News and resources for Canada's top financial advisors
Life
In estate administration, an advisor may at some point come across a claim for dependant’s relief – that is, an order for support for a particular dependant from the estate of a deceased person. While the definitions may differ between provinces, in Ontario, a dependant can be one or more of the following, to whom […]
By Daniel Dochylo |October 1, 2010
7 min read
Industry
We often take for granted the huge role technology plays in our lives; that is, until an issue threatens to disrupt the entire way we do business. It was December 2009 when our CRM software provider made the call to us. The shock was profound when they informed us they were no longer supporting our […]
By David Wm. Brown |October 1, 2010
3 min read
Canadian advisors may have fewer insurance options at their disposal in the future, as proposed accounting standards could make long-duration, investment-based contracts less attractive to carriers. While the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are set to come into force in January 2011, this set of rules is not the culprit. Yet. The financial services sector […]
By Steven Lamb |August 10, 2010
After helping clients with their financial, estate and retirement planning, advisors often have a strong relationship with their clients. That puts us in a unique position to discuss succession planning with those clients who are also business owners. In many cases, we’ve already implemented plans or products to protect their assets and the value of […]
By David Wm. Brown |August 5, 2010
A generation ago, benefits plans were a different animal. One-size-fits-all plans were the norm and the offloading of health costs by governments had yet to begin in earnest. Employers offered simpler plans for a simpler world. Fast-forward to today, and the benefits landscape has changed. Many costs have shifted from the public to the private […]
By Dave Jones |July 29, 2010
5 min read
The recent spotlight on financial products hasn’t been limited to complex mortgage-backed products. Insurance-based products have had their share of recent attention, especially when it comes to beneficiary designations. Several court cases involving beneficiary designation disputes underscore the importance of reviewing these designations and ensuring that they are up-to-date and in accordance with a client’s […]
By David Wm. Brown |July 12, 2010
9 min read
The question of whether a client belongs in a universal life policy or a whole life policy is complicated by a few different facts and factors these days. Some advisors have their preferences, people have their own ideas, sometimes their own misconceptions, and even markets today are influencing opinion about each product. Universal life policies […]
By Kate McCaffery |July 7, 2010
6 min read
When it comes to insurance sales, some clients may be inclined to avoid the “bells and whistles” that are available on their policy, believing they are simply being up-sold. But the benefits of some riders deserve serious consideration, as they can save the client a great deal of aggravation down the road. Among the most […]
By Steven Lamb |July 7, 2010
4 min read
Insurance advisors may well have a template to cover off obvious insurable risks for their clients. Often those risks involve some projection of future financial security. How much should future financial security be covered though? There is a product for every need — almost. In terms of academic financial theory, insurance markets are often not […]
By Scot Blythe |July 7, 2010
Living Benefits
It will take an act of Congress but insurers could be very close to getting what they’ve been seeking for the last two years — a declaration that equity indexed annuities will be regulated as insurance products, and not as securities. A House-Senate conference committee working on the nearly 2,000-page financial services reform legislation, approved […]
By Alan Prochoroff |June 29, 2010
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