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[pdf] Transfer Authorization
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Group - COVID-19 Group Benefits Updates
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, it’s important that you have the most up-to-date information about how it impacts you, your clients and their plan members. To help, we have created a COVID-19 Updates page on EquiNet, our secure advisor site. There you will find links to past editions of our eNews, as well as the most up to date FAQ. Please check back often. We will continue to provide timely updates on any developments that impact our clients and their plan members or their benefits coverage.

Open our EquiNet COVID-19 Updates page
Ways to reduce net income after age 71 with Equitable Life
Your client is contacting you to ask how to reduce net income after age 71. While each client’s situation is unique, here are a few options to consider.
1. Clients with a spouse under the age of 71 can contribute to a spousal Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) up until December 31^st of the year the spouse turns 71; provided contribution room is available. This option can also work for those clients over the age of 71 with employment income. This can be useful for small business owners who are still making money over the age of 71 and forced to convert their RSP to a Retirement Income Fund (RIF) or Life Income Fund (LIF).
1. For clients with a RIF or LIF, they can strategically elect to use their spouses’ age to calculate the minimum RIF income payment (minimum and maximum for LIF). The idea being that if there is an age gap between spouses:
- Your client makes a RIF/LIF minimum payment lower by using the age of the younger spouse. This is beneficial to clients who do not need a lot of income from their RIF/LIF.
- Your client makes a LIF maximum payment higher by using the age of the older spouse. This is beneficial to clients who want to withdraw as much as possible from their LIFs each year.
To learn more, contact your Regional Investment Sales Manager.

® and ^TM denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada
New internal transfer enhancement available on Equitable’s EZcomplete
Advisors will now notice a new internal transfer enhancement in EZcomplete®, Equitable’s online application platform — and it’s designed to make life a whole lot easier. With this update, moving a client’s funds from an existing Equitable® segregated fund contract into a new Equitable Guaranteed Investment Funds™ contract is now faster, smoother and far more intuitive.

Here’s what you can expect:
- A clear, consolidated view of clients’ current contracts.
- Key details — like product type, current market value, sales charge and Guaranteed Interest Account terms — displayed right up front.
- Options to complete full or partial transfers.
- Helpful alerts that guide you through each step and help prevent mistakes.
Everything you need to complete an internal transfer is now in one spot — no more digging through old statements or searching for external documents. It’s a more streamlined, transparent experience for both you and clients.

You can access the enhancement directly within EZcomplete (Individual Wealth).

If you have questions, speak with your Director, Investment Sales or Advisor Services Team Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET at 1.866.884.7427, or email individualwealth@equitable.ca.

® or ™ denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.

Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – October 2020

In this issue:

Group benefits enrolment just got a lot easier*
Critical Illness added to myFlex Benefits® selection tool**
ASO dental available down to 3 lives
QDIPC updates terms and conditions for 2021*

*Indicates content that will be shared with your clients
**Indicates content that will be shared with myFlex Benefits groups only

Group benefits enrolment just got a lot easier*

Our Online Plan Member Enrolment tool now makes it simple to add new employees to the benefits plan.

Enrolling new plan members can be overwhelming – for both you, your clients and their employees. It’s challenging to ensure plan members complete the necessary paperwork before the enrolment deadline, and time consuming to manually load new members.

That’s why we’re updating our plan member enrolment experience. Beginning November 2^nd, 2020, all Equitable Life groups will be able to easily enrol new employees in the benefits plan with our Online Plan Member Enrolment Tool.

Benefits of Online Plan Member Enrolment

Our Online Plan Member Enrolment tool offers a more secure and efficient option to traditional paper enrolment. Employees are able to enrol in their benefits plan in just minutes from their computer or mobile device.

The user-friendly interface was built with the plan member in mind. They can easily enter all their enrolment information, including dependent details, banking information for direct deposit of claim payments and details for coordination of benefits. They can even designate their beneficiary electronically.

The online enrolment tool also lessens the effort for plan administrators to onboard new hires. The tool reduces errors and rework that can occur due to spelling mistakes or missing information on paper forms. And the days of chasing plan members for their paper enrolment forms are gone. Once they enter a few employee details, our system will automatically send out an email to each plan member, inviting them to enrol in their benefits program. And there will be no need to send reminders or follow up with employees about their benefits enrolment. It’s all done automatically.

