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Insurance, Investments and Group Benefits

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Critical minerals, mining and the energy transition

Investments, Off the Cuff

In this Off the Cuff video, Ashley Misquitta, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist, shares what it will take for the economy to transition from fossil fuel to more renewable energy-based resources, and where the team see potential investment opportunities.

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Insurance Industry Boosts Investment in Fraud Prevention

Group Benefits, Assurance collective

In a recent advisor webinar with guest speakers Stephen Frank, CLHIA President and CEO, and senior members of the Empire Life claims investigative team, Richelle Feddema and Raman Sharma, our hosts Marc-André Blondeau, regional vice-president of group distribution in Quebec and Eastern Canada, and Michelle Wegner, director of sales enablement at Empire Life, discussed industry efforts to tackle group benefits fraud. In this post, we share some of Marc-André and Michelle's post-webinar conversation with Stephen. Next week, we'll share their conversation with Richelle and Raman. 

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2023 Federal Budget @ your fingertips

Investments, Personal Finance

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Navigating uncertainty: A fixed income update

Investments, Off the Cuff

In this Off the Cuff video, fixed income senior portfolio manager Albert Ngo discusses inflation, economic growth and possible outcomes for the market.

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Does your genetic makeup affect the way a drug will work in your body?

Group Benefits

How pharmacogenomics can prevent drug spend waste

More and more Canadians are taking prescription drugs as chronic disease and mental health problems become more widespread. But prescribing can be a challenge because each person’s unique metabolic profile—informed by their unique genetics—determines which drugs will work and which will not. Empire Life has been working with Pillcheck for three years to help plan members find the right pharmaceutical treatments sooner rather than later, so they can enjoy their lives and return to work without needless delay. For employers, the savings can add up: depending on the diagnosis, drug therapy guided by Pillcheck can save between $350 and $5000 per patient. 

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In a slowing economy, the right investment strategy plays a key role in downside protection

Investment Views, Investments

In a recent video, Paul Holba, CIO, reviews the key market events of 2022 and outlook for 2023. He also shares how the team’s investment strategies reflect our cautious view of the environment, but with some positive outlooks and opportunities.

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Market timing and missing the worst performance days

Investments, Personal Finance

In my last article, I wrote about the benefits of a buy and hold strategy where an investor stayed in the market through the ups and downs of a particular investment. 

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Staying invested in the market

Investments, Personal Finance

A common piece of advice for investors is that long term success doesn’t hinge on timing the market. It’s time in the market that may make the bigger difference.

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Emblem Portfolios in action - Asset allocation update, December 20, 2022

Investments, Tactical Updates

Key takeaways:  

  • Tactically moving to a more defensive positioning
  • Increased bonds, decreased equities (all portfolios except Emblem Aggressive Growth, which has no bond component)
  • Emblem Aggressive Growth – increased US equities, decreased international equities

Tactical update - December 20, 2022

We are choosing to adopt a more cautious posture and see increasingly attractive relative value in fixed income. As such, we have reduced our equity targets in the various Emblem funds and increased our fixed income targets.

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When defense is the best offense

Investment Views, Investments

From the desk of CIO Paul Holba: In this latest update from the Empire Life Investments team, Paul Holba discusses how 2022 continues to be a challenging year—but it’s not all bad news.

Market recap

2022 continues to be a challenging year for investors. As mentioned in my July update, the first half of the year produced some of the worst year-to-date returns in decades for many markets. At the end of the third quarter, market returns continued to incrementally trend in the wrong direction (albeit at a slower clip). However, many markets experienced a strong October rally, trimming the year’s losses to varying degrees. Supported by its resource sector orientation, Canadian equities held their value better over other markets, while the growth-oriented Nasdaq Composite continued to lag materially.

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