Insurance Specialist at Assured Planning Inc.

Insurance Specialist at Assured Planning Inc. Income Protection Consultant providing Life Insurance, Critical Illness and Disability Insurance for both an individual and for corporations since 2007.

I specialize in Key man and Buy and Sell Agreements. ~Protecting tomorrow~

❄️ Winter hikes have a funny way of reminding us about preparation.Before heading out, we check the weather, layer up, p...
12/18/2025

❄️ Winter hikes have a funny way of reminding us about preparation.

Before heading out, we check the weather, layer up, pack essentials, and plan our route. Not because we expect something to go wrong—but because being prepared lets us enjoy the journey with confidence.

Life insurance works the same way.

I recently shared an article that walks through five common misconceptions about life insurance, and they’re ones I see often:
• “My group insurance is enough”
• “I already have plenty of coverage”
• “Term insurance is always the cheapest option”
• “I have a policy, so I’m done”
• “I still have lots of time to buy”

Just like a winter hike, relying on assumptions—or waiting too long—can leave you exposed when conditions change. Jobs change. Families grow. Needs evolve. And what once felt “enough” may no longer protect the people who matter most.

Taking the time to review your coverage now can bring the same peace of mind as knowing you’re well-prepared before stepping onto the trail.

If you’re curious whether your current plan still fits your life today, this article is a great place to start—and I’m always happy to help guide the conversation.

🥾❄️ Preparation isn’t about fear. It’s about freedom to move forward with confidence.

Curious about protecting your income, health, and legacy? Let’s talk. Join us for an interactive Q&A session focusing on...
04/09/2025

Curious about protecting your income, health, and legacy? Let’s talk. Join us for an interactive Q&A session focusing on key financial topics critical to your future:

🔹 Critical Illness Insurance (CI) – Understand the financial implications of major illnesses.
🔹 Disability Insurance (DI) – Safeguard your income in unexpected situations.
🔹 Life Insurance – Discover its role in your comprehensive financial plan.
🔹 Wills & Estate Planning – Ensure your loved ones are protected from financial complexities.
🔹 Financial Independence & Credit Health – Secure your future starting today.

Join us on April 10, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Trinity Baptist Church, Sherwood Park, AB. Whether you’re starting out, raising a family, managing a business, or preparing for retirement, gain clarity and practical strategies for informed decision-making.

Bring your questions; we’re here to provide straightforward answers and valuable insights. No sales pitch, just expert guidance. Interested in joining? Let me know for more details!

Protecting Your EstateThroughout your lifetime, your success has allowed you to accumulate assets beyond those that you ...
08/28/2024

Protecting Your Estate

Throughout your lifetime, your success has allowed you to accumulate assets beyond those that you will need to provide for an enjoyable retirement. The ownership of some of these assets will result in a tax liability upon your
death (or the death of your spouse). These assets can be divided into three groups:

First, assets of a capital nature. The current Canadian tax law provides for the deemed disposition of your capital assets on your death at fair market value, and any increase in value over the cost (the tax term is Adjusted Cost Base) is taxed as a capital gain. The most common assets in this category are:
• Shares in private or public companies
• Second home or vacation properties

Second, assets that generally produce income on your death. The most common assets in this category are:
• Registered assets, RRSPs or RRIFs
• Assets that are taxed as income such as interest bearing assets, GICs or money market funds

Third, are assets that are either fully tax paid or do not attract tax on death. The most common of these are:
• Non-taxable assets such as cash and TFSAs
• Principal residence
• The tax free proceeds from a life insurance policy

Many people want to keep their estate intact to pass on to their heirs. But what is the best method to fund this tax liability upon your death so that your assets can be passed to your heirs unencumbered?

Typically, there are four options to provide the liquidity to pay taxes that come due upon death:

1. Liquidate assets
2. Borrow funds, which usually means using assets as security
3. Create a cash reserve by systematically saving during your lifetime
4. Transfer the risk by purchasing life insurance in advance

There are many advantages and disadvantages to each of these methods. Let's connect and go through what your heirs tax liability looks like from today and as the estate value grows to life expectancy.

06/01/2023

Perhaps your employer provides you with group Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage. This benefit is a valuable component of most benefits packages, but may not adequately cover the loss of income that results from a disability. Here are a few LTD limitations you should know about when you're evaluating the total insurance amount required to meet your needs in the event that you lose your income due to sickness or injury.

• LTD typically only covers base salary and not bonuses
• High income earners may be under-insured as most group LTD plans have built in maximums
• LTD usually does not include benefits for partial disability
• Most LTD plans include a two-year regular occupation definition of disability, switching to any occupation thereafter (any occupation means if you can work at any job you're qualified for by education or experience, even for lower pay, your benefits will cease)
• Employers review employee benefits regularly and make adjustments to contain costs, so at any time, your LTD plan can change, and your group benefits are not within your control
• You can't take LTD coverage with you when you leave an employer

When is the last time you checked your coverage amount??? Leave a comment!

05/30/2023

Business owners must, to the best of their ability. constantly identify and control risk factors which may threaten the success of their business.

