Definition of

Dividend

As the term dividend relates to a corporation's earnings, a dividend is an amount paid per share from a corporation's after tax profits. Depending on the type of share, it may or may not have the right to earn any dividends and corporations may reduce or even suspend dividend payments if they are not doing well. Some dividends are paid in the form of additional shares of the corporation. dividends paid by Canadian corporations qualify for the dividend tax credit and are taxed at lower rates than other income.
As the term dividend relates to a life insurance policy, it means that if that policy is "participating", the policy owner is entitled to participate in an equitable distribution of the surplus earnings of the insurance company which issued the policy. Surpluses arise primarily from three sources:
1) the difference between anticipated and actual operating expenses,
2) the difference between anticipated and actual claims experience, and
3) interest earned on investments over and above the rate required to maintain policy reserves. Having regard to the source of the surplus, the "dividend" so paid can be considered, in part at least, as a refund of part of the premium paid by the policy owner.
Life insurance policy owners of participating policies usually have four and sometimes five dividend options from which to choose:
1) take the dividend in cash,
2) apply the dividend to reduce current premiums,
3) leave the dividends on deposit with the insurance company to accumulate at interest like a savings plan,
4) use the dividends to purchase paid-up whole life insurance to mature at the same time as the original policy,
5) use the dividends to purchase one year term insurance equal to the guaranteed cash value at the end of the policy year, with any portion of the dividend not required for this purpose being applied under one of the other dividend options.
NOTE: It is suggested here that if you have a participating whole life policy and at the time of purchase received a "dividend projection" of incredible future savings, ask for a current projection. Life insurance company's surpluses are not what they used to be.

Non-Smoker Discount

In October 1996 it was announced in the international news that scientists had finally located the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. In the early 1980's, some Canadian Life Insurance Companies had already started recognizing that non-smokers had a better life expectancy than smokers so commenced offering premium discounts for life insurance to new applicants who have been non-smokers for at least 12 months before applying for coverage. Today, most life insurance companies offer these discounts.
Savings to non-smokers can be up to 50% of regular premium depending on age and insurance company. Most life insurance companies offering non-smoker rates insist that the person applying for coverage have abstained from any form of tobacco or marijuana for at least twelve months, some companies insist on longer periods, up to 15 years.
Tobacco use is generally considered to be cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, nicorette gum, snuff, marijuana and nicotine patches. In addition to these, if anyone tests positive to cotinine, a by-product of nicotine, they are also considered a smoker. There are some insurance companies which allow moderate or occasional use of cigars, cigarillos or pipes as acceptable for non-smoker status. Experienced brokers are aware of how to locate these insurance companies and save you money.
Special care should be taken by applicants for coverage who qualify for non-smoker rates by virtue of having ceased a smoking habit for the required period before application, but for some reason, fall back into the smoking habit some time after obtaining coverage. While contractually, the insurance company is still bound to a non-smoking rate, the facts of the applicant's smoking hiatus may become vague over the subsequent years of the resumed habit and at time of death claim, the insurance company may decide to contest the original non-smoking declaration. The consequence is not simply a need to back pay the difference between non-smoker and smoker rates but in reality the possibility of denial of death claim. It is therefore, important to advise the servicing broker as well as the insurance company of the change in smoking habits to make certain that sufficient evidence is documented to track the non-smoking period.

Dividend

Unlike dividends which are paid to company shareholders, participating insurance policy dividends are not based on the company's overall profits. Rather, they are determined by grouping policies by type and country of issue and looking at how each class contributes to the company's earnings and surplus.

Dividend Policy

This policy governs Canada Life's actions regarding distribution of dividends to policyholders. It's goal is to achieve a dividend distribution that is equitable and timely, and which gives full recognition of the need to ensure the ongoing solidity of the company. It also specifies that distribution to individual policyholders must be equitable between dividend classes and policyholder generations, and among policyholders within any class.

Non-Medical Limit

This is the maximum value of a policy that an insurance company will issue without the applicant taking a medical examination, although medical questions are invariably asked during the application process. When a non-medical issue is made through group insurance, in most cases, medical data is not requested at all.

Non-participating Policy

A type of insurance policy or annuity in which the owner does not receive dividends.

Nonbearing Wall

A wall supporting no load other than its own weight.

Noncombustible

The material will not burn. The glass fibers in PINK fiber glass insulation have a natural fire resistance, and are considered non-combustible when tested in accordance to ASTM E136.

