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Should I Name A Beneficiary?

should I name a beneficiary

Let’s say that you’re filling out a financial form and get to the part where they ask for a Beneficiary name. Why not just leave it to your estate? It can seem like an extra piece of information to give until you understand WHY you need a Beneficiary.

You need a beneficiary to ensure that your money, whether from investments or an insurance policy, goes to the right person or entity.

Unless your lawyer advises otherwise, most people should avoid naming their Estate as the beneficiary (the default).

Funds left to the Estate may be subject to probate or other fees and could get held up. This generally takes over a year to complete. It’s not worth the headache if your loved ones would need the funds sooner than that.

As the owner of the policy or account, you choose who the beneficiary is and can make changes at any time.

Your beneficiary will not have access to your accounts or information. They will simply be given the money once you pass. This is called a Revocable Beneficiary.

The exception to this is to name an Irrevocable Beneficiary. They still cannot make changes to your account or see your information. BUT you cannot make certain changes to your own account, including changing the beneficiary, without their permission. 

Beneficiaries should always be identified by name.

Generics like “my spouse” or “my children” can be ambiguous in the future if, at death, you are in a new relationship or have step-children.

Depending on your personal situation, you may choose to name your partner, parents, or other loved ones as your beneficiary. You can name more than one beneficiary but will need to choose what percentage each party will receive.

As this article is for general information only, be sure to talk to a professional about your specific situation before making any decisions.

And remember, your beneficiary should be updated as required! Checking your policies every two years to ensure your information is up to date is a good habit.

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Why Mom-preneurs Need Life Insurance the Most

why mom-preneurs need life insurance the most

As a busy business owner, do you feel like you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off? Holding client meetings, being a parent taxi in between, meal planning, running the house and being the glue that holds everything together. Who would do all of that if you couldn’t? That’s exactly why mom-preneurs need life insurance the most.

If working from home allows you to chauffeur your kids, run errands, do chores or be a homemaker, your family would be lost if you weren’t there.

Even if you don’t work from home, hired help and put systems in place so that certain things can run smoothly without you there, your family will still be scrambling to do those little things that often get overlooked. Not to mention how much they’d miss you.

Your business may also be an asset.

Having a plan to cover your business expenses until it can be sold would be a tremendous help to your family. Or, maybe your kids are a bit older and one of them would like to run your business. Giving them or your business (if it’s incorporated) a set portion of your life insurance benefit would afford them what they need to transition your company.

For example:

  • Cost of closing your business
  • Covering outstanding debts
  • Capital Gains
  • Ensuring your employees/subcontractors are paid for their work
  • Legal fees
  • Taxes
  • Financial obligations, especially if you personally guaranteed your debts against your home/investments/etc.

Of course, that’s not an exhaustive list – just a starting point. Talk to your Financial Planner/Accountant and Lawyer to determine exactly what you need.

Especially if you’re a sole proprietor, consider your personal taxes as well.

We want to prevent your family from getting any unexpected, large bills. Sitting down with your Insurance Broker or Financial Advisor is the first step in ensuring your personal and business finances are in order if anything does happen.

Mom-preneurs need life insurance the most because they often juggle two important roles – a business and a home.

You have a very important role and play a detrimental part in caring for both your business and your family. Having a life insurance policy and talking about a plan with your partner can ensure that they’ll be taken care of, even if you’re not there.

Remember, you’re in control of your financial future.

It takes time and effort to put plans like this in place, but it’s worth it to know that your family is taken care of.

If you could use weekly reminders about taking a holistic approach to caring for your finances, join our newsletter!

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What Happens When You Apply for Life Insurance?

Meet your Advisor!

The Insurance process can seem intimidating when you’re not sure what to expect. From questions about your finances to very personal health questions and tests. What happens when you apply for Life Insurance?

It can be overwhelming to start the process if you don’t know how it works!

Here, we know that Education is Power.

This short cartoon will walk you through what happens when you apply for life insurance.

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What happens when you apply for life insurance?

Depending on a number of factors, getting an insurance plan can be almost instant or take a few months. There isn’t much you can do to effect the timeline – it’ll depend on the Insurance Company you apply with, the type of insurance plan you get (or more accurately, how big of a plan you get), and your medical history, as well as a number of other factors.

Getting Insurance is meant to be a simple process but, when dealing with anything health related, there can always be complications. So, let’s walk through the steps of how the situation will ideally pan out. Remember, it may not work out exactly like this, but this is the typical process:

1. Meet your Advisor

In the first meeting with your Advisor, they’ll ask you about your goals, finances and figure out what you need.

2. Advisor finds options for you

Your Advisor will take the information you gave them and go to the drawing board. If you’re working with a Broker (like myself), they’ll be looking different plans from multiple companies. They may have a plan in mind already and be able to start the process in the same meeting, but they’ll likely have to come back for a second appointment.

3. Pick the Plan

Your agent will show you the plans they have in mind (they should be giving you a couple of options) and help you pick a plan that works just right for you.

4. Apply

Then, you’ll apply! You’ll be asked questions abut your health, habits, job and income. Be honest with your Advisor! The questions will be very personal about your current and past health, (likely) as well as the health of your close family members. Your job and income will determine how much you can have coverage for – this is by law and not necessarily dependent on the Insurance Company.

5. Medical

Whether it’s life or disability insurance, you’ll likely have to go through a medical. How that works will depend on many factors including the Insurance Company you’re applying with, health history, habits, etc. It can range from a phone interview to blood and urine samples or even special scans and tests. The Company needs to determine what they’re willing to cover you for with all the ‘information on the table’ so to speak.

6. Pay your First Bill

Once you’re approved, you’ll have to pay your first bill (or premium) to start the coverage. You might give them a credit card to charge when you first apply or wait until they’ve accepted your application to pay – again, this is determined by a number of factors including the Insurance Company that you’re applying with and personal preference.

