News and resources for Canada's top financial advisors
Life
Last week I met with a couple that had been referred to our office by their accountant. They were looking for a comprehensive retirement plan. While they had several millions in investments and real estate, that wealth had diminished by nearly 50% as a result of recent market volatility. Now they were concerned about their […]
April 1, 2009
3 min read
Have you taken a pass on providing support to your clients’ expatriate or inpatriate health insurance needs due to the complexity of this market? Or have you let business go to a competitor because you were unfamiliar with this area of risk? If yes, then it’s high time you gained the confidence to discuss this […]
By Jeff Simpson |April 1, 2009
4 min read
Living Benefits
Last week we discussed an industry initiative led by Munich Re, that brought CI insurers together to create a new set of benchmark definitions for the Canadian marketplace. The language might be a bit much to get through, but this week we give you the new set of benchmark definitions created by committee members from […]
By Hélène Michaud |March 24, 2009
12 min read
Last year, an industry initiative led by Munich Re brought together a group of CI insurers to discuss the possibility of developing benchmark definitions for the Canadian market. The members of this committee represented over 80% of the Canadian CI market in terms of new business premiums and brought a wealth of expertise from underwriting, […]
By Hélène Michaud |March 18, 2009
6 min read
With recent market turmoil, many articles have espoused the virtues of dollar-cost averaging. The theory is that as the cost of a unit or security goes down, regular and disciplined investments will take advantage of reduced pricing and lower the average cost of acquiring the investment, at least on a temporary basis. But where does […]
By Chris Paterson |March 4, 2009
Much has been written about the Canada Revenue Agency’s plans to review leveraged insurance arrangements, also known as 10/8 programs. These programs typically have the following characteristics: Why would a policyholder enter into this type of loan arrangement? The answer lies in the fact that if the money is borrowed to earn business or investment […]
By Kevin Wark |February 23, 2009
Last month, I wrote about the Worskis*, a couple in their late 50s who had recently found themselves out of work due to economic challenges facing their now former employer. Click here to read that article. Many of you had further ideas and questions. I’ll address a few of them in this space. 1. The […]
By Chris Paterson |February 9, 2009
Do you sometimes wonder why underwriters make certain decisions? Need insight into the different claims processes or help explaining things to clients? This mini-series from Munich Re will hopefully provide some of the answers. In future articles Hélène Michaud, assistant vice–president, marketing, Munich Reinsurance Company will discuss dementia, cognitive disorders, long term care and critical […]
By Hélène Michaud |February 2, 2009
By Hélène Michaud |January 22, 2009
Both partners in a high-net-worth couple had each taken out a universal life insurance policy with the accumulation account linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. They saw two benefits to the policies: reasonably priced insurance and tax-sheltered investment. When the markets melted down last fall, the investment value of their accumulation accounts fell by […]
By Al Emid |January 1, 2009
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