Mortgage Insurance

Commonly sold in the form of reducing term life insurance by lending institutions, this is life insurance with a death benefit reducing to zero over a specific period of time, usually 20 to 25 years. In most instances, the cost of coverage remains level, while the death benefit continues to decline. Re-stated, the cost of this kind of insurance is actually increasing since less death benefit is paid as the outstanding mortgage balance decreases while the cost remains the same. Lending institutions are the most popular sources for this kind of coverage because it is usually sold during the purchase of a new mortgage. The untrained institution mortgage sales person often gives the impression that this is the only place mortgage insurance can be purchased but it is more efficiently purchased at a lower cost and with more flexibility, directly from traditional life insurance companies. No matter where it is purchased, the reducing term insurance death benefit reduces over a set period of years. Most consumers are up-sizing their residences, not down-sizing, so it is likely that more coverage is required as years pass, rather than less coverage.
The cost of mortgage lender's insurance group coverage is based on a blended non-smoker/smoker rate, not having any advantage to either male or female. Mortgage lender's group insurance certificate specifies that it [the lender] is the sole beneficiary entitled to receive the death benefit. Mortgage lender's group insurance is not portable and is not guaranteed. Generally speaking, your coverage is void if you do not occupy the house for a period of time, rent the home, fall into arrears on the mortgage, and there are a few others which vary by institution. If, for example, you sell your home and buy another, your current mortgage insurance coverage ends and you will have to qualify for new coverage when you purchase your next home. Maybe you won't be able to qualify. Not being guaranteed means that it is possible for the lending institution's group insurance carrier to cancel all policy holder's coverages if they are experiencing too many death benefit claims.
Mortgage insurance purchased from a life insurance company, is priced, based on gender, smoking status, health and lifestyle of the purchaser. Once obtained, it is a unilateral contract in your favour, which cannot be cancelled by the insurance company unless you say so or unless you stop paying for it. It pays upon the death of the life insured to any "named beneficiary" you choose, tax free. If, instead of reducing term life insurance, you have purchased enough level or increasing life insurance coverage based on your projection of future need, you can buy as many new homes in the future as you want and you won't have to worry about coverage you might loose by renewing or increasing your mortgage.
It is worth mentioning mortgage creditor protection insurance since it is many times mistakenly referred to simply as mortgage insurance. If a home buyer has a limited amount of down payment towards a substantial home purchase price, he/she may qualify for a high ratio mortgage on a home purchase if a lump sum fee is paid for mortgage creditor protection insurance. The only Canadian mortgage lenders currently known to offer this option through the distribution system of banks and trust companies, are General Electric Capital [GE Capital] and Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation [CMHC]. The lump sum fee is mandatory when the mortgage is more than 75% of the value of the property being purchased. The lump sum fee is usually added onto the mortgage. It's important to realize that the only beneficiary of this type of coverage is the morgage lender, which is the bank or trust company through which the buyer arranged their mortgage. If the buyer for some reason defaults on this kind of high ratio mortgage and the value of the property has dropped since being purchased, the mortgage creditor protection insurance makes certain that the bank or trust company gets paid. However, this is not the end of the story, because whatever the difference is, between the disposition value of the property and whatever sum of unpaid mortgage money is outstanding to either GE Capital or CMHC will be the subject of collection procedures against the defaulting home buyer. Therefore, one should conclude that this kind of insurance offers protection only to the bank or trust company and absolutely no protection to the home buyer.

Preferred Rates

As non-smoking rates caused a major reduction in the cost of life insurance in the early 1980's, the emergence of preferred non-smoker rates in 1998 has caused another noteworthy reduction in rates. A growing number of insurance companies are offering better rates which go beyond simply looking at gender or smoking habits. Other health related factors such as physical build, lifestyle, avocation and personal and family health history indicating longer life expectancy can add up to significant cost savings to new life insurance applicants. Make certain to ask about these new preferred rates.

Risk class

A group of insureds who present similar risk to the insurance company. Risk classes include - standard, preferred, nonsmoker, substandard, uninsurable.

Accrued Income

income that has been earned but not yet received. For instance, if you have a non-registered guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC), Mutual Fund or Segregated Equity Fund, growth accrues annually or semi-annually and is taxable annually even though the gain is only paid at maturity of your investment.

Application

A signed statement of facts made by a person applying for Life Insurance and then used by the Insurance company to decide whether or not to issue a policy. The application becomes part of the Insurance contract when the policy is issued.

Backdating

A procedure for making the effective date of a policy earlier than the application date. backdating is often used to make the age of the consumer at policy issue lower than it actually was in order to get a lower premium.

Back To Back Annuity

this term refers to the simultaneous issue of a Life annuity with a non-guaranteed period and a guaranteed Life Insurance policy [usually whole Life or term to 100]. The face value of the Life Insurance would be the same amount that was used to purchase the annuity. this combination of Life annuity providing the highest payout of all types of annuities, along with a guaranteed Life Insurance policy allowed an uninsurable person to convert his/her RRSP into the best choice of annuity and guarantee that upon his/her death, the full value of the annuity would be paid tax free through the Life Insurance policy to his family members. however, in the early 1990's, the Federal tax authorities put a stop to the issuing of standard Life rates to rated or uninsurable applicants. Insuring a Life annuity in this manner is still an excellent way to provide guaranteed tax free funds to family members but the application for the annuity and the application for the Life Insurance are separate transactions and Today, Most likely conducted through two different Insurance companies so that there is no suspicion of preferential treatment given to the Life Insurance application.

