DEBT?

Growing up watching my parents navigate their power of spending and living within their means is now a distant thought based on today’s immediate gratification of purchase within our society. Having debt was not something that had meaning to them 50 years ago there was only one thing that they were in debt for – that was our house everything else was paid by cash. If you did not have the money then you saved until you did. My mother would put stuff on “layaway” and make weekly payments until paid in full or if she used the Sears Roebuck credit card it was paid in full at the end of the month. 50 years ago, a mortgage was and still is today considered ‘good debt’, because your home is considered the biggest increasing asset that you own. A car was something of a necessity only and not a want. A Black and White television was the norm and if you could afford a Color Television you would have been considered rich. Fast forward 50 years and you will find the banks and credit card companies are big business empires now, the consumer is now encouraged to use credit cards, lines of credit and, a myriad of financing options because it has become increasingly acceptable and very easy to carry large amounts of consumer debt. The new generation of consumers requires immediate self-gratification and this has helped to shift the public’s perception about carrying debt which has been extremely profitable for lenders. Yes, society has changed drastically in 50 years. The reality is still the same you cannot continue to spend if you do not have the means to afford your need to spend so you can be accepted in society.

Acceptable or not, when talking about finances, people who are carrying large amounts of debt understand their reality but unfortunately without the understanding of basic budgeting this is a cycle that cannot be broken. Until we as a society accept and understand that we need to live within our means if we are to succeed in our future – If not we will continue down a path of certain self-destruction.  

What can you do to reduce your debt?

How much debt do you have?

To pay down your debt and create a plan to reduce or eliminate debt you must first understand how much debt you have. To build a plan to get out of debt you should create a budget plan which lists each of your debts on a spreadsheet this will show you who you owe, what you owe, and your total debt, the minimum payment is the interest rate you’re being charged. You will need to get past the minimum payments to get out of the debt cycle.

Once you can see it on paper you will start to understand the process and value of this exercise. When you have all your debts written down, you’ll know exactly what you’re dealing with. The next part of the exercise and this is the most important step, is to implement change. It’s important to remember the only thing you can change is what happens from this point forward what you have done in the past is in the past it cannot be taken away. There must be a change in spending habits, there is no point putting energy into starting a plan to move forward if you plan on making the same mistakes from your past. Take positive action to better your situation.

How much debt is too much?

If you’re not paying your balances in full then where will you find the additional money to pay down your debt? This is where your budgeting skills start to come into play. You have to determine exactly how much you have coming in and going out each month. The simple math will show you either a positive or negative number. Either way, change has to come if want to remove your debt. There are only two ways to change your balance sheet at the end of the month: either you have to figure out a way to earn more or you have to find a way to spend less. Take a close look at your monthly cash flow; if you can capture money from other expenses and repurpose it to attack your debt, you’ll be able to get out of debts a lot faster. The simple answer for how much is too much? When you can’t pay your monthly bills comfortably, you have hit your threshold and you now need to put a plan in place which allows you to spend less and repurpose funds to pay down your debt. 

Understand how you got here… 

Debt is not a problem. It’s a symptom of a problem. If you focus on fixing the symptom rather than the root cause of your financial situation there’s a good chance that you’ll end up facing the same issues down the road. It’s not uncommon for people to consolidate credit card debt with a loan or line of credit and then to run their credit card balances up again. Effective money management isn’t grounded in strong math skills; it’s grounded in our psychology. Understanding the psychology of money and how spending habits are created will help you create new patterns and new habits that will not only help you get out of bad debt but will also help you stay somewhat debt-free from the credit card companies in the future.

The plan moving forward…

Without a plan, you will never achieve success. Without a budget in place, you will find yourself back where you started in no time. Once you know how much you have each month to pay down your debt, then you can create a plan that will allow you to pay down each debt systematically, starting with the smallest balance of your highest interest debt. Keep your expectations realistic. Once you have successfully started to pay down your debt, removing any temptation to spend which is the cause of that debt in the first place is required. If it’s a credit card try removing the card from use until the debt is gone. One solution is to freeze the card in a zip lock bag full of water. When you want to use that credit card you will have to defrost it first giving you time to decide if you need what you are buying.

Implement your plan…

You have to start somewhere change will not just happen. Change involves stepping out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. Taking the first step to getting out of debt is usually the hardest. Be prepared for the fact that you’ll feel like giving up more than once. Don’t give up if you falter or get off track in the beginning; just remind yourself of what you’re moving away from and all the great things that lie ahead and then make the choice to get back on course. Always revaluate your plan make changes and refine your plan if necessary. Celebrate every step of your progress towards your end goal of being debt-free and by learning the power of self-discipline where spending is concerned.

WHAT IS FINANCIAL SUCCESS?

We find ourselves in a position to reset some goals that may have slipped during a year of ups and downs. 2021, is a time to think about the things that went right last year and the opportunity to change the things that did not go so well. Some things that happened were out of our control but there are always some habits and activities that can help make a difference towards improvement. In some ways you have a chance to start over and do things differently. Think about how you can hone in on your own mental health, a healthy lifestyle, personal fitness, and your personal finances. While we are not personal trainers or health councillors, we can give you some tips to help you get financially fit. Please enjoy our thoughts below.

What financial success?

