Articles

Savings to Reach a Goal Calculator

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It’s certainly important to have financial objectives in mind. But just like sports, your client needs to understand where those goal posts are in order to score those important financial goals.

Take a moment today to share this Savings to Reach a Goal Calculator with your client and help them get started with a game plan to score those triumphant financial goals! Continue reading “Savings to Reach a Goal Calculator” →

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Savings to Reach a Goal Calculator

Duties of an Executor – What Your Client Should Consider

When you or your client are selecting an executor (or liquidator in Quebec), or when your client is deciding whether to act as an executor or liquidator, it is important to consider the duties and responsibilities that this would entail, and whether you or the person you are considering have the ability and desire to perform the functions. This decision gets more complicated where the assets in question include business assets or assets in other jurisdictions.

Beyond having the administrative duties that will be discussed below, an executor is a fiduciary who has moral and ethical duties to act honestly, reasonably and in the best interests of the beneficiaries. The executor holds the estate “in trust” for the beneficiaries and must be impartial, avoid conflict of interests, not comingle estate property with their own, or use estate property personally. An executor is typically expected to complete the administration of the estate within one year (often called the “executor’s year”), but this may not be possible for complex estates or estates subject to litigation. Continue reading “Duties of an Executor – What Your Client Should Consider” →

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An Executor Checklist – A Few Things to Consider

Debt Consolidation Calculator

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Just like we purge our cupboards and closets during Spring cleaning to make our day-to-day life more manageable, your client can now organize their debt in a way that makes their monthly budget far more manageable.

So, go on and share this Debt Consolidation Calculator with your clients and help them pave the way to financial security and freedom. Continue reading “Debt Consolidation Calculator” →

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Debt Consolidation Calculator

Exploring Your Client’s Life Insurance Options

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All life insurance plans start with the same basic precept. Your client policyholder pays a premium in exchange for a tax-free lump sum benefit that’s payable to their selected beneficiaries upon their death. But there’s more! Because life insurance enjoys favourable tax treatment under the Income Tax Act1, it’s a valuable financial instrument that can do more than just pay a lump sum death benefit. Most Insurers design plans that offer features and benefits — added value for consumers that comes at a premium.

We’ve made it simple for your prospects and clients to check out the basic life insurance options with a new tool, Exploring Your Life Insurance Options.  Be sure to share it with them to enhance your next conversation about the option that’s best for their circumstances. Continue reading “Exploring Your Client’s Life Insurance Options” →

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Exploring Your Life Insurance Options

Can Life Insurance Premiums Be Deductible?

Did you know that life insurance premiums can be deductible? Yes, they sure can in limited circumstances.

We all know that life insurance proceeds are received tax-free on death, so it is commonly understood that the payment of the insurance premium would not be deductible. This statement is true for both personally and corporately owned life insurance polices except when the insurance is assigned as collateral for a loan.  Sounds great, however certain requirements must be met in order to receive the deduction, including that the owner and borrower must be the same person and the assignment of the loan must be a requirement of the lender and not just a mere accommodation. If all the requirements are met, then the lesser of the premiums paid and the net cost of pure insurance are deductible. Continue reading “Can Life Insurance Premiums Be Deductible?” →

The Loan Calculator

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Debt. It’s stressful for everyone and nobody wants to carry it for any longer than they absolutely must. So how can you help your client lighten their debt load? Well, when it comes to debt-reduction, the old saying “every little bit counts” may just be the answer.

This Loan Calculator will help you and your client determine a good loan rate in no time. In fact, your client will even be able to measure what it’s worth to them in interest savings to divvy up their loan payments and increase their payment frequency, paying a little bit weekly instead of a lot monthly. It also allows your client to ascertain what their finances would look like if they increased those payments by even just a little bit… because every little bit counts! So be sure to share this Loan Calculator with your clients to guide them in better debt-reduction and savings! Continue reading “The Loan Calculator” →

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The Loan Calculator

The Ultimate Planning Tool

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Permanent life insurance is often said to be the ultimate planning tool because it facilitates beneficial tax and estate planning opportunities and solutions throughout your client’s lifetime to provide them with peace of mind now and into their future. The earlier in life that your client’s permanent life insurance policy is purchased, the greater the impact it can have as a financial instrument.

Share the Ultimate Planning Tool with your clients to show them how permanent insurance can be flexible enough to service a lifetime of changing priorities and needs. Continue reading “The Ultimate Planning Tool” →

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The Ultimate Planning Tool: For prioritizing what you want when you want

The Mortgage Calculator

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Home ownership allows your client to build wealth and add to their financial security. Use this Mortgage Calculator or share it with your client to help them figure out payments and keep their budget on track – it’s so easy to use!

The Mortgage Calculator lets your client enter the payments that they would like to make, calculate the best home price or enter the cost of the home they want in order to determine their future payments. It can even compare two different mortgages with different interest rates, payment schedules and amortization periods.

Being armed with the right knowledge can give you and your clients peace of mind when making decisions about home ownership. Try the Mortgage Calculator today! Continue reading “The Mortgage Calculator” →

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The Mortgage Calculator

Looking Good: Prostate Cancer’s Sharper Image

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Prostate cancer continues to be a scourge on the Canadian health landscape as the most commonly diagnosed and third leading cause of cancer-related death among men (1). It currently accounts for about 20% of all new cancers in men and approximately 4,500 deaths annually (2). Underwriters increasingly are presented with prostate cancer in the medical history and we will see even more cases as our population continues to age.

But the landscape also points to a good news horizon. Thanks to improved screening and treatment, prostate cancer mortality continues to fall, dropping from its’ high of 45.1 deaths per 100,000 men in 1995 to 22.7 per 100,000 in 2021 (1). One of the more remarkable advances in the screening and diagnosis of this malignancy is the use of imaging studies, such as the prostate MRI. From the earliest images 40 years ago using magnetic resonance imaging technology, the current prostate MRI uses state-of-the-art image modalities such as dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and spectroscopic views to get a better look in order to detect clinically significant prostate cancer (3). The impact on detection, accuracy and diagnosis is a major contributor to improved prostate cancer mortality. Prostate MRIs are also increasingly utilized to monitor for prostate cancer recurrence after treatment, no doubt also contributing to improved mortality. Continue reading “Looking Good: Prostate Cancer’s Sharper Image” →

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Looking Good: Prostate Cancer’s Sharper Image