Cash Surrender Value

this is the amount available to the owner of a Life Insurance policy upon voluntary termination of the policy before it becomes payable by the death of the Life insured. this does not apply to term Insurance but only to those policies which have reduced paid up values and cash surrender values. A cash surrender in lieu of death benefit usually has tax implications.

Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation

better known as CDIC, this is an organization which insures qualifying deposits and GICs at Savings institutions, mainly banks and trust companys, which belong to the CDIC for amounts up to $60,000 and for terms of up to five years. Many types of deposits are not insured, such as mortgage-backed deposits, annuities of duration of more than five years, and mutual funds.

Captive Agent

A licensed Insurance agent who sells Insurance for only one company.

Co-insurance

In medical Insurance, the insured person and the insurer sometimes share the cost of services under a policy in a specified ratio, for example 80% by the insurer and 20% by the insured. By this means, the cost of coverage to the insured is reduced.

Compound Interest

interest earned on an investment at periodic intervals and added to principal and previous interest earned. each time new interest earned is calculated it is on a combined total of principal and previous interest earned. Essentially, interest is paid on top of interest.

Contingent Owner

this is the person designated to become the new owner of a Life Insurance policy if the original owner dies before the Life insured.

Conversion Right

term Life Insurance products are offered as non-convertible or convertible to a certain time in the future. The coversion right has a time limit, usually to the policy holder's age 60 or possibly even age 70. this right means that the policy holder has the right to convert their existing policy to another specific different plan of permanent Insurance within the specified time period, without providing evidence of insurability. There is a slightly higher cost for a term policy with the conversion priviledge but it is a valuable feature should a policy holder's health change for the worst and continued Insurance coverage becomes a necessity.
Most often this right is also granted to individuals covered under employee group benefit policies where individuals leaving the employee group have a limited amount of time, usually anywhere from 30 to 90 days, to convert to a specific permanent individual policy without evidence of insurability.

Creditor Proof Protection

The creditor proof status of such things as Life Insurance, non-registered Life Insurance investments, Life Insurance RRSPs and Life Insurance RRIFs make these attractive products for high net worth individuals, professionals and business owners who may have creditor concerns. under Most circumstances the creditor proof rules of the different provincial Insurance acts take priority over the federal bankruptcy rules.
The provincial Insurance acts protect Life Insurance products which have a family class beneficiary. Family class beneficiaries include the spouse, parent, child or grandchild of the Life insured, except in Quebec, where creditor protection rules apply to spouse, ascendants and descendants of the insured. investments sold by other financial institutions do not offer the same security should the holder go bankrupt. There are also circumstances under which the creditor proof protections do not hold for Life Insurance products. Federal bankruptcy law disallows the protection for any transfers made within one year of bankruptcy. In addition, should it be found that a person shifted money to an Insurance company fund in bad faith for the specific purpose of avoiding creditors, these funds will not be creditor proof.

Dead Peasants Insurance

Also known as "Dead Janitors Insurance", this is the practice, where allowed, in several U.S. states, of numerous well known large American corporations taking out corporate owned Life Insurance policies on millions of their regular employees, often without the knowledge or consent of those employees. corporations profiting from the deaths of their employees [and sometimes ex-employees] have attracted adverse publicity because ultimate death benefits are seldom, even partially passed down to surviving families.

Disability Insurance

Insurance that pays you an ongoing income if you become disabled and are unable to pursue employment or business activities. There are limits to how much you can receive based on your pre-disability earnings. rates will vary based on occupational duties and length of time in a particular industry. this kind of coverage has a waiting period before you can begin collecting benefits, usually 30, 60 or 90 days. The benefit paying period also varies from 2 years to age 65. A short waiting period will cost more that a longer waiting period. As well, a long benefit paying period will cost more than a short benefit paying period.

Endowment

Life Insurance payable to the policyholder, if living on the maturity date stated in the policy, or to a beneficiary if the insured dies before that date. For example, some term to age 100 policies offer the option of taking the face amount of the policy as a cash payout at age 100 if the policyholder is still alive and paying all required income taxes on the amount received or leaving the policy to pay out upon death whereupon the payout is tax free.

Errors and Omissions Insurance

Insurance coverage purchased by the agent/broker which provides protection against loss incurred by a client because of some negligent act, error, oversight, or omission by the agent/broker.

Fiat Money

Fiat Money is paper currency made legal tender by law or fiat. It is not backed by gold or silver and is not necessarily redeemable in coin. this practice has had widespread use for about the last 70 years. If governments produce too much of it, there is a loss of confidence. even so, governments print it routinely when they need it. The value of fiat money is dependent upon the performance of the economy of the country which issued it. Canada's currency falls into this category.

First To Die Coverage

this means that there are two or more Life insured on the same policy but the death benefit is paid out on the first death only. If two or more persons at the same address are purchasing Life Insurance at the same time, it is wise to compare the cost of this kind of coverage with individual policies having a multiple policy discount.