And that’s all there is to it! Your agent should walk you through the process and help with any hiccups along the way, making the process easier for you.

Insurance is an incredibly important step towards financial independence and preparing for the emergency situations that life can bring. You won’t know how valuable a plan is until you need it. But,  it won’t happen to you, right? These things always seem to happen to other people, so make sure your friends and family sit down with an Insurance Agent or Broker! 

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What Should I Know About Mortgage Insurance?

This post was made in September 2019 and is specific to Canadian policies and information. It is intended solely for the personal non-commercial use of the user who accepts full responsibility for its use. While I have taken precaution to ensure that the content of this site is both current and accurate, errors can occur.
The information contained in this site is general in nature and should not be considered to be legal, tax, accounting, consulting or any other professional advice. In all cases you should consult with professional advisors familiar with your particular factual situation for advice concerning specific matters before making any decisions.

Let’s go ahead and start this from the very beginning. What IS mortgage insurance?

Mortgage Insurance helps you pay off your mortgage if you pass away. It could also pay your monthly mortgage fee if you’re not able to work for a period of time. It’s an optional coverage that you’d buy either through the bank when you get your mortgage or through an Insurance agent. If you’re familiar, Mortgage Insurance is like Term Insurance.

No one wants to think about it but, if you pass away, who will pay your mortgage?

If you’re single, the bill will probably go to a family member who would, likely, have to cover your mortgage payments until they’re able to sell your home. If you’re married, will your spouse be able to cover the mortgage and all other expenses without your income? Will they need to take time off of work after you pass? In that case, your family would lose both incomes until your spouse is ready to go back to work. Keep in mind, your payments will still be required if you’re not able to bring home a paycheck! 

And that, my friends, is what mortgage insurance covers. 

So, what’s the difference between buying from the bank vs. an insurance advisor?

Insurance from the bank is typically more convenient. It (usually) gets taken out of your account with the mortgage so you don’t have to think of an extra bill payment. Also, you can sign up for it as you’re dealing with the mortgage approval.

While personal insurance doesn’t offer those conveniences, it has plenty of other benefits you need to consider. To start, you’ll know what you’re covered for before you make a claim. When you buy an insurance policy, it goes through Underwriting. That’s a process where a professional looks at your application, medical history, etc. and decides if the company will issue you a policy. You can be approved or denied. Or, you could be approved except for XYZ – meaning you’re covered, UNLESS you pass away from a returning illness, hereditary health conditions, etc.
You want them to do this when you apply to give yourself options before you need to use the insurance.

On the contrary, Mortgage Insurance offered through a bank is, generally speaking, a simple questionnaire approving most people on the spot. However, they’ll wait until you make a claim before they send it to the underwriter. That means you won’t know if there’s an exception to what you’re covered for until it’s too late.

With personal insurance, you own the policy. You keep it even when you move or pay off your mortgage. It’ll pay the Life Insurance Benefit directly to your family (or estate) if you pass away. Your family can use the money to pay off the mortgage or chose to split it between the mortgage and another unforeseen expense.

Life Insurance through the bank will be paid directly to the bank and used to pay off your mortgage.

You’ll typically get comparable rates for an Insurance Policy from the Bank as an Insurance Agent.

There are plenty of other things to know about mortgage insurance (good and bad) so I suggest sitting down with a professional to ask questions before you chose a policy. Always make sure you understand what the contract says. If your situation doesn’t match the criteria and definitions in the contract, you will not be paid out.

These are some good questions to ask:

  • If/When I pass away, who will the money go to?
  • Does the benefit ever change?
  • If I’m too hurt or sick to go to work (make an income) for a period of time, will this plan offer me any benefits?
    • If the answer is yes, ask what the “Definition of Disability” is. You’re essentially asking, “How badly do I have to be hurt before they’ll pay me?”
    • Ask how long you’ll have to be off work before they start to pay you.
  • Who is covered under this plan? If you and your partner buy a home, it may be only the Primary Applicant who’s covered. But what if something happened to the other partner?
  • If I make changes to my mortgage, will this policy be canceled, or will it move with me even if I change lenders?
  • When will they decide if I qualify for the insurance policy I’ve chosen?
    I realize that question sounds redundant but many policies, especially the ones with few questions and approve you right away, aren’t looked at by the Underwriter (the person who decides if you qualify and what the insurance company will cover you for) until you’re asking for the money i.e. making a claim. This is a very important question.

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How to Know if You’re Talking to the Right Insurance Agent

There’s one simple mistake that a lot of us make when we start looking into an insurance policy – we think each insurance agent sells all kinds of insurance. And us agent aren’t great at clearing this up from the beginning. So, here’s a very basic explanation on how it works!

There are 2 categories of insurance: People (Personal) and Things (General).

General Insurance Agents can cover you for much more than just things, but the concept makes it easy to understand. They sell car insurance, house insurance, liability coverage, prepare for expensive emergencies, etc. They’ll help you cover things you can touch, expensive emergency situations (like hotel expenses after a house fire), and situations where you could be liable. There are levels of Insurance licenses the agent will be in depending on how many programs they choose to take. The more programs they take, the more coverage they can offer you.

Personal Insurance Agents can help you protect your ability to make money. If you’re too hurt or sick to work, or if you pass away, you’re not bringing in an income. Taking care of yourself while you’re disabled or paying for funeral expenses will also COST money. Personal Insurance Agents look at what you already qualify for – from Government Benefits to Employee Benefit Plans –  and find an insurance plan that works for you.

Insurance agents want to help. So if you’re ever confused on whether you’re talking to the right ‘type’ of agent, just ask them!

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