Articles

Healthy Forgetting: Remember This

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Underwriters see an unprecedented number of cases of suspected or confirmed cognitive decline, the inevitable result of our aging population. While cognitive decline can be demonstrated by a degradation or loss of a number of functions such as learning, language or complex attention skills, the apparent loss of memory is the most common presenting complaint. Even cases where the memory loss has not had a major impact on daily living, a suspicion of even mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is enough to have the insurance application turned down.

But what about the other side of the memory coin, specifically can we remember too much or remember in ways that are unhealthy? How does this work and is there a name for this condition? Let’s delve a little deeper. Continue reading “Healthy Forgetting: Remember This” →

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Healthy Forgetting: Remember This

Inflation, Interest Rates and Your Client’s Investments

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Lately, we’ve all been experiencing a few less dollars in our bank accounts. Between the cost of fuel, groceries and the overall cost of living, there’s no denying that everything is just so much more expensive. Your clients may want to know why and although “inflation” is the one-word answer, we’re diving a little deeper into why inflation occurs and how it can affect interest rates and your client’s investments. Continue reading “Inflation, Interest Rates and Your Client’s Investments” →

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Inflation, Interest Rates and Your Investments

Learning From Experience: Bett’s Story

Everyone loves a story with a happy ending, even if it’s rife with tragedy and family drama. But happy ending or not, if somewhere in the story, a loved one is lost, we see the toll the loss can take on the relationships of family survivors. True in fiction. True in life.

You play a pivotal role in encouraging your clients to plan ahead wisely and intentionally so they can ease rather than contribute to the toll their passing will take on the relationships of those they love. And you can never overemphasize the importance of proper estate planning.

Share Bett’s story with your clients to help them understand and remember the importance of documenting and communicating their final intentions.  Continue reading “Learning From Experience: Bett’s Story” →

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Learning From Experience: Bett’s Story

INFOclip: Understanding Term Insurance

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You know how important insurance is for your clients – it offers them a sense of security knowing their financial obligations are met in the event of a disability, illness or even death. But are your clients aware about the many benefits of term insurance for today and their tomorrows? Continue reading “INFOclip: Understanding Term Insurance” →

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INFOclip: Understanding Term Insurance

Work-Life Balance: Tipping the Mortality Scale

Last time in this space, we discussed how physical or emotional stress affects the human heart. This time, we will focus on why maintaining a favorable balance between a commitment to our jobs and the need to prioritize our lives outside of the workplace is both a life-affirming and possible life-saving necessity.

Let’s start by looking back to the early 1990’s, when researchers in Japan started to study and report on a phenomenon where it appeared ostensibly healthy, middle-aged, mostly men, started to die suddenly. The term coined for the cause of death in this group was “karoshi”, meaning death from overwork. The common thread running through these cases was a history of chronically long work weeks, logging in at 60 hours and often more. The cause of death was disturbing in its’ repetition, most often heart disease, stroke or suicide (1).

More recently, and perhaps due to the pandemic and a growing body of knowledge increasingly difficult to ignore, there is renewed interest in the burden and toll of an unhealthy work life. Continue reading “Work-Life Balance: Tipping the Mortality Scale” →

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Work-Life Balance: Tipping the Mortality Scale

Social Media Platforms – What You Need to Know

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You’re a successful Advisor but want to promote and continue to grow your business online – smart move, count us in! However, there are just so many social media platforms, how do you know which one is right for you and your business?

There are indeed more than a few and they’re all slightly different, but all are excellent modern marketing tools and with a little research, you can decide which one (or two or three!) are a good fit for you and your brand.

Recently, LIMRA published a study asking Generation Y (also called millennials) who they engage for financial advice. They found that 90% of those surveyed said that they would NOT seek financial advice from their parents’ Advisors because they “are not relevant” (1). Ouch. But what does it mean to be “relevant”? Well, if you want to reach the next generation of wealth, you need to meet them where they are – and that place is on social media. Continue reading “Social Media Platforms – What You Need to Know” →

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Social Media Platforms – What You Need to Know

Savings Growth Calculator

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The ability of our “Savings Growth” calculator to compare two savings strategies can be useful during your client discussions on what to do with excess cash. Your clients can also use it to see the impact of increasing their savings, even by just a little. Walk through this multi-purpose tool or share it with your clients to stimulate your next discussion on finances. Continue reading “Savings Growth Calculator” →

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Savings Growth Calculator

Preserving Your Client’s Memories with the help of STEP

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Our life’s memories deserve consideration just as much as our financial legacies do.  Have you taken the opportunity to talk to your clients about how to protect their social media accounts and their digital assets?

Most social media platforms have terms and conditions making these accounts private for security purposes and making it difficult, if not all out impossible, for family members to retrieve these accounts after their loved ones have passed on. The good news is that social media providers have put tools in place so that your clients can decide in advance how they would like their loved ones to access these accounts when they are gone.

STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) has made the process even easier for your client to safeguard and share their memories with future generations by providing useful guides to help update their account settings and how to open conversations with their family and friends about the importance of preserving these digital memories. Be sure to share these guides with your clients: Continue reading “Preserving Your Client’s Memories with the help of STEP” →

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Resources to help preserve your memories!

INFOclip: Mortgage Protection

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Does your client own their own home? Do they have mortgage protection in place and can they continue to make loan payments in the case of a significant decrease in their income?

For many Canadians, purchasing a home is an important life milestone that can evoke both great joy and financial responsibility. Unfortunately, unexpected life events such as the disability, illness and even death of an income earner can make paying a mortgage that much more difficult, especially if they don’t have the proper protection in place to safeguard their family’s income.

Share this video with your client to show them how purchasing personal insurance, via a trusted advisor (that’s you!), can offer them and their families peace of mind with the protection and flexibility they need during difficult times to keep them on track with their mortgage payments. Continue reading “INFOclip: Mortgage Protection” →

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INFOclip: Mortgage Protection

Building Connections Through Direct Response Marketing… More Than Just Social Media

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Today, it’s no longer about those old, templated letters or phone dialing campaigns that… let’s be honest… were highly time consuming and largely ineffective in getting the attention of your clients. Social media has changed the way we promote and do business – all with better results at a fraction of the cost. So, why should you join the social media party and how can you make an impact through direct response marketing? Continue reading “Building Connections Through Direct Response Marketing… More Than Just Social Media” →

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Building Connections Through Direct Response Marketing… More than just Social Media