In personal finance, there are too many pieces of financial planning like net worth, investment assets, income, life insurance, estate planning, tax planning, income, budgeting, and banking that make it difficult to find an easy answer to financial success.

You can invoke change in your financial success but it requires a change in habits and lifestyle!

Have you heard of the acronym KISS (of course you have but we have modified it a little to suit our needs) see below… 

1. KNOWLEDGE – Seek out professionals that are specific to your needs that can help you with a starting point and help to design an end goal. You need a plan and someone to lead you down that path to the success you seek.
2. INTENT – There must be a need to change from your present plan if that plan is not working.
3. SIMPLIFY – If your plan is too complicated, you will never succeed in reaching your own financial success.
4. SUCCESS –It’s important to understand your plan and its goal. For example, if you want to reduce your debt, you have to come up with a realistic amount you can afford on a monthly basis and a realistic time frame for completion. If you try to do too much, it will not happen. We live in a busy world and the best way to make sure things get done is to plan for success and make that a priority. 

Make some financial changes this year

Here are some practical ideas for improving your finances and tips to help you find financial success.

1. CALCULATE YOUR NET WORTH

In order to asses your future progress of wealth accumulation, you will need to know your net worth. The calculation is this simple, take all the assets you own and subtract the debts you owe. If the answer is a negative one, then the first thing you will need to do is reevaluate your lifestyle.

As simple as this sounds very few people actually take the time to calculate their net worth. We should be aware of our net worth. We live in a society where we have become okay with increased indebtedness, material things and living for now have become more important than that of our own financial future. The lesson here is not that we have to do without and stop living in the moment but we must decide what is important as our future gets closer as every day passes. Your time is now, calculating your net worth will help make the changes necessary to create a positive financial future!

2. PAYING DOWN DEBTS

Now the holiday season is over, many of us may have accumulated a little holiday debt, and especially the high-interest credit card kind of debt. There are three rules for paying down your debt. First, pay off the highest interest debt first like credit cards. Second, continue to pay off the big-ticket items like Cars, Vacations, Lines of Credit, and Third think before you spend – Maybe this should be First! Do you really need what your buying? Debt will crush your net worth.

3. LIFE INSURANCE

One area of personal finance that is often overlooked is the area of life insurance. There are three basic reasons why you need life insurance. The first is to ensure your debts like mortgages, lines of credit, and cars will be paid off if you are gone. This way if something happens to you, your loved ones will not have the burden of debt payments. The another reason for insurance is for income replacement. If you were to unexpectedly die, would your family continue to need your income? If so, put life insurance in place to create future income. This is the area most overlooked for proper insurance coverage. Finally, insurance can be used to cover expenses like funeral costs, education, emergency fund, and taxes. Make sure you have the right amount of insurance coverage in place to protect your loved ones and their future.

4. FORCED SAVINGS PLAN

RRSPs are a great way to save for the future while also decreasing the amount of tax you will pay for your previous year’s income to the government. The unfortunate part of this equation is that 85% of those that file taxes have unused RRSP room. The reason for this is, we as a society are paying way too much to service our own debt. Just imagine if you could some how remove your debt with a solid plan, but continue to pay the same money out monthly that you are presently paying to service that debt into your future instead. would that change your financial landscape in the future? RRSPs are not the only place to save money besides the immediate tax deferred benefits, you can also look at TFSA’s – Tax Free Savings Account can be either a compliment or an alternative to your RRSP savings. Pay yourself first by maximizing your RRSPs/TFSA and your net worth will increase drastically.

5. ESTATE PLANNING

The most basic aspect of an estate plan is the Will the most underrated aspect of financial planning. The Will ensures that your assets will be distributed according to your wishes. Proper Will Planning will help you to minimize taxes and ensure that you maximize the assets that can be distributed to your benefactors. Make sure you have a Will and that your Will gets updated regularly.

It’s also a great idea to review your beneficiary designations on your RRSPs, TFSAs, and Life Insurance policies periodically to make sure they are up to date with your life circumstances. Avoid future Probate payment wherever you can.

6. LIVING BENEFITS

Living benefits insurance refers to insurance that protects against the risk that may occur while you are still living. Disability insurance protects you in case you get disabled and can no longer work. Another living benefit insurance is Critical Illness. Which was designed to help if diagnosed with cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and other major illnesses. Which in today’s society are on the rise and therefore the need for critical illness insurance increases. If you do not have critical illness insurance, be sure to look into some coverage. It may not be cheap but your chances of collecting are better than you dying first.

7. BANKING

High-interest banking. There are two key benefits to high-interest banking. First, you start earning a much higher interest rate than your conventional bank account. Secondly, most high-interest bank accounts have no fees. If you are not earning interest in your bank account and have monthly fees, be sure to learn about alternatives. We lose money willingly and unknowingly – losing money willingly is defined as credit debt, mortgages, lines of credit, we know this when we sign on. Losing money unknowingly is not educating yourself about things that could make you money. A penny earned is a penny saved – our parents loved that expression.

8. EMERGENCY FUND

We all know the importance of having an emergency fund.  If anything 2020 was a wake up call regardless of having savings on hand for that rainy day.  An emergency fund is liquidity, money that is easily accessible when needed.  There is lots of debate over how much you should keep in an emergency fund – truthfully no such amount could have been put away for 2020. But how much will depend on your ability to save for that unforeseen circumstance. Something saved is better than nothing!