Grace Period

A specific period of time after a premium payment is due during which the policy owner may make a payment, and during which, the protection of the policy continues. The grace period usually ends in 30 days.

Group Life Insurance

this is a very common form of Life Insurance which is found in employee benefit plans and bank mortgage Insurance. In employee benefit plans the form of this Insurance is usually one year renewable term Insurance. The cost of this coverage is based on the average age of everyone in the group. Therefore a group of young people would have inexpensive rates and an older group would have more expensive rates.
some people rely on this kind of Insurance as their primary coverage forgetting that group Life Insurance is a condition of employment with their employer. The coverage is not portable and cannot be taken with you if you change jobs. If you have a change in health, you may not qualify for new coverage at your new place of employment.
Bank mortgage Insurance is also usually group Insurance and you can tell this by virtue of the fact that you only receive a certificate of Insurance, and not a complete policy. The only form in which bank mortgage Insurance is sold is reducing term Insurance, matching the declining mortgage balance. The only beneficiary that can be chosen for this kind of Insurance is the bank. In both cases, employee benefit plan group Insurance and bank mortgage Insurance, the coverage is not guaranteed. this means that coverage can be cancelled by the Insurance company underwriting that particular plan, if they are experiencing excessive claims.

Incontestable Clause

this clause in regular Life Insurance policy provides for voiding the contract of Insurance for up to two years from the date of issue of the coverage if the Life insured has failed to disclose important information or if there has been a misrepresentation of a material fact which would have prevented the coverage from being issued in the first place. after the end of two years from issue, a misrepresentation of smoking habits or age can still void or change the policy.

Income Splitting

this is a tax planning strategy of arranging for income to be transferred to family members who are in lower tax brackets than the one earning the income, thus reducing taxes. even though attribution rules limit income splitting, there are still a number of legitimate ways to do so, such as through the use of spousal RRSPs.

Independent Broker

this is a provincial government licensed independent businessperson who usually represents five or more Life Insurance companies in a sales and service capacity and who is paid a commission by those Life Insurance companies for sales and service of Life Insurance products. We for example, have been in business for 12 years and regularly place new business with over twenty different Life Insurance companies.

Insurable Interest

In England in the 1700's it was popular to bet on the date of death of certain prominent public figures. anyone could buy Life Insurance on another's Life, even without their consent. Unfortunately, some died before it was their time, dispatched prematurely in order that the Life Insurance proceeds could be collected. In 1774, English Parliament passed a law which restricted the right to be a beneficiary on a Life Insurance contract to those who would suffer an economic loss when the Life insured died. The law also provided that a person has an unlimited insurable interest in his own Life. It is still a legal stipulation that an Insurance contract is not valid unless insurable interest exists at the time the policy is issued. Life Insurance companies will not, however, issue unlimited amounts of coverage to an individual. The amount of Life Insurance which will be approved has to approximate the loss caused by the death of the individual and must not result in a windfall for the beneficiary.

Insured Mortgage

An insured mortgage protects only the mortgage lender in case you do not make your mortgage payments. this coverage is provided by CMHC [Canada Mortgage and Housing corporation] and is required if a person has a high-ratio mortgage. [A mortgage is high-ratio if the amount borrowed is more than 75% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less.]

Insured Retirement Plan

this is a recently coined phrase describing the concept of using Universal Life Insurance to tax shelter earnings which can be used to generate tax-free income in retirement. The concept has been described by some as "the Most effective tax-neutralization strategy that exists in Canada Today."
In addition to Life Insurance, a Universal Life policy includes a tax-sheltered cash value fund that cannot exceed the policy's face value. deposits made into the policy are partially used to fund the Life Insurance and partially grow tax sheltered inside the policy. It should be pointed out that in order for this to work, you must make deposits into this kind of policy well in excess of the cost of the underlying Insurance. Investment of the cash value inside the policy are commonly mutual fund type investments. upon retirement, the policy owner can draw on the accumulated capital in his/her policy by using the policy as collateral for a series of demand loans at the bank. The loans are structured so the sum of money borrowed plus interest never exceeds 75% of the accumulated investment account. The loans are only repaid with the tax free death benefit at the death of the policy holder. any remaining funds are paid out tax free to named beneficiaries.
recognizing the value to policy holders of this use of Universal Life Insurance, Insurance companies are reworking features of their products to allow the policy holder to ask to have the relationship of Insurance to investment growth tracked so that investment growth inside the policy may be maximized. The only potential downside of this strategy is the possibility of the government changing the tax rules to prohibit using a Life Insurance product in this manner.

Last To Die Coverage

this means that there are two or more Life insured on the same policy but the death benefit is paid out on the last person to die. The cost of this type of coverage is much less than a first to die policy and it is generally used to protect estate value for children where there might be substantial capital gains taxes due upon the death of the last parent. this kind of policy is also valuable when one of two people covered has health problems which would prohibit obtaining individual coverage.

