Disability Insurance for Seniors in Victoria, BC

If you have had a long term disability insurance plan either through your work or you purchased a personal policy you’ll know that it probably expires at age 65. No problem, you’re retired now and don’t need it anyway. Your pension and or savings resources are calculated perfectly to allow you just the right amount of income to last out your golden years.

However what would happen if your plans are all of a sudden disrupted by serious illness and you could no longer take care of yourself. A health problem can happen any time and it could seriously change your retirement plans. In fact, according to a Sunlife Canada Health Index just over three in four Canadians say their personal finances would be impacted if they were to develop a chronic health condition and a 2013 report on the health of Canadians, Heart and Stroke Foundation says that the average Canadian will live a decade in sickness, disability and immobility in life.

A Munich Re report in 2011 says the average 65 year old couple has an 82% chance that at least one of them will need long term care in their retirement. I realize this is a lot of statistics to grasp however if you are concerned about the financial challenges that would come about if this were to happen to you it’s time to look at a disability policy for seniors called Long Term Care Insurance.
Like disability insurance the amount you pay for long term care insurance depends on a number of factors.

How much you want – Depending on the plan some pay out a monthly benefit, some pay per day, some pay a lump sum spread out over a period of time.

How long you wait – You can start your payments immediately in some cases or have a 30, 90, or 180 days. Of course the shorter the waiting the more expensive it is.

How long does it last – Some as I indicated pay a lump sum but in most cases your benefit per day or month has a benefit period you choose.

There are other factors as well, depending on whether you want home care or facility care, and some companies will pay the benefit to you regardless. As long as you qualify according to the definition in the contract as being ‘disabled’ you receive the benefits.

The one thing to keep in mind is the reason for having the long term care insurance in the first place is to allow you choices. There are many government facilities, but many have a long waiting list and still ‘cost’ depending on your personal worth. However, is this you want? When you know of someone that has been placed in a public institution more than 250 kilometres away from home, the motivation for this insurance is much greater.

Make a list of the ten most important activities in your life. Imagine that you are 65 years old. Cross off three. Imagine that you are 75 years old. Cross off three more. Imagine that you are 85 years old. Cross off another three. Now imagine your reaction. 

SPEAK WITH YOUR ADVISOR

For a thorough evaluation of your insurance needs, please speak with our advisor.

Term Life Insurance or Term Insurance

Term Insurance is a Life Insurance which provides coverage at a fixed rate of payments for a limited period of time, the relevant time.  Once the relevant time expires, coverage at the previous rate of premiums is no longer guaranteed and the client must either go without coverage or potentially obtain further coverage by different payment or conditions.  If the life insured dies during the term then the benefit will be paid to the beneficiary. 

Term Insurance is not generally used for estate planning needs or for charitable giving strategies, but it is used for pure income replacement needs for an individual. Because term life insurance is a pure death benefit, its primary use is to provide coverage of financial responsibilities for the insured or his or her beneficiaries. Such responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, consumer debt, dependent care, and university education for dependents, funeral costs, and mortgages. Term Insurance are categorized in two areas standard (also known as regular) and preferred which includes following factors.

• Age
• Gender
• Blood Pressure
• Build (height and weight)
•  Driving Habbits
• Medical/ Family History 

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The Need for Disability Insurance

When we think of our most valuable asset, I suppose our house comes to mind first, and then our vehicles. We would not go to sleep at night knowing our fire insurance was not paid for or drive on the road before insuring our brand new car.
But our most valuable asset is the very thing that pays for everything else – our ability to work. Yet too many people ignore the most important insurance we should own – long term disability insurance.

Consider that one in three people will be disabled for 90 days or longer at least once before age 65 and the average length of a disability that lasts over 90 days is 2.9 years.

Could you afford to take a holiday for three years without a pay check?
If you are one of the lucky ones that has disability insurance through your group plan at work you might be alright, but if not, or you are self-employed, it is time to think about insuring your most valued asset. And P.S., don’t rely on your ‘work safe’ insurance policy as your long term disability insurance plan; remember it only pays for accidents at work, leaving you uninsured for sickness and accident off the job. It’s like having fire insurance on your home that only pays if it burns down on a Sunday.

When considering long term disability insurance for yourself, there are several things to keep in mind and the price you pay will be dependent on several things. I will go through some of the most important aspects on purchasing disability insurance to help you familiarize yourself with the details.

First is-- how much do I need?
Consider all of your monthly expenses: mortgage, food, rent, utilities, loans, auto expenses, other insurance premiums, clothing, etc. You are allowed approximately 66% or your taxable income as a maximum benefit, but anything under that is your choice.

Second is-- how long does it pay?
You can purchase a plan that has a benefit period of two years, 5 years, 10 years, or to age 65. So the choice as to how long the money lasts is up to you.

Third is-- how long do I wait?
This means if you get sick tomorrow, how long do you wait before you receive your first cheque – 30 days, 60 days, 90 days or longer?

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