9. FINDING BALANCE

It sounds so basic because it is. The formula is so simple – spend less than you make. With financial institutions so readily willing to give out credit cards and lines of credit, it is so easy for all of us to spend more than we earn. The problem is that spending eventually catches up with us to the point where we have too much debt. No matter who you are and how much debt you may or may not have, budgeting is an essential part of life. Take the time to track your expenses for at least three months and you’ll have a pretty good idea of where your money is being spent.

Coming up with a financial goal is one thing but sticking with it and making it happen is another. The results of financial goals depend on the habits and routines you use daily. We are all creatures of habit. In order for your financial goal to work, you need to become diciplined in your daily routine. These saving habits need to become second nature. The reason most financial goals do not work is simply that we fail to follow a plan. In order to follow your new plan, you need to understand the process. 

Where do you start?

Keep It Simple for Success – you need to set goals and stay focused on those goals! There’s something to be said about Keeping It Simple for Success!

1. Change your lifestyle – To be successful, you must make everlasting changes and the only way you can do that is to change your habits. If it takes 21 days to change a habit, then how long does it take to change a lifestyle. In my opinion it’s a want not a need for change to happen, you must want to change in order to create change.
2. Do more – The best ideas in the world are the ones that are put to work. You are better to do something and fail then to do nothing at all. You have to want to do more to create the change that is necessary for your financial future.
3.  Take ownership – It’s much easier to blame other people or circumstances, but if you hold yourself accountable, the future is yours and yours alone! Stop making excuses, stop whining, stop blaming. Focus on the things that help you stay accountable for your own financial future. 
4. Stick with the plan –The key is to have a plan in place. Once you have the plan, then you need to keep on track until it becomes a habit. Whatever that time frame is, the bottom line is changing your habits requires continuous effort, and significant discipline.
5. Find Support – Most things we accomplish in life, we accomplish with the help of others. If you want to get ahead financially, it often helps to have someone with knowledge in that field that supports you. Some say knowledge is power but at the end of the day, it’s up to you if you want less debt, more money, more wealth or whatever your financial goal you desire. Find an advisor that can help you put together the plan that best suits your needs.

Financial Security, What is it?

Financial security refers to the peace of mind you feel when you aren’t worried about your income being enough to cover your expenses. It also means that you have enough money saved to cover emergencies and your future financial goals. When you are financially secure, your stress levels goes down, leaving you free to focus on other issues.

Budgeting for Success

Feeling financially secure requires knowing what your assets and liabilities are, as well as how your income compares to your expenses. If you aren’t tracking these, you might not know you’re struggling, but that’s like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand and hoping for the best. For true financial security, create a budget that addresses both your current needs, like food, clothing and shelter, and your long-term goals, like paying down debt and saving. You should also include insurance to cover the what-ifs in life.

Prioritizing Long-Term Goals

Pay yourself first, when it comes to making your budget. No, that doesn’t mean take the first fruits of your paycheck and go out to eat. Instead, it means make sure you’re setting aside money for long-range goals, like an education fund for your kids, a down payment for a future home or a retirement account for your golden years. If you’re struggling to find enough remaining money to pay down debt, look for discretionary expenses that you can cut.

Building an Emergency Fund

Whether you call it an emergency account, your safe money or a rainy day fund, setting aside several months worth of living expenses is critical for your financial security. That way, when something unexpected like a job loss, refrigerator breaking down, or a child having to go to the hospital pops up, you have the funds to deal with it rather than having to go into debt, especially high interest debt like a payday loan or a balance on your credit card.

Tracking Long-Term Goals

You can’t just set it and forget it when it comes to your budget. Instead, your budget requires maintenance and fine tuning over time to make sure you’re adhering to your goals. For example, if you haven’t been tracking your spending in the past, you might think you’re only spending $100 a month eating out, but could be spending two or three times that amount if you’re not tracking it. If you need help staying on top of your money, contact us at info@henleyfinancial.ca for your free budgeting template. Let us help you achieve your financial goals.

Get started on your Estate Planning

 

By Henley Financial and Wealth Management

As we journey through the various stages of life, we spend considerable time building relationships and accumulating assets. Passing on a legacy to family and friends and avoiding unnecessary taxes and administrative delays takes good planning. Your estate plan is as individual as you are, and taking the time to complete your arrangements now will give you control over how you provide for those closest to you.

We would like to send you a free booklet on Estate Planning including a step by step checklist.  Please contact us at info@henleyfinancial.ca for your copy.

Estate planning

Estate planning is about life – in the present and in the future. Most importantly, estate planning is about the life of your family and loved ones – and the peace of mind you get from helping to preserve their financial security. By its very nature, estate planning is a difficult subject to discuss – even more so to plan for because it forces us to come to terms with our own mortality. Yet it’s something you need to talk about openly with your loved ones today because you can’t do so after you’re gone – or after they’re gone.

Each person will approach estate planning differently, with personal motivations and expectations. No estate plan will be exactly like another. Estate planning should be reflection of your personal priorities and choices.