Level Premium Life Insurance

this is a type of Insurance for which the cost is distributed evenly over the premium payment period. The premium remains the same from year to year and is more than actual cost of protection in the earlier years of the policy and less than the actual cost of protection in the later years. The excess paid in the early years builds up a reserve to cover the higher cost in the later years.

Life Expectancy

The average number of years of Life remaining for a group of people of a given age and gender according to a particular mortality table.

Life Income Fund

Commonly known as a LIF, this is one of the options available to locked in Registered Pension plan (RPP) holders for income payout as opposed to Registered Retirement Savings plan (RRSP) holders choice of payout through Registered Retirement income Funds (RRIF). A LIF must be converted to a unisex annuity by the time the holder reaches age 80.

Money Laundering

this is the process by which "dirty money" generated by criminal activities is converted through legitimate businesses into assets that cannot be easily traced back to their illegal origins.

Medical Information Bureau

this organization was established in 1902. The Medical Information Bureau (M.I.B.) is a non-profit association of Life Insurance companies. Its purpose is to detect and deter fraud by providing warnings called, alerts, to member companies. For example, if an Insurance applicant advised one Insurance company of a heart attack and then applied to another Insurance company omitting this history, codes, reported by the first Insurance company, indicating a heart attack would alert the second Insurance company to the undisclosed history. It is a rarity, however, that the alert is the only notice of a specific medical impairement as Most applicants completely disclose their history.

Mortgage Insurance

Commonly sold in the form of reducing term Life Insurance by lending institutions, this is Life Insurance with a death benefit reducing to zero over a specific period of time, usually 20 to 25 years. In Most instances, the cost of coverage remains level, While the death benefit continues to decline. Re-stated, the cost of this kind of Insurance is actually increasing since less death benefit is paid as the outstanding mortgage balance decreases While the cost remains the same. Lending institutions are the Most popular sources for this kind of coverage because it is usually sold during the purchase of a new mortgage. The untrained institution mortgage sales person often gives the impression that this is the only place mortgage Insurance can be purchased but it is more efficiently purchased at a lower cost and with more flexibility, directly from traditional Life Insurance companies. No matter where it is purchased, the reducing term Insurance death benefit reduces over a set period of years. Most consumers are up-sizing their residences, not down-sizing, so it is likely that more coverage is required as years pass, Rather than less coverage.
The cost of mortgage lender's Insurance group coverage is based on a blended non-smoker/smoker rate, not having any advantage to either male or female. Mortgage lender's group Insurance certificate specifies that it [the lender] is the sole beneficiary entitled to receive the death benefit. Mortgage lender's group Insurance is not portable and is not guaranteed. generally speaking, your coverage is void if you do not occupy the house for a period of time, rent the home, fall into arrears on the mortgage, and there are a few others which vary by institution. If, for example, you sell your home and buy another, your current mortgage Insurance coverage ends and you will have to qualify for new coverage when you purchase your next home. Maybe you won't be able to qualify. Not being guaranteed means that it is possible for the lending institution's group Insurance carrier to cancel all policy holder's coverages if they are experiencing too many death benefit claims.
Mortgage Insurance purchased from a Life Insurance company, is priced, based on gender, smoking status, health and Lifestyle of the purchaser. Once obtained, it is a unilateral contract in your favour, which cannot be cancelled by the Insurance company unless you say so or unless you stop paying for it. It pays upon the death of the Life insured to any "named beneficiary" you choose, tax free. If, instead of reducing term Life Insurance, you have purchased enough level or increasing Life Insurance coverage based on your projection of future need, you can buy as many new homes in the future as you want and you won't have to worry about coverage you might loose by renewing or increasing your mortgage.
It is worth mentioning mortgage creditor protection Insurance since it is many times mistakenly referred to simply as mortgage Insurance. If a home buyer has a limited amount of down payment towards a substantial home purchase price, he/she may qualify for a high ratio mortgage on a home purchase if a lump sum fee is paid for mortgage creditor protection Insurance. The only Canadian mortgage lenders currently known to offer this option through the distribution system of banks and trust companies, are General Electric Capital [GE Capital] and Central Mortgage and Housing corporation [CMHC]. The lump sum fee is mandatory when the mortgage is more than 75% of the value of the property being purchased. The lump sum fee is usually added onto the mortgage. It's important to realize that the only beneficiary of this type of coverage is the morgage lender, which is the bank or trust company through which the buyer arranged their mortgage. If the buyer for some reason defaults on this kind of high ratio mortgage and the value of the property has dropped since being purchased, the mortgage creditor protection Insurance makes certain that the bank or trust company gets paid. however, this is not the end of the story, because whatever the difference is, between the disposition value of the property and whatever sum of unpaid mortgage money is outstanding to either GE Capital or CMHC will be the subject of collection procedures against the defaulting home buyer. Therefore, one should conclude that this kind of Insurance offers protection only to the bank or trust company and absolutely no protection to the home buyer.

Non-Medical Limit

this is the maximum value of a policy that an Insurance company will issue without the applicant taking a medical examination, although medical questions are invariably asked during the application process. When a non-medical issue is made through group Insurance, in Most cases, medical data is not requested at all.

