Life Insurance and Living Benefits

Sometimes the need for insurance coverage reaches far beyond the need for insurance which arises when you want to cover the payment of a bank loan, or a mortgage. In some cases, the need for insurance is permanent. In other words, your need for coverage will last your entire life.   As such, an insurance solution would involve a “permanent” insurance product where the premium is affordable over a long period of time. Permanent needs are often considered to be things like: ·          Funds to pay income tax, which are triggered at death. ·          To pay the capital gain on a family cottage at death. ·          Sometimes cash is needed at death to even the distribution of asset payments to the family where otherwise selling property or a business might decrease its value. ·          A permanent policy may help fund a charitable gift which would in turn decrease overall taxes. ( Estate planning is an entirely other issue which will be covered in another blog.)

In 1985, I sold computers for a living. The Compaq portable was a featherweight at 28 pounds.  The industry has grown up so much in the past 30 years. What surprises me is that with all the technology around us, many people don’t take full advantage of ways to improve how their office functions. In this blog, we focus on 7 ways to make your office more efficient with a little technology: Voice mail to email Electronic files/scanning CRM software Remote access to computer Online client survey Online visibility Electronic presentations Everyone has voice mail on the office phone.  However, there is a relatively new technology called Voice mail to email that has come out and it is very useful. Imagine you are away from the office (even on the golf course), and you miss a phone message from a client you were not expecting to hear from. A moment later, you are alerted by your iPhone that you have a new email. When you look at the screen, you see that it is not so

So you are educated, degree in hand and your cap is flying through the air as classmates smile for the camera and high fives are the order for the day. Some of you have jobs lined up; some still have a few interviews to go. What is in common with most is the unsure “next steps” in your new personal financial   world. You are flying the coop, and need to sort a few things out. So here is a list of   things you will want to consider as you begin to grow financially. 1. Make a budget and watch it . “You can't manage what you don't measure” is an old management adage that you need to turn into a habit. Unless you measure something, you don't know if it is getting better or worse. This sounds like basic advice, however when it comes to money, it’s a foundation. As you grow, the edges of your budget will want to be elastic, so you need not carve it in stone; however, be aware of where your money is going. Note you will modify and increase your budget with expansion of in

Many people own group disability insurance at work, but if you are like most people you have never read the actual contract. You likely have an employee booklet, but the wording of the contract will not be found there because your company administrator keeps it filed away. Every plan is different so the wording of your policy should be reviewed. As an alternative, you often have the right to opt out of the group plan to purchase an individual private plan, and here are 7 reasons to check it out. Note that every policy is different and this blog is not a comparison, but rather a guide to begin your research. When looking at the personal plan in this blog, we are looking at a professional policy. Monthly Benefit:  Personal coverage can be purchased at a full and maximum level based on your income. Group coverage can have a flat limit set for everyone in the group even if your income would otherwise qualify for more. For example everyone might have 70% of income to a maximum of