Estate planning is generally guided by three rational motivations

1. Provide adequately for family members and/or other loved ones
2. Ensure that your estate is distributed in the timeliest manner possible after your death
3. Minimize taxes – during your lifetime and, equally important, for the beneficiaries of your estate

…and three emotional motivations

1. Gain comfort from knowing your loved ones are well looked after
2. Feel secure knowing that settling your affairs will not add more stress to those grieving for you
3. Rest assured that your estate will be distributed the way you wish

Why you need an estate plan and the Benefits of estate planning

• Distributes your assets as you intended; provides funds to cover funeral expenses, as well as immediate and/or long-term family living costs
• Keeps more of your money in the hands of your heirs
• Minimizes income tax and probate fees (no probate fees in Quebec); designates charitable gifts; declares your personal care preferences, including terminal medical treatment and organ donation intentions
• Provides for the tax advantages of income splitting
• Ensures business continuity for business owners
• Identifies the people chosen to carry out your last wishes and care for your children

Taking action now 

Too often, advisors and estate planning professionals hear, “I wish I’d known about this sooner” from distressed family members. Whatever your status – male, female, married, widowed, divorced, single, young, old, middle class or wealthy – everyone can benefit from estate planning. Unfortunately, too few people follow this advice. Planning your estate and communicating your wishes as appropriate can protect your estate and, as importantly, allow your heirs the opportunity to prepare themselves for their changed circumstances. The “do nothing” option is not in the best interests of your family, your business or other relationships. As the world we live in becomes increasingly characterized by legal action and government intervention, estate planning is something everyone should do.

Creating your estate plan – step by step 

Step 1: Consult and retain appropriate professionals. The complexity of your situation will determine the assistance you will require from professionals to create your estate plan. Your team should include an advisor, lawyer and tax planner

Step 2: Draw up a household balance sheet. A household balance sheet is a summary of your financial situation that ultimately determines your overall net worth. Your net worth is the value of your assets (what you own) minus your liabilities (what you owe). If you don’t already have one, work with your advisor to develop your household balance sheet.

Step 3: Understand your life insurance needs. It’s important to work with your advisor or insurance expert to match your long-term financial objectives with your insurance needs.

Step 4: Draw up your Will.

Contact us at Henley Financial and Wealth Management  if you would like us to provide you with a Will Kit.

Step 5: Establish power of attorney for property. At some point in the future you may be unable to make your own financial or personal care decisions. But you can prearrange for someone to make these decisions according to your wishes by having a lawyer draft a separate power of attorney for property and personal care.

Step 6: Establish power of personal care. Medical and lifestyle decisions must often be made quickly when someone is seriously ill; hence, one or more family members are often granted this power of attorney to make decisions for you.

Step 7: Minimize taxes and administration fees. Your estate may encounter certain obligations for income tax and probate taxes on your death, which may reduce the proceeds intended for the beneficiaries of your estate. If any part of your estate must go through probate to validate the Will before transferring ownership of assets, the entire estate value may be subject to probate taxes.

Step 8: Keep track of accounts and important information. One of the most difficult roles for an executor and family members is gathering the information required to settle the estate. Eliminate this concern by centralizing all household information from birth certificates, passports and other legal documents, to bank accounts and insurance policy numbers, to phone company and hydro account details. Once you have documented your important information, store a copy in a safe place and let someone close to you know where it is.

Step 9: Let someone know.  After you have gone through all the steps of developing an estate plan, the final piece of the puzzle is communication. It’s really important to communicate your plans to a family member or close friend whom you can trust, and who is capable of working with your advisor to execute your estate plan. There’s nothing more disturbing than for someone to have to deal with incomplete information or requests. As such, not only is it important to share your plans with someone, but it can also be very helpful to document your plans to help eliminate any potential misunderstandings. As difficult as it may be, making sure that those affected by your plans know what is expected of them and where critical information is kept is essential to the smooth execution of your estate plan.

Step 10: Review and update regularly. Review and, if necessary, update all information at least once a year. By updating your estate plan, you’ll get a snap shot of where you are on an annual basis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is Wealth Management?

Wealth management can be more than just investment advice, as it can encompass all parts of a person’s financial life. The idea is that rather than trying to integrate pieces of advice and various products from different managers the client benefits from a holistic approach in which a single manager coordinates all the services needed to manage their money and plan for their own or their family’s current and future financial needs.

The concept of a wealth manager is based on the theory that he or she can provide services in any aspect of the financial field, while many mangers choose to specialize in particular areas. This would be based on the expertise of the wealth manager in question, or the primary focus of the business within which the wealth manager operates.

A wealth management advisor will coordinate input from outside financial experts such as the client’s own lawyers and, accountants, to create the best strategy to benefit the client. Some wealth managers also provide banking services or advice on philanthropic activities.

So, in short wealth management is an investment advisory service that combines other financial services to address the needs of a person’s financial life. Clients benefit from a holistic approach in which a single manager coordinates all the services needed to manage their money and plan for their own or their family’s current and future needs. This service is usually appropriate for individuals with an array of diverse needs.

Wealth managers may work as part of a small-scale business or as part of a larger firm, one generally associated with the finance industry. Depending on the business, wealth managers may function under different titles, like financial adviser. A client may receive services from a single designated wealth manager or may have access to members of a specified wealth management team.

The wealth manager starts by developing a plan that will maintain and increase a client’s wealth based on that individual’s financial situation, goals and comfort level of risk. After the plan is developed, the manager meets regularly with clients to update goals, review and rebalance the financial portfolio, and investigate whether additional services are needed, with the ultimate goal being to remain in the client’s service throughout their lifetime.