Owner

this is the person who owns the Insurance policy. It is usually the same person as the insured but it could be someone else who has the permission of the insured to be the owner, like a spouse, a common-law-spouse, an offspring, a parent, a corporation with insurable interest or a business partner with insurable interest. In order for someone else to be an owner of your policy, they have to have a legitimate insurable interest in you.

Preferred Rates

As non-smoking rates caused a major reduction in the cost of Life Insurance in the early 1980's, the emergence of preferred non-smoker rates in 1998 has caused another NOTEworthy reduction in rates. A growing number of Insurance companies are offering better rates which go beyond simply looking at gender or smoking habits. other health related factors such as physical build, Lifestyle, avocation and personal and family health history indicating longer Life expectancy can add up to significant cost Savings to new Life Insurance applicants. make certain to ask about these new preferred rates.

Premium

this is your payment for the cost of Insurance. you may pay annually, semi-annually, quarterly or monthly. The least expensive method is annually. Using any of the other payment modes will cost you more money. For example, paying monthly will cost about 17% more. If you pay annually and terminate your coverage part way through the year, you may not receive a refund for the remaining months to the annual renewal date.
The cost of Life Insurance varies by age, sex, health, Lifestyle, avocation and occupation. generally speaking, the following is true at the time of applying for coverage; the older you are, the more will be the cost; of a male and female of the same age, the female will be considered 4 years younger; health problems will increase the cost of Insurance and may result in rejection altogether; dangerous hobbies such as SCUBA diving, private flying, bungi jumping, parachuting, etc. may increase the cost of Insurance and may result in rejection altogether; abuse of alcohol or drugs or a poor driving record will make getting coverage difficult.

Policy Fee

this is an administrative fee which is part of Most Life Insurance policies. It ranges from about $40 to as much as $100 per year per policy. It is not a separate fee. It is incorporated in the regular monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual payment that you make for your policy. Knowing about this hidden fee is important because some Insurance companies offer a policy fee discount on additional policies purchased under certain conditions. sometimes they reduce the policy fee or waive it altogether on one or more additional policies purchased at the same time and billed to the same address. The rules are slightly different Depending on the Insurance company. There could be enormous Savings if several people in the same family or business were intending to purchase coverage at the same time.

Policyholder

this is the person who owns a Life Insurance policy. this is usually the insured person, but it may also be a relative of the insured, a partnership or a corporation. There are instances in marriage breakup (or relationship breakup with dependent children) where appropriate Life Insurance on the support provider, owned and paid for by the ex-spouse receiving the support is an acceptable method of ensuring future security.

Registered Pension Plan

Commonly referred to as an RPP this is a tax sheltered employee group plan approved by Federal and Provincial governments allowing employees to have deductions made directly from their wages by their employer with a resulting reduction of income taxes at source. these plans are easy to implement but difficult to dissolve should the group have a change of heart. Employer contributions are usually a percentage of the employee's salary, typically from 3% to 5%, with a maximum of the lessor of 20% or $3,500 per annum. The employee has the same right of contribution. Vesting is generally set at 2 years, which means that the employee has right of ownership of both his/her and his/her employers contributions to the plan after 2 years. It also means that all contributions are locked in after 2 years and cannot be cashed in for use by the employee in a low income year. should the employee change jobs, these funds can only be transferred to the RPP of a new employer or the funds can be transferred to an individual RRSP (or any number of RRSPs) but in either scenario, the funds are locked in and cannot be accessed until at least age 60. The only choices available to access locked in RPP funds after age 60 are the conversion to a Life income Fund or a Unisex Annuity.
To further define an RPP, Registered Pension plans take two forms; Defined Benefit or Defined Contribution (also known as money purchase plans). The Defined Benefit plan establishes the amount of money in advance that is to be paid out at retirement based usually on number of years of employee service and various formulae involving percentages of average employee earnings. The Defined Benefit plan is subject to constant government scrutiny to make certain that sufficient contributions are being made to provide for the predetermined pension payout. On the other hand, the Defined Contribution plan is considerably easier to manage. The employer simply determines the percentage to be contributed within the prescribed limits. whatever amount has grown in the employee's reserve by retirement determines how much the pension payout will be by virtue of the amount of LIF or Annuity payout it will purchase.
The Most simple group RRSP plan is a group billed RRSP. this means that each employee has his own RRSP plan and the employer deducts the contributions directly from the employee's wages and sends them directly to the RRSP plan administrator. regular RRSP rules apply in that maximum contribution in the current year is the lessor of 18% or $13,500. generally, to encourage this kind of plan, the employer also agrees to make a regular contribution to the employee's plans, knowing full well that any contributions made immediately belong to the employee. should the employee change jobs, he/she can take their plan with them and continue making contributions or cash it in and pay tax in the year in which the money is taken into income.

