘em… Continue reading “The Greatest Hits: Your Client’s Top 3 Videos” →

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The Greatest Hits: Your Top Videos

The Evolving World of Mental Health Treatments

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This is neither an endorsement or advice about the treatment of mental health.

It goes without saying that good mental health is foundational to overall health and well-being.

In underwriting, a report of confirmed or even suspected history of depression or related conditions gets a lot of attention and policy issue can range from standard rates to rated premium to sometimes no offer at all, where the risk is deemed too high to accept.

Treatments for depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or other conditions in the mental health spectrum continue to evolve. The use of psychedelics is a newer facet of treatment. Natural substances that induce a hallucinatory state have been around for millennia. These include everything from cannabis, now legal in Canada, and include opium poppy to ayahuasca, the latter a product of brewing a particular vine or shrub commonly found in South America (1). Continue reading “The Evolving World of Mental Health Treatments” →

INFOclip: Protecting Your Estate

Over a lifetime, your client has worked and managed to accumulate an estate consisting of registered savings, non-registered savings, property, maybe even a business. And when they pass, they want to make sure that their family or a favourite charity receives as much of their estate as possible. So far so good, right?

However, the reality is that if your client fails to structure their estate effectively, much of those hard-earned dollars could end up in the hands of government as taxes or distributed to heirs in a way contrary to their wishes. So, how can they prevent their estate from being distributed incorrectly? Proper estate planning is key.

Watch this video, then share it with your clients to demonstrate the importance of effective estate planning with a trusted Advisor – that’s you! Continue reading “INFOclip: Protecting Your Estate” →

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INFOclip: Protecting Your Estate