This brings us to financial security planning within Wealth Management

A sound financial security plan should protect you against uncontrollable events such as disabilities or death, while helping you plan for controllable events such as buying a new home and retiring comfortably. To do this, Henley Financial & Wealth Management planning process is based on four areas of financial security planning:

• Financial security at death
• Retirement
• Liquidity
• Disability and critical illness

Financial security at death

 All financial security plans start here because death is inevitable and an uncontrollable event. As part of the financial security planning process, we’ll discuss:

• How much income will your family need if you die?
• How will inflation affect this income?
• How to preserve your estate for your family when you die

Retirement

 When we discuss retirement planning, we consider:

• What kind of lifestyle do you see for yourself in retirement?
• How much money will you need to retire comfortably?
• What impact will inflation have on your income?
• Would you like to have the freedom to slow down or retire early?

Time and planning are two factors that influence whether or not you accomplish your retirement goals. Therefore, you must work towards your retirement goals over time.

Liquidity

Liquidity is your ability to access cash or assets that are easily convertible to cash. Liquidity can be a short-term savings option that can regenerate over time and need your constant hard work.

Disability and critical illness

Mitigating your risk against uncontrollable events such as disability or critical illness is key to your financial security. When building your financial security plan, we’ll consider:

• Will your income be reduced in the event of disability or critical illness?
• If your income is reduced, will it be difficult for you to maintain your lifestyle and retirement savings?
• How much disability or critical illness insurance coverage is enough?
• What impact will inflation have on your income if you’re unable to work for a long time?
• Do you know if your group benefits provide a provision to allow you to continue your retirement savings if you become disabled or suffer a critical condition or illness?

 

 

What types of insurance are available?

Life insurance in the beginning was the benefit which was realized at the death of the policy holder. It was really “death insurance” which in today’s world would be a hard idea to sell. Today, the world of insurance has expanded to different types of insurance where you don’t have to die to win. While also providing benefits to the policy holders who are alive – a living benefit. Living benefit plans are insurance policies that provide financial benefits to survivors who face issues due to aging, illness, accidents and dependency.

Disability insurance

Disability insurance (sometimes referred to as DI) is an insurance policy that pays out a stream of monthly income in case you get disabled and cannot work. The injury or disability does not have to have happened at work but it must severe enough to prevent you from working and earning an income. Many people have both short-term disability and long-term disability coverage through work but you can buy personal disability policies if there is not coverage like in the case of some self-employed individuals.

 Health and dental coverage

Health and dental plans are often covered through group benefits. These plans are designed to help with the unexpected cost of healthcare needs when you need it. There is a growing concern that governments will have significant cut backs in the health care industry and as a result, the financial burden of prescription drugs, visits to the dentist, eye exams, and paramedical services may increase in the future. Individual Health and Dental insurance policies can also be purchased through insurance companies.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is something you can buy when you travel outside of Canada in case you get sick or have an accident while you are away. Travel insurance can cover the cost of your medical emergencies. Travel insurance may or may not include trip cancellation coverage. Most travel agencies will offer travel insurance coverage. However, you can also choose to purchase from a third party. If you’re planning your trip online or on your own, you’ll have to research which insurance companies are best for your needs.

Critical illness insurance

Critical illness insurance is a type of insurance that helps you if you become critically ill. There are many different conditions that might be covered under a critical illness policy but the most common are heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. Typically, critical illness insurance provides a lump sum payment when a specific condition is diagnosed. The money can then be used for any purpose. Some examples include finding alternative medical treatments anywhere in the world, hiring a caregiver, paying debts, covering expenses that are not covered under government health care, paying for private nursing homes, or providing income support.

 Long term care insurance

Long-term care insurance is another coverage that is rapidly growing in popularity. It pays a daily or monthly benefit for medical or custodial care received in a nursing facility, in a hospital, or at home if you are unable to carry out some of the common activities of daily living (ADLs). Some examples include:
· Bathing
· Dressing and undressing
· Eating
· Transferring from bed to chair, and back
· Voluntarily controlling urinary and fecal discharge
· Using the toilet
· Walking (not bedridden)

Few people plan to get injured or ill. Getting insurance of any kind is a form of risk management . . . preparing for unfortunate circumstances in life. Be sure to include a review of living benefits when you review other types of insurance.

 

 

Why should I buy life insurance?

If this is a question you have been asking consider the following:

Life insurance can offer peace of mind, creating a payout that would cover your debts and or your family members financially in the event of you should die.

Would my death create a financial crisis for anyone?

Life insurance is an important consideration for anyone concerned about how their death might financially impact loved ones. Once you have a significant other, you should have life insurance coverage in place. If you have significant financial obligations such as a mortgage, car loan, and credit debt. Your surviving dependant can use life insurance to ensure that the debt is covered.

Parents benefit greatly from having life insurance so that if they die while their children are still dependents, the children are left with funds to live off, pay off debts, and post-secondary education financial needs. Life insurance can be used to ensure that all debt is covered and a post-secondary education can still be obtained without financial burden placed on your children.

The amount of coverage that is needed is determined by using either a Present Needs, or Future Needs process.

What does Present Needs mean?

