INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES

The right life insurance protection can make a big difference to your life and those closest to you. It can be used to help protect the people and things you love. Life insurance can help you manage risk and it has many tax advantages. It can mean the difference between leaving your estate financially secure or leaving behind debts and an inadequate income.

If you’re unsure, we can help you determine which type of life insurance may meet your short-term and long-term needs and preferences for flexibility and risk.

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Types of life insurance

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Term life insurance

Term life insurance generally provides the most coverage for the lowest initial cost.

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Permanent life insurance

Permanent life insurance protects you for your lifetime by providing a death benefit. It also has the added benefit of building cash value that you can draw on later. There are two types of permanent life insurance: participating life insurance and universal life insurance.

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Participating life insurance

Participating life insurance (or whole life insurance) provides permanent life insurance protection with a tax-advantaged cash value component. Participating insurance doesn’t require hands-on management by the policyowner. Instead, Canada Life’s professional investment managers manage the assets of the participating account which back the cash value.

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Universal life insurance

Universal life insurance provides a traditional life insurance component with a tax-advantaged investment component. You select an investment mix that is as individual as you are—taking into account your financial goals and circumstances and the amount of investment risk with which you’re comfortable. This type of policy is attractive for people who want to actively manage their life insurance policy.

Your ability to earn an income is likely your most valuable asset. A disability insurance policy may help ensure you can meet your daily financial needs if you’re unable to work.

Did you know:

• One in three people, on average, will be disabled for 90 days or longer at least once before age 65 1

• The average length of a disability that lasts over 90 days is 2.9 years. 1

We can provide disability coverage that’s designed to help address your needs and protect your ability to earn an income.

1 CIA 86-92 Aggregate Table & 1985 Commissioner’s Disability Table A (Experience Table)

No one plans to get sick, but when something unexpected happens, you can help yourself and your family by being financially prepared.

Critical illness insurance is designed to help financially support patients before, during and after treatment by providing a lump-sum benefit when a critical illness, as defined by the policy, is diagnosed, and you satisfy the waiting period.

Consider some of the potential uses for the funds from a critical illness insurance policy:

• Modifications to your home

• Private nursing or domestic help

• Timely treatment outside Canada

• Additional staff to run your business

As Canadians, we’re fortunate to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world, but government healthcare coverage may not provide all you need.

You may be left to pay for expenses such as:

• Prescription drugs

• Dental visits

• Eye exams

• Paramedic services

• Ambulance transport

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Enhanced healthcare plans can help protect you against these and other unexpected health and dental expenses.

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Charitable giving

If charitable giving is an important part of your financial strategy, we can work with you to ensure the funding of your favorite charitable organizations is considered in your estate plan.

Mutual funds, including our exclusive Quadrus Group of Funds, are offered through our mutual fund dealer, Quadrus Investment Services Ltd.

Mutual funds allow individuals to pool their savings in a portfolio of investments managed by professional money managers. Because of the large amount of money in the pool, mutual funds can diversify a portfolio more widely than an individual may be able to when investing on their own.

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• Registered retirement savings plan (RRSP)

• Registered education savings plan (RESP)

• Registered retirement income fund (RRIF)

• Tax-free savings account (TFSA)

• Registered disability savings plan (RDSP)

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Features and benefits

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Mutual funds offer a number of features and benefits, including:

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Liquidity

Mutual fund units may generally be redeemed at any time. The redemption value will depend on the unit value on the day of redemption and may be lower or higher than the purchase price.

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Diversification

While an investment in a single company or industry exposes an investor to the ups and downs of that company or industry, mutual funds allow investors to diversify their portfolios among many different companies and industries within Canada and across the world. Through a selection of funds managed by different fund managers, investors may also benefit from diversity of investment style.

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Returns

Mutual funds offer the potential for higher returns compared to guaranteed investment certificates (GICs) and deferred annuities. However, mutual funds also carry more risk.

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Professional management

Unit holders benefit from the expertise of professional managers who have training and experience in the investment field. Fund managers continually research and monitor markets, trends and the companies in which they invest to maintain proper diversification, and to maximize returns consistent with the fund’s objectives.

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Cost-effectiveness

Mutual funds are one of the most cost-effective ways to own a diversified, professionally managed portfolio. Mutual funds allow you to invest in several different companies at a fraction of the cost of buying individual units of each of the companies in similar proportions to the mutual fund.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the Fund Facts before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

Like a mutual fund, a segregated fund pools money from thousands of investors which professional fund managers invest in a variety of securities. Segregated fund policies are only available through insurance companies and take the form of individual, variable life insurance contracts offering certain guarantees to the policyholder such as reimbursement of capital upon death. As required by law, these funds are fully segregated from the company’s general operating funds. Advantages for some investors include:

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Death benefit and maturity guarantees

Segregated fund policies protect part or all of your capital investment. Canada Life offers two types of capital guarantees—death and maturity guarantees.

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Estate bypass

When you designate a beneficiary other than your estate, the value of your segregated fund policies flow directly to the beneficiary, generally bypassing the estate and potential probate fees.

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Creditor protection potential

Laws may protect a segregated fund policy in the event of bankruptcy or other action by creditors. It’s important to note that potential creditor protection depends on court decisions, which can be subject to change and can vary for each province. This protection cannot be guaranteed.

Any amount allocated to a segregated fund is invested at the risk of the policyowner and may increase or decrease in value.

Financing a home may be the biggest financial decision you ever make. We’ll help you make sure it’s the right decision by putting you in touch with a Canada Life mortgage planning specialist who’ll help you choose the mortgage that’s right for your lifestyle and budget.

More information about Canada Life mortgages

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Mortgage life insurance protection

Whether you’re buying a home or renewing your existing mortgage, there’s something you need to consider. What happens to your family’s dreams if you should die? Would your family be able to stay in their home?

Through a personal life insurance policy, you can plan to meet more of your family’s needs in the event of death—including staying in your dream home. Talk to us today to discuss your insurance needs.