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1. About
2. Most employers staying the course on benefits during COVID-19

   With businesses suffering hardship due to COVID-19, employers are turning to you for advice on their benefits plans during these difficult times. We’ve received numerous questions from advisors about changes our clients are making to their plans during this crisis.

   So far, the vast majority of clients are standing pat and taking a wait-and-see approach. Plan amendments have been the exception – fewer than 1% of our clients have made COVID-19-related amendments as of mid-April. Almost all are clients with fewer than 50 lives.

   We know that many of our clients have experienced layoffs, but hardly any have cancelled benefits. Fewer than 0.1% have terminated benefits to date.

   Below is a snapshot of plan amendments and terminations relative to our overall block, and an overview of the types of amendments we’re seeing.

   
   
   
   
   
   COVID-19-related plan changes on Equitable Life’s block of business

   As of April 15, 2020
   

   Have clients who need to make a change?

   We know this is a difficult time for Canadian employers. If you have a client who needs to make a change to their plan, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager. We have a range of options to help them manage, and changes can be made quickly. The average turnaround time for COVID-19-related amendments is currently about four days.

   We’re happy to work with each employer to understand the options that suit their specific situation best.

3. Universal Life Product Fund Changes In September 2022, we will be changing the underlying securities being tracked for several universal life funds, listed below.*  These changes apply to our current Equation Generation IV universal life insurance product and to any legacy products that offer these same UL funds.
   
   If your client would like to transfer money currently invested in any of the above UL funds to a different UL fund and/or change the investment option for their future deposits, please submit a request well in advance of September 2022 using form 693UL.
   
   Please contact your Equitable Life^® Regional Sales Manager for more information. 
    

   UL Fund	Currently Tracked	Upcoming Change*
   European	DJ Euro STOXX 50 Total Return Index	STOXX Europe 600 Paris-Aligned Index (ESG)
   Canadian Bond	Sun Life MFS Canadian Bond	Equitable Life Active Canadian Bond Fund Internal Linked
   Global Fixed Income	Mackenzie Global Tactical Bond	Invesco Global Bond
   Canadian Value Stock	Mackenzie Cundill Canadian Security	Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity
   Large Cap Canadian Equity	Mackenzie Ivy Canadian	Dynamic Equity Income
   Global Balanced	Templeton Global Balanced	Mackenzie Ivy Global Balanced

   
   *Underlying security changes will occur in September 2022. Exact effective date has not yet been determined.
    
4. Equitable Life ClearBridge Sustainable Global Infrastructure Income Fund Select: Stability and diver Although an often-overlooked asset class, infrastructure assets are physical assets that provide an essential service to society. Investing in infrastructure can offer stability and diversification in a well-balanced portfolio. 
   Check out Equitable Life^® ClearBridge Sustainable Global Infrastructure Income Fund Select in this issue of Fund Focus. The fund aims to achieve long-term capital appreciation and income by investing in publicly listed real estate companies across a spectrum of property types and geographies.  
   
   Reasons to Invest:  
   • ClearBridge has 50+ years as a leader in active management, with a focus on sustainable investing. 
   • An ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) driven investment process: ESG factors are part of fundamental research and a bottom-up security selection process, and risks and opportunities are viewed through an ESG lens. 
   • Predictable income generation throughout the cycle: Invests in income-generating infrastructure assets, with cash flows underpinned by regulation or long-term contracts. 
   • Participation in global infrastructure renewal: Both developed and emerging economies are growing their infrastructure assets, producing new investment opportunities. 
   • Lots of flexibility - broad ranges for sector allocation and geographical allocation 
   
   For more information, check out the Equitable Life ClearBridge Sustainable Global Infrastructure Income Fund Select or contact your Regional Investment Sales Manager.  
   
   Date posted: July 20, 2023
   
   ™ or ® denote registered trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada. 
   
    
5. [pdf] Pivotal Select Contract and Information Folder
6. [pdf] When it is time to convert your RSP to a RIF
7. [pdf] Equitable GIF Registered Application
8. [pdf] Equitable GIF Contract Provisions and Information Folder
9. Important notice: Funds with Deferred Sales Charges The Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) is requiring all insurance companies to discontinue the sale of segregated funds with deferred sales charges (DSC) effective June 1, 2023. This also impacts ongoing or new deposits to some existing segregated fund accounts. Please contact any Equitable Life clients who may be impacted.
    
   How this impacts clients:
   In response to the insurance regulator’s recommendation, Equitable Life^® will be making changes to the administration of certain segregated fund products, which may impact clients. The details are outlined below:
    
   Pivotal Select™ segregated fund product
   On or about May 29, 2023:
   • Funds with DSC or Low Load (LL) sales charge options will be closed to additional deposits. Future deposits must be allocated to the No Load (NL) sales charge option of the funds available within the policy.
   • Any existing amounts held in DSC or LL funds are not impacted and will retain the existing deferred sales charge schedule outlined in a client’s contract. The annual 10% available (20% for RIF policies) for withdrawal without fees continues to apply through to the expiry of the fee schedule.
   • If the default deposit instructions that a client previously provided include funds with DSC or LL sales charge options, these instructions will be automatically updated to the NL sales charge option of the same fund for all future deposits.
   • If a client has pre-authorized scheduled deposits into funds with the DSC or LL sales charge options, these instructions will be automatically updated to the NL sales charge option of the same funds for all future deposits.
   • In alignment with our current administrative rules, if a client has DSC or LL funds, they will not be able to make deposits into No Load Chargeback funds (NLCB and NLCB5) within the same policy.
    
   Legacy segregated fund products
   Ongoing deposits to DSC funds are permitted when a segregated fund product does not have an alternative sales charge option available within the contract. This applies to the following products:
   • Personal Investment Portfolio
   • Pivotal Solutions II
   • Pivotal Solutions DSC
   As a result, clients who own these types of products may continue to make new deposits to the DSC funds within their policy. Any new segregated fund deposits, as well as any existing segregated fund amounts within their policy will retain the deferred sales charge schedule outlined in their contract.
   
   If a client plans on making additional deposits, they may be interested in alternative sales charge options that do not include DSC. For example, Equitable Life offers “No Load” (NL) and “No Load Chargeback” (NLCB and NLCB5) sales charge options within the Pivotal Select segregated fund contract. In these situations, a new application would need to be completed and submitted.
   
   Please note that draft regulation in Quebec is currently under review which may impact Equitable Life’s approach for Quebec clients with legacy segregated fund products.
   
   Equitable Life will continue to monitor provincial regulatory developments and adjust our approach as needed.
    
   Client communication
   We will be sending clients a letter within their December 31, 2022, statement describing their options, and the impacts to their policy (if applicable). We recommend that you contact clients to discuss the contents of Equitable Life’s letter and provide any advice that they may need regarding ongoing deposits to their segregated funds. You can access a copy of the client letter here:
   • Pivotal Select letter
   • Legacy letter

    If you have any questions, please reach out to our Advisor Services Team at 1.866.884.7427.
   
   December 23, 2022
   
   ™ or ® denote registered trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.