The present needs process is a way of determining the appropriate amount of life insurance coverage an individual should purchase. This approach is based on the creation of a budget of expenses that will be incurred upon death, including funeral expenses, estate settlement costs, and replacement of a portion of future income to sustain the spouse or dependants.

What does Future Needs mean?

The future needs process contrasts with the present needs as the future needs process calculates the amount of life insurance a family will need. Based on the financial loss the family would incur if the insured person were to pass away today. The future needs usually take into account factors such as the insured individual’s age, gender, planned retirement age, occupation, annual wage, and employment benefits, as well as the personal and financial information of the spouse and any dependent children.

When calculating any expenses, it is best to overestimate all needs a little. For instance, consider any outstanding debts and obligations that should be covered, such as a mortgage or car payments. Also recognize that the need for income replacement may gradually decline as children living at home move away.

What is Term Insurance?

Term insurance is pure insurance protection that pays a predetermined sum if the insured dies during a specified period of time. On the death of the insured person, term insurance pays the face value of the policy to the named beneficiary. All premiums paid are used to cover the cost of insurance protection.

The term may be 10, or 20 years. But unless it’s renewed, the insurance coverage ends when the term of the policy expires. Since this is temporary insurance coverage, it is the least expensive type to acquire.

Here are the main characteristics of term insurance:

• Temporary insurance protection
• Low cost
• No cash value
• Usually renewable
• Sometimes convertible to permanent life insurance

 

Term insurance pays a set amount if the insured passes away during a specific time period, and is considered to be “temporary” insurance, while permanent life insurance guarantees insurance for life, provided the premiums continue to be paid on time.

What is Permanent Life Insurance?

Permanent life insurance provides life time insurance protection (does not expire). Most permanent policies offer a savings or investment component combined with the insurance coverage. This component, in turn, causes premiums to be higher than those of term insurance. This savings portion of the policy allows the policy owner to build cash value within the policy which can be borrowed or distributed at some time in the future.

Here are the main characteristics of permanent life insurance:

• Permanent insurance protection
• More expensive to own
• Builds cash value
• Loans are permitted against the policy
• Favorable tax treatment of policy earnings
• Level premiums

The two most common are whole life and universal life. Whole life insurance provides lifetime protection—for which you pay a predetermined premium. Cash values usually have a minimum guaranteed rate of interest, the death benefit continues to grow allowing the cash value within the policy to grow tax exempt in the future.

Universal life insurance separates the investment and the death benefit portions. The investment choices available usually include some type of equity investments, which may make your cash value accumulate quicker but at the same time you are now more vulnerable against the markets in which you invest (because as the market fluctuate the value of cash fluctuates which is volatile risk). Over time, you can usually change your premiums and death benefits to suit your current budget.

Age, health, and whether or not the person seeking life insurance smokes all factor into the price of a policy.

 

 

 

 

 

Market volatility does not mean the sky is falling

SAM SIVARAJAN, March 31, 2020

I found this article below in the Globe and Mail and it is a common sense piece, which states what we in the financial industry have all been saying from the beginning. This, is an unprecedented time and a time that will be remembered in the history books. What we need to understand is our economy was strong going into the pandemic, which will certainly help coming out of it…Jobs lost will be recovered and yes some small businesses will unfortunately close. That will bring new opportunity for future business owners who will grow from this time in history. These new business owners will carry the torch forward, and the business owners who survive this will definitely have a new business model in place moving forward. Life as we know it will return to some normalcy.  Winston L. Cook

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Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem “If” starts with “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” That is good advice for all of us, but especially investors.

The Covid19 pandemic has mixed health concerns with financial concerns. Unprecedented market drops, continued volatility, stimulus packages, layoffs and the fear of recession or depression is weighing on most people’s minds. The human and health toll is substantial and not one that anyone can, or should, dismiss lightly.

From an investment perspective, redemption activity is picking up pace and will likely continue. Globally, equity funds saw record outflows of $43 billion in the first 2 weeks of March 2020, according to the Financial Times. Flight from equities is typical in these situations. However, investors fleeing investment-grade corporate debt and sovereign bond funds underscores the fear-inducing sell-off in the market. According to market data provided by EPFR Global, mutual funds and ETFs that invest in bonds had $109 billion in outflows for the week ending Wednesday, March 18th. This rush towards cash has exacerbated already volatile markets – and there is no indication that this will change any time soon.

 

When Q1 statements arrive at investor homes in a few weeks, there will be a rush by many to redeem some or all of their investments. Before investors decide to do so, they should keep a few things in mind:

