Insurance, Investments and Group Benefits

If the past 6 months has taught is anything, it’s that you can never be too prepared for the unexpected. For many of us across Canada, that has meant taking a hard look at the emergency response plan we have for our families and our futures. We think that plan should include some form of individually owned life insurance.

Thinking about buying life insurance can be overwhelming – especially when it’s your first time. There are a lot of choices out there and many factors to consider. Our goal is to make your insurance shopping experienc

e as painless as possible. To help ensure that you navigate your journey successfully, we are going to share a simple tip every Tuesday during September to get you started.

Without any further ado, let’s get started with our first tip.

Things often go wrong or take an unexpected turn even though you carefully planned what you were going to do. Robert Burns’ famous line basically said that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. That extends to intentions of staying on the job or finding paid work later in life. Here's retirement myth #9:

Retirement myth #9: Go back to work when there are not enough retirement savings

At the risk of sounding nitpicky, governments don’t pay for anything. Working Canadians do. Taxpayers do. Taxes are directed to certain areas of need. Growing needs and rising costs means that there isn’t enough public money to go around. That reality is hitting retirees and will hit them harder as time goes on.

Retirement myth #8: The government will take care of any medical expenses

The outbreak of COVID-19 is having a significant impact on all Canadians. According to a Mar. 25th news release by the Dept. of Finance, "The Government of Canada is taking strong, immediate and effective action to protect Canadians and the economy from the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic. No Canadian should have to choose between protecting their health, putting food on the table, paying for their medication or caring for a family member."

Some rules of thumb and long held assumptions may work well while you are saving for retirement. Holding on to them when you are spending those savings during retirement, may become toxic to your financial health. The myth is that you’ll have enough money to last through retirement as long as the average rate of return matches your plan.

Retirement Myth #7: Your money will last as long as the average rate of return is good.

I’m sure you can come up with a list of things that don’t fit the “set it and forget it” philosophy. Set the cruise control and forget it. Set the room temperature and forget it. Invest in a certain investment that has a particular risk associated with it and forget it. You need to make adjustments as the situation changes and as your needs and priorities change. Retirement income planning works like that.

Retirement myth #6: You need the same amount of income, indexed for life.

Key takeaways:

Tactical Update - February 26, 2020

Global equities retreated sharply over the last week as investors digested news about the spread of the coronavirus to countries beyond China. The broadly based S&P 500 Index is now down over 7% from its recent high.

The myth of never touching your capital starts when people are working and saving for retirement. Some become conscientious savers, never touching their nest egg. That mentality spills over into retirement. Changing habits can be hard.

Retirement myth #5: Never touch your capital.

How much income will you need during retirement? The myths and misunderstandings continue, despite growing evidence and research that debunk them. Retirement myth #4: You need 70-85% of your current income in retirement.

Retirement myth #4: You need 70-85% of your current income in retirement.

How much is enough? Books have been written on the subject of retirement and what you need to save. Myths abound on this question. Here’s one to consider: I need $500K, $1M, $2M to retire.

Retirement myth #3: I need $500,000, $1 Million, $2 Million to retire.