Registered Retirement Savings Plan (Canada)

Commonly referred to as an RRSP, this is a tax sheltered and tax deferred Savings plan recognized by the Federal and Provincial tax authorities, whereby deposits are fully tax deductable in the year of deposit and fully taxable in the year of receipt. The ability to defer taxes on RRSP earnings allows one to save much faster than is ordinarily possible. The new rules which apply to RRSP's are that the holder of such a plan must convert it into income by the end of the year in which the holder turns age 69. The choices for conversion are to simply cash it in an pay full tax in the year of receipt, convert it to a RRIF and take a varying stream of income, paying tax on the amount received annually until the income is exhausted, or converting it into an annuity with guaranteed payments for a chosen number of years, again paying tax each year on moneys received.
If you are currently 69 years of age, you may still contribute to your own RRSP until December 31st of this year and realize a tax deduction on this year's income. you must also, however, make provisions before December 31st of the year for converting your RRSP into either a RRIF or an annuity, otherwise, the full balance of your RRSP becomes taxable on January 1 of the following year. If you are older than age 69, still have earned income, and have a younger spouse, you may continue to contribute to a spousal RRSP until that spouse reaches 69 years of age. Contributions would be based on your own contribution level and are deducted from your taxable income.

Registered Retirement Income Fund (Canada)

Commonly referred to as a RRIF, this is one of the options available to RRSP holders to convert their tax sheltered Savings into taxable income.

Spousal Registered Retirement Savings Plan

this is an RRSP owned by the spouse of the person contributing to it. The contributor can direct up to 100% of eligible RRSP deposits into a spousal RRSP each and every year. Contributing to a spouses RRSP reduces the amount one can contribute to one's own RRSP, however, if the spouse is a lower income earner, it is an excellent way in which to split income for lower taxation in retirement years.

Split Dollar Life Insurance

The split dollar concept is usually associated with cash value Life Insurance where there is a death benefit and an accumulation of cash value. The basic premise is the sharing of the costs and benefits of a Life Insurance policy by two or more parties. usually one party owns and pays for the Insurance protection and the other owns and pays for the cash accumulation. There is no single way to structure a split dollar arrangement. The possible structures are limited only by the imagination of the parties involved.

Suicide Clause

generally, a suicide clause in a regular Life Insurance policy provides for voiding the contract of Insurance if the Life insured commits suicide within two years of the date of issue of the coverage.

Temporary Life Insurance

Temporary Insurance coverage is available at time of application for a Life Insurance policy if certain conditions are met. Normally, temporary coverage relates to free coverage While the Insurance company which is underwriting the risk, goes through the process of deciding whether or not they will grant a contract of coverage. The qualifications for temporary coverage vary from Insurance company to Insurance company but generally applicants will qualify if they are between the ages of 18 and 65, have no knowledge or suspicions of ill health, have not been absent from work for more than 7 days within the prior 6 months because of sickness or injury and total coverage applied for from all sources does not exceed $500,000. Normally a cheque covering a minimum of one months premium is required to complete the conditions for this kind of coverage. The Insurance company applies this deposit towards the cost of a policy at its issue date, which may be several weeks in the future.

Term Life Insurance

A plan of Insurance which covers the insured for only a certain period of time and not necessarily for his or her entire Life. The policy pays a death benefit only if the insured dies during the term.

Underwriter

this could be the person (broker or agent) who helps you choose the proper type of Life Insurance or disability Insurance and the Insurance company for your particular needs. this could also be the person at the Insurance company's head office who reviews your application for coverage to determine whether or not the Insurance company will issue a policy to you.

Vanishing Premium

this term relates to participating whole Life Insurance and the use of the dividend to reduce or completely eliminate the need for future premiums. In the 1980's Life Insurance company's profits from investment were exceedingly high compared to historical experience. It became common for a salesperson to show new prospective clients how quickly his or her Insurance company's dividends would cover the future cost of future premiums. In some cases more emphasis was put on the value of future dividends than on the fact that future dividends were not guaranteed and could only be projected based on current earnings. Many Life Insurance buyers have since learned that the dividends they expected in the 80's no longer exist in the 90's and they are continuing to dig into their pockets to pay Insurance premiums.

Waiver of Premium

this is an option available to the applicant for Life Insurance which sets certain conditions under which an Insurance policy will be kept in full force by the Insurance company without the payment of premiums. Very specifically, a Life insured would have to become totally disabled through injury or illness for a period of six months before the benefit kicks in. When it does, the Insurance company retroactively pays premiums from the beginning of the disability until the time the insured is able to perform some form of regular activity. 'Totally disabled' is highlited here, because that is what is required to receive this benefit.

Yearly Renewable Term Insurance

sometimes, simply called YRT, this is a form of term Life Insurance that may be renewed annually without evidence of insurability to a stated age.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment

Coverage that provides a lump-sum payment to you or your survivors if an accident results in the loss of a limb, paralysis or your death.

Accidental Death Benefit (ADB)

Coverage against accidental death usually payable in addition to base amount of coverage.