1. The sky is not falling: investment legend Peter Lynch once observed that most investors sit in excess cash or redeem investments because they fear a doomsday scenario. Lynch argued that the end of the world has been predicted for thousands of years and that the sun has still risen every morning. He also argued that in a doomsday scenario, people will be focused on food and shelter. So, whether you hold stocks or cash is not likely to matter. His advice? Act like the sun will rise tomorrow and invest accordingly.
2. People will still buy stuff: when we get to the other side of the Covid19 crisis – and we will – people will still need food, clothing, shelter, services, etc. As Warren Buffett said in 2012, “Our country’s businesses will continue to efficiently deliver goods and services wanted by our citizens.” He also said “In the future, the U.S. population will move more goods, consume more food, and require more living space than it does now. People will forever exchange what they produce for what others produce.” So, businesses will continue to exist, continue to produce, continue to employ, and continue to reward investors.
3. Market corrections are natural: in Europe and North America, prescribed burning has been used for over a hundred years to rid a forest of dead leaves, tree limbs, and other debris. This can help prevent a much more destructive wildfire. It also enables the hardier trees to receive more nutrients, water, and sunlight so that they may thrive. Joseph Schumpeter, the Austrian economist, coined the term “creative destruction” whereby more nimble, innovative practices displace more complacent ones. After the longest bull market in history, there was bound to be a market correction – of course, it is deeper and faster than anyone anticipated. A dispassionate investor would view the current economic turmoil as shaking out some of the less nimble public companies, reducing over-valuations and directing capital and resources to the best-positioned businesses.
4. Don’t try and time the market: even the most successful professional investors don’t believe in their ability to time the market. Peter Lynch said “When stocks are attractive, you buy them. Sure, they can go lower. I’ve bought stocks at $12 that went to $2, but then they later went to $30. You just don’t know when you can find the bottom.”
5. Don’t forget your long-term goals: most stock market investors originally invested with a time horizon of 5, 10 or more years. Most would have known that stock markets can and will correct, and sometimes violently, and so they should have invested only those monies that they did not need in the short-term. When the rebound comes, it will come quickly and those who are out of the market, and miss it, will have to dramatically revise their long-term goals.

Yes, the Covid19 crisis is a new crisis – but Canadians, the Canadian economy and Canadian portfolios have experienced and survived world wars, depressions, and pandemics before. There is little reason to believe that this time will be any different. Investors would do well to keep that in mind.

The uncertainty of self isolation… leads to dealing with uncertainty!

The most unsettling thing about this time in our lives is not the prospect of self-isolation or social distancing. We seem to be fine with doing what we have to do to win this race for humanity. I’m sure people are happy to wash their hands a skill that was honed in youth ingrained by our parents who knew there would be a time in life we would need this basic skill set in life to survive.

What’s unsettling about this whole crisis, is not knowing when this will end or the uncertainty of time. It would seem many are fine with an infinite time line because that’s how it has to be.

Normally we would just to trust in the experts. Although in this case every day you can read an expert’s article that is opposite of what was published yesterday because this is an unknown.

We have absolutely no way of telling which experts are right. Many have provided different information because there are so many theories or timelines regarding this virus. Because of this our testing protocol may be different by region, province and even countries. The reporting remains a mystery as to or even if it has been reported correctly. We can have no opinion on this because this has been decided for us. There are conflicting numbers, results and treatments. There is also a lack of trust in some that are giving the orders. That in itself, for us, is deeply unnerving. We have always had an opinion regarding politics, sports, music, restaurants, and just about everything in life as this is our freedom. How do we know who’s right and who’s wrong, that’s the part that feels not just weird, but unsettling? The freedom to think for ourselves seems to have been put on hold at least for now. This comfort has abruptly been taken away as we struggle to find factual ways to inform ourselves.

That aside only thing I am sure about: Is that many can work from home and they will be fine, this will become the new normal.  The front-line workers who are there to provide for those in need will be exhausted when this is over.  Unfortunately, they will have to carry on providing this essential service to many that are and have been sick but not from Covid-19. There will be no break for them this will not end with a month or two of self-isolation or so we hope.  Deemed essential businesses will continue to forge ahead… But those owners and employees who cannot work because of circumstances beyond their control are the ones we should worry about.  There is no prospect or timeline to return to work. How will they survive this economic downturn and be able to carry on business as usual? It’s easy to say stay home flatten the curve, but even if these businesses made rent or the mortgage payment this month. What happens next month or the month after?  We as a society cannot flood the market after business returns to normal as most will have their own financial issues to sort through. With no timeline in site the future of these businesses looks dim and jobs will be lost creating a secondary strain moving forward. Unfortunately, for every action taken there will be a consequence and that is the unsettling part.

Keep calm, but don’t carry on

The Spanish flu of 1918-20 – which infected a third of the global population, and, if estimates are correct, killed more people than the two world wars combined. It was of course a different disease, and a different time. But there are many lessons to draw from what happened. For example: “Keep calm and carry on” isn’t always good advice. Hence the reason we have stopped life as we know it. Now we understand panic is dangerous and on the other hand, complacency is also dangerous.

The fear for us right now is not knowing when the end is in sight. We realize there will be an end because we are taking the right steps to ensure the outcome trying to save lives and stop this virus in its tracks.  The uncertainty is more of a time line… Will it be 20 more days, 30 days, 60 days or 90 days? Because all of these time lines have different consequences to each and every individual moving forward regardless of his and her circumstances.  What would your economic situation look like if this continued till June? Some have the means to survive till then others do not.

What choices do we have? We have lost that freedom for now, at least some of us have because we abide by the rules. We know that this will end, but will we change moving forward or chase the dream again… Only time will tell.

I guess the one good thing to come out of this is the return of the family unit as the core of our existence. We have returned again to our roots ingrained by our parents – family first! Something we may as a society been too busy for in the past or took for granted.  Let’s hope that we don’t turn our backs on the family unit again. On the other hand, some children have been expelled from homeschooling already so yes, an adjustment period is required. The future is in our hands (literally… wash our hands!) we have a choice it would be unsettling to know that we have come this far to not win!

