In the planning of their estates, most parents might prefer to leave their assets in equal shares to their children. Often, the only complication in this scenario could be how to divide up the family home.
For owners of a family business, however, the concept of treating the children equally can often be much more problematic. This can especially be the case where one or more children are active in the business while others are not.
Given the problems encountered by some large financial institutions in the United States, how concerned should we be about the state of the life insurance industry in Canada?
If you require permanent life insurance coverage for family, estate planning, business, or tax planning purposes or you just wish to accumulate money in your life insurance program it may be time to look at a permanent, level-cost solution.
During this stressful and challenging time, many are wondering what effect COVID-19 could have on their life insurance. Some may be worried that the insurance companies would make changes to their existing policy due to coronavirus concerns, resulting in an increase in their premiums or a restriction to their coverage. It should be reassuring to all that insurance companies are generally not able to change the contractual provisions of the insurance policies that are in force.
It has long been an accepted strategy to provide sufficient estate liquidity to pay taxes due at death from the proceeds of a life insurance policy. In Canada we are fortunate to have permanent life insurance policies that insure an individual for their entire life with a premium that is guaranteed not to increase. It is feasible to be able to use these policies in an effective estate plan.
Naming a beneficiary of a life insurance policy provides a significant benefit in planning and protecting one’s estate. With a named beneficiary, the death benefit is paid directly to the beneficiary and is received tax-free. It bypasses the policyowner’s estate and is not subject to probate or any other administrative fees.
If your goal is to replace income for your family for more than 2 years, you may want to add an individual policy to your group insurance coverage.
According to the same LIMRA study, on average, households with only group coverage can replace the household’s income for less than 2 years. Households with both group and personal life coverage can replace income for more than 5 years.
Has it been awhile since you last looked at your insurance portfolio?
Are you a little vague in your recollection of all the coverage you have and why you have it?
Are you uncertain as to whether or not your portfolio reflects your current situation?
Just like going to the dentist for regular checkups is a necessary evil, reviewing your financial plan and products on a regular basis is also recommended. Circumstances can change over time and making sure your protection is keeping pace is a worthwhile exercise.
In today’s family, it is not unusual for spouses to enter a marriage with children from previous relationships. Parents work hard at getting these children to functionally blend together to create a happy family environment. Often overlooked is what happens on the death of one of the parents. In most cases, special consideration for estate planning is needed to avoid relationship loss and possibly legal action.
Typically spouses leave everything to each other and when the surviving spouse dies, the remainder is divided amongst the children. The problem? Even with the best of intentions, there is no guarantee that the surviving spouse will not remarry and inadvertently disinherit the deceased’s children.
If you are a grandparent wishing to provide an asset for your grandchildren without compromising your own financial security, you may want to consider an estate planning application known as Cascading Life Insurance.
Having a source to replace your earned income in the event of an illness or accident is vital considering that on average, 1 in 3 Canadians will become disabled for a period of more than 90 days at least once before the age of 65. For those that are disabled for more than 90 days the average length of that disability is 2.9 years.
If you are one of the approximately 10 million Canadians covered under a group Long Term Disability plan (LTD) it’s important to understand what your coverage provides. Don’t wait until after you’re disabled to read the employee handbook because you could have a few surprises!
Owners of very successful private corporations are well aware of the importance of cash flow. Many are protective of how they allocate corporate capital so that business ventures are adequately funded and investment opportunities are not missed.
The Immediate Financing Arrangement offers an opportunity to provide life insurance coverage and accumulate wealth on a tax-advantaged basis without impairing corporate cash flow.