A key person in the business being diagnosed with a critical illness is one of these risks and may affect the growth and viability of the business. In fact, a sudden departure due to illness may have serious impacts on an organization and the ex*****on of the latter’s business plan.
This financial strategy provides for shared ownership of a critical illness insurance policy between the company and the shareholder or key individual in order to meet the respective needs while offering several advantages for each of the parties involved. The corporation takes out a critical liness insurance policy for the shareholder or key individual. The former is the applicant, the payer and the beneficiary covering its risks associated with the absence of a shareholder or a key individual due to a critical illness. The shareholder or key individual pays the premium for the flexible return of premiums rider which is added to the policy and is the designated beneficiary. If no critical illness claim is filed before the end of the term selected, the premiums paid will be reimbursed, tax-free, in order to complete his or her retirement income.
This is a great business strategy! Let’s connect!!!!

05/23/2023

The corporate estate bond- With permanent insurance, there are options to contribute deposits, in excess of the insurance premium, to the policy’s cash value in which any investment growth accumulates on a tax-deferred basis. This can be particularly attractive if you’ve topped up your RRSP and TSA and have additional funds to invest.
Further down the road, as you strategize your retirement or other cash flow needs, you can decide then how and whether to use the policy cash value as part of your income strategy or use the tax-deferred status of your policy to pass the cash value* to your heirs, tax-free, at your death.

Let’s talk further! Dm me to see how this can fit in your existing portfolio.

04/14/2023

Let’s face it….there is so much information on insurance but how do you know which ones are applicable for your business?

Are you in the early stages of your business?
Are you a few years to retirement?
Do you have a key employee?
What’s the financial impact if you as an owner pass away to the corporation?
Do you know how much the CRA will take upon death?
Do you know your terminal tax liability?

The questions go on and on however through a discovery meeting, the client and myself can determine the appropriate insurance needs. Once this stage is complete, the recommendations for the solutions to structure a comprehensive insurance plan will be the next step. Each plan is specific to the owner and the company by intricate design. Furthermore, it is very common to collaborate with other professionals, ie. tax lawyers, accountants, etc.

If you are thinking “ yes I should explore a corporate insurance plan but I just don’t know where to begin”? We need to connect!

Dm me today for a free consultation!

04/10/2023

Business owners need cash flow to support growth of their business and for further investing to diversify their portfolio further. How to keep liquidity of cash available???

Immediate finance arrangement (IFA)

The Immediate Financing Arrangement (IFA) is a financial strategy that enables corporations to benefit from permanent life insurance coverage while maintaining access to the cash they need to support the growth of the business.

The corporation is the policyholder and beneficiary of a life insurance policy that generates high cash surrender values.

The person insured by the life insurance policy is a shareholder of the corporation (or any other key person). The corporation pays the premiums for this life insurance policy so the cash surrender value can grow as quickly as possible within the tax limits set by the Income Tax Act (ITA). The insurance policy's cash surrender value grows tax free.

As soon as the cash surrender value begins to grow, it can be used as collateral to secure financing from an external financial institution. Generally, a financial institution will grant a loan (or another form of financing) up to a specified percentage of the cash surrender value or of the premiums paid by the corporation. The cash generated by the loans is reinvested back into the corporation's business operations. Interest on the loans is paid monthly or yearly. When the conditions are met, the interest on the loan and a portion of the premiums paid are tax-deductible. New loans are issued each year to take full advantage of the strategy.

Let’s connect and talk further.

03/23/2023

Yes these would be my specializations for business owners. Both protecting the business as well using insurance for tax sheltering and creating wealth.

Is this you? Let’s connect.

03/21/2023

This is scary! Medical expenses due to injury and illness is currently ranked third cause of bankruptcy in canada!

Yes disability and critically insurance is very important to add to your insurance portfolio.

Disability insurance (DI), whether part of a group plan or even as a stand-alone policy, generally will not cover your full income. This is a concern since out-of-pocket expenses typically increase anytime something medically prevents people from working for an extended period of time. Likewise, any additional supplemental costs may only partially be covered by your health insurance - depending on the coverage. You could be faced with a shortfall even with full disability coverage; this is where critical illness (CI) can help fill the gap.

These type of insurances are even more important now than ever. Secure your life savings now!

Dm me for a consultation!

03/20/2023

Business owners must, to the best of their ability, constantly identify and control risk factors which may threaten the success of their business.

A key person in the business being diagnosed with a critical illness is one of these risks and may affect the growth and viability of the business. In fact, a sudden departure due to illness may have serious impacts on an organization and the ex*****on of the latter's business plan.

This financial strategy provides for shared ownership of a critical illness insurance policy between the company and the shareholder or key individual in order to meet the respective needs while offering several advantages for each of the parties involved. The corporation takes out a critical illness insurance policy for the shareholder or key individual. The former is the applicant, the payer and the beneficiary covering its risks associated with the absence of a shareholder or a key individual due to a critical illness. The shareholder or key individual pays the premium for the flexible return of premiums rider which is added to the policy and is the designated beneficiary. If no critical illness claim is filed before the end of the term selected, the premiums paid will be reimbursed, tax-free, in order to complete his or her retirement income.

This is a great business strategy! Let’s connect!!!!

03/17/2023

Yes it’s so true and after coming out of the pandemic, disability due to mental illness claims, hits a new high!

There has been an increase of disabilities related to depression and anxiety. The top sources of stress are burnout, finances, and increased hours and workload.

Mental health is still health.
Get your disability insurance sooner rather later when it’s too late.

Connect for a free consultation.

Address

Suite 207 10171 Saskatchewan Drive NW
Edmonton, AB
T6E4R5

Telephone

+17802980302

Website

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