I guess the ending is simple we must stay the course even though we have no defined time line in sight. As unsettling as this may be to some, we must Stay Calm Relax and this too shall pass.

Writing this just seemed to make things more acceptable because like many I’m sure, I have not trained for a race of this distance. The finish line seems too far to complete but I shall not let the team down and will find a way to finish.

 

How to look through the panic of our markets.

By Winston L. Cook, President Henley Financial and Wealth Management

March 23, 2020

As you know, stock markets around the world have experienced unprecedented volatility, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic, PANIC, and what we may learn in the future “market manipulation”. In these crazy times, we thought it might be helpful to offer some information and insights in an effort to address the implications it has on your investments.

Over the past couple of weeks, the value of most investments has fallen considerably. There are lots of opinions out there on why this is happening but it’s not something anyone could control or predict accurately. When it comes to investing, it’s really important to make sure our decisions are logical more than emotional so rather than trying to figure out what’s driving other people’s decisions, it’s much simpler to focus on asking what makes the best sense for you. From our perspective, there are 3 general courses of action to consider:

It’s not easy to watch your investments drop in value. For some people their instinct will be to run to safety but be careful before you move forward with this course of action for the following reasons:

1. A lot of the damage is done already. If you trust the logic that successful investing is all about “BUY LOW, SELL HIGH” then selling low after a big drop of 20%, 30%, or more doesn’t make logical sense.
2. You could miss out when the market starts to go back up. If you move all of your money into a ‘safer’ place, you will miss the opportunity to recover in a low-interest environment. In the past, we have seen lots of people miss the opportunity with no chance to participate in the recovery.
3. Successful market timing is really difficult. We’ve always said the decision to sell at the top is extremely difficult to time. The decision to buy back in at the bottom is also extremely difficult to time. The ability to time both the sell decision and the buy decision properly is near impossible. You may instinctively want to move to safety for a period of time but the next challenge is to decide when to get back in.

Remember that you only make or lose money at the point where you sell your investments. If the market drop is causing you stress and stopping you from sleeping at night then it might make sense to cut your losses and either shift to something less aggressive or get out of the markets altogether. However, before you make the decision to sell, you might want to consider the next strategy.

Could this be the buying opportunity of a lifetime?

Although this strategy is not for the faint of heart, some will look at the downturn in the markets as an opportunity to buy. We want to be clear that we’re not trying to downplay the significance of the COVID-19 virus or minimize the experience that people are currently dealing with but, when you look back at other major downturns in the stock markets (in 2008 for example) you can see how events like these could create opportunity from an investment perspective.

For those of you who’ve been in one of our information sessions, you’ll have heard us say that times like these are when investments go on sale. If big-screen TVs go on sale 20% to 50% off, people line up for hours to get a chance at getting those deals.

In hindsight, many of us would agree that buying more investments in 2008 after the world financial crisis caused markets to go down 50% would have been a great thing. Similarly, buying more investments back in 2001 after the tech bust would have paid off down the road. While our industry likes to remind us that “past performance is never an indicator of future performance”, years from now, we suspect many of us will look back and see that this recent downturn in 2020 was the best investment opportunity in our present day lifetime.

If you have a group rrsp or pension plan through work, the good news is contributions continue to happen every month. This is known as Dollar Cost Averaging and, over time, it tends to create higher investment returns than if you were to make just one contribution per year. This is because making multiple investment purchases over the year helps you buy more when the markets are low. Right now, with every new contribution you make, you’re essentially getting a far better bang for your buck than you were in February simply because lower investment values mean you can buy more investment units with each contribution.

Here are a few market statistics to think about:

• • • Markets typically rebound within 12 months after big drops.
    • Markets have gone down 20 of the past 80 years. In 18 of those 20 years, the markets rebounded with positive returns in the following calendar year.
    • The average return that followed a negative year was 14.6%, We know it can be tough to invest more (or more aggressively) when the markets are falling so, if you’re not so panicked that you need to sell but still nervous of investing more, there’s one more strategy to consider.

Stay the course…

Most of the financial industry will preach the buy and hold strategy. There are many reasons why but most people will believe that markets will eventually recover. The key word here is ‘eventually’. Often the reason that people are fearful is that we just don’t know how long the recovery will take. While it’s easy to let doom and gloom take over our decision-making process, it’s important to take a logical rather than an emotional approach to decision making.  So, let’s look at some additional realities of the stock market:

• • • Markets go up more often than they go down. Over the past 90 years, markets have gone up 74% of the time and down 26% of the time.
    • Markets have lost more than 20% only 4.5% of the time.
    • Markets rarely experience back to back negative years. It’s only happened twice in the past 75 years the bottom line is that markets go up and down. As much as we hope markets will stay positive all the time, the risk of a correction is always there.

Every correction or bear market is a test of patience.  It’s not easy but a necessary reality of the markets.  From the beginning of time the stock markets have steadily increased and will continue to do so in the future, there will always be a down turn, correction or crisis to recover from along the way. What you must understand is that this unprecedented sell off has been created more by panic and fear than smart economic metrics.

We realize that the position of many is not being able to invest more at this time and that is understandable given the circumstance surrounding our present situation. Having faith in the future of our world, it’s population and our inevitable economic return is what we all want. We will survive this and we will return stronger than ever as a population because it’s human nature to survive and conquer the elements placed before us.

Please be well and stay the course we will get through this together.