Accidental Dismemberment: (Credit Insurance)

Provides additional financial security should an insured person be dismembered or lose the use of a limb as the result of an accident.

Account Value

The sum of all the interest options in your policy, including interest.

Accumulated Value

An amount of money invested plus the interest earned on that money.

Agency

A grouping of sales producers according to region. Compare with Branch.

Agent

one who represents Canada Life when providing services to clients

Amortization (Credit Insurance)

Refers to the reduction of debt by regular payments of interest and principal in order to pay off a loan by maturity.

Annual Premium

yearly amount payable by a client for a policy or component.

Annuity Period

The time between each payment under an annuity.

Applicant

The party applying for an Insurance policy.

Automatic Benefits Payment

Automatic payment of moneys derived from a benefit.

Automatic Waiver of Premium

A benefit that automatically forfeits premium payments.

Beneficiary (Credit Insurance)

The person or party designated to receive proceeds entitled by a benefit. payment of a benefit is triggered by an event. In the case of credit Insurance, the beneficiary will always be the creditor.

Benefit Value

The amount of cash payable on a benefit.

Borrower (Credit Insurance)

A consumer who borrows money from a lender.

Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

A plan that provides retirement and long term disability income benefits to residents of Canadian provinces (excluding Quebec).

Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA)

An association of Most of the Life and health Insurance companies in Canada that conducts research and compiles information about the Life and health Insurance industry in Canada.

Cash Surrender Value

Benefit that entitles a policy owner to an amount of money upon cancellation of a policy.

Child Insurance Rider (CIR)

Insurance or insurability provided on current or future children of insured.

Claim

Request for payment of benefits under the terms of an Insurance policy.

Claimant

person or party making request for payment of benefits under the terms of an Insurance policy.

Commercial Business Loan (Credit Insurance)

An agreement between a creditor and a borrower, where the creditor has loaned an amount to the borrower for business purposes.

Cost of Insurance

The cost of insuring a particular individual under the policy. It is based on the amount of coverage, as well as the underwriting class, age, sex and Tobacco consumption of that individual.

Creditor (Credit Insurance)

A lender or lending institution that offers financing and loans to a borrower, for the purpose of acquiring a commodity.

Critical Illness Insurance

Coverage that provides a lump-sum payment should you be diagnosed with a critical illness and survive a pre-determined period of time. There are no restrictions on how you use your benefit.

Critical Illness Insurance (Credit Insurance)

Coverage that provides a lump-sum payment should you become seriously ill with a specified illness. The payment is made to your creditors to pay off your debt owing.

Daily Interest Accumulation

Account in which interest is accrued daily and credited to the account at the end of a specified time.

Death Benefit

amount paid on death of an insured.

Debt (Credit Insurance)

Money, goods or services that someone is obligated to pay someone else in accordance with an expressed or implied agreement. Debt may or may not be secured.

Disability Insurance (Credit Insurance)

Group Insurance designed to cover monthly obligations due to a borrower being unable to work due to sickness or injury.

Dividend Policy

this policy governs Canada Life's actions regarding distribution of dividends to policyholders. It's goal is to achieve a dividend distribution that is equitable and timely, and which gives full recognition of the need to ensure the ongoing solidity of the company. It also specifies that distribution to individual policyholders must be equitable between dividend classes and policyholder generations, and among policyholders within any class.

Equity-based insurance

Life Insurance or annuity product in which the cash value and benefit level fluctuate according to the performance of an equity portfolio.

Estate Planning

An Insurance program designed to provide funds for insured's dependents upon death of the insured, and to also conserve, as much as possible, the personal assets that the insured wants to bequeath to heirs.

Evidence of Insurability

evidence submitted to Canada Life that is used to determine whether an individual is eligible for the Insurance coverage the individual has applied for.

Guaranteed Interest Annuity (GIA)

interest bearing investment with fixed rate and term.

Guaranteed Interest Certificate (GIC)

interest bearing investment with fixed rate and term.

Guaranteed Renewal

A promise that a Life Insurance policy will be renewed without penalty or medical examination after the term has expired. The renewal rate can also be guaranteed.

Individual Insurance

Insurance that is offered to individuals Rather than groups.

Insurance Act

In Canada, a general statute that contains Most of the Insurance law of a common law province, and regulates the conduct of insurers and Insurance agents within the province.

Insurance Policy (Credit Insurance)

A policy under which the Insurance company promises to pay a benefit of the person who is insured.

Interest Option

one of several investment accounts in which your premiums may be invested within your Life Insurance policy.

Interest Rate

rate charged or paid for the use of money, normally expressed as a percentage

Issue

When an item is approved and released for sale, or when a policy or sales contract is accepted.

Issue Age

age of an insured as at the policy issue date, using "age nearest" next birthday formula.

Issue Date

Date on which a policy is approved.

Related to : home, mortgage, insurance, homebuyer, real estate, property, buy home, home insurance, financing, home financing, home buyer, first time homebuyer, homes, homebuying, credit, condo.