Online plan member enrolment is available to all traditional and myFlex Benefits plan administrators with update access beginning November 2^nd, 2020. Plan administrators just choose “New” from the “Certificate” view in EquitableHealth.ca to get started.

This enhancement is for plan administrators who have update access on EquitableHealth.ca. If your clients are not sure if they have update access, they can contact their Equitable Life Client Relationship Specialist or myFlex Benefits Team for support.

Learn More

We’ve created Online Plan Member Enrolment User Guides to support your clients and their plan members with this new tool:

We’re also offering a series of webinars to help your clients learn about Online Plan Member Enrolment. Plan administrators will receive an invitation with links to register for the time that best suits their schedule.

Help your clients spend less time administering group benefits. Contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager to learn more about our enhanced online plan member enrolment.

Critical Illness added to myFlex Benefits selection tool*

For many employers, mandatory Critical Illness (CI) coverage is an important part of their group benefits package. It provides proactive protection against life-altering illness, helping give plan members and their families a sense of security.

While CI is available on myFlex Benefits plans, it was not built into our benefits selection tool since there is no action required by the plan member.

Beginning November 2^nd, 2020, we are adding a CI page to the myFlex Benefits selection tool that appears when this coverage is included as part of the plan. There are no options to choose – plan members simply review their CI coverage and carry on with the benefits selection process. It keeps the process smooth, while ensuring plan members fully appreciate their employer’s contributions.

Adding CI to the benefits selection tool also simplifies the budgeting process for employers. Now that CI is included in the selection tool, employers no longer need to break out the amount billed for CI from their contribution per employee when loading flex allocations.

To learn more about our myFlex Benefits selection tool or Critical Illness coverage for myFlex Benefits, contact your myFlex Sales Manager.

ASO dental available down to 3 lives

Beginning November 2^nd, 2020, groups with as few as three full-time employees will be able to self-insure their Equitable Life dental benefits with an Administrative Services Only (ASO) funding arrangement.

Currently, dental benefits are only available on an ASO basis for groups with 20 lives or more.

In an ASO arrangement, Equitable Life administers the benefits plan but does not insure it. The plan sponsor pays for all eligible claims, as well as the expenses of administering the plan.

Why ASO?

Choosing an ASO funding arrangement allows plan sponsors to save on premiums. With a traditional insured funding arrangement, a portion of every premium dollar includes a charge for the risk that the insurer is assuming to cover the claims.

With an ASO arrangement, the plan sponsor assumes all risk, so they avoid the risk charge. And since dental claims are usually more predictable than other benefits, there is typically less risk involved in covering those claims.

For more information, contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.

QDIPC updates terms and conditions for 2021*

Every year, the Quebec Drug Insurance Pooling Corporation (QDIPC) reviews the terms and conditions for the high-cost pooling system in the province. Based on its latest review, QDIPC is revising its pooling levels and fees for 2021 to reflect trends in the volume of claims submitted to the pool, particularly catastrophic claims.

Size of group (# of certificates)	Threshold per certificate 2021	Annual factor (without dependents)	Annual factor (with dependents)
Fewer than 25	$8,000	$251.00	$691.00
25 - 49	$16,500	$165.00	$455.00
50 - 124	$32,500	$94.00	$258.00
125 - 249	$47,500	$68.00	$187.00
250 - 499	$72,000	$49.00	$135.00
500 - 999	$95,000	$40.00	$111.00
1,000 - 3,999	$120,000	$35.00	$95.00
4,000 - 5,999	$300,000	$16.00	$44.00
6,000 and over	Free market - Groups not subject to Quebec Industry Pooling	Free market - Groups not subject to Quebec Industry Pooling	Free market - Groups not subject to Quebec Industry Pooling

We will apply the new pooling levels and fees to future renewal calculations that involve Quebec plan members.

Homewood Health COVID-19 Resources
As the COVID-19 situation continues to rapidly evolve, you may need information from a trusted source to support your clients, their organizations and their employees.

Through our partnership with Homewood Health, the Canadian leader in mental health and addiction services, all of our clients and their plan members have access to a number of tools and resources designed to provide guidance and support.

Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

For plan members dealing with increased anxiety during these uncertain times, Homewood’s Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tool, i-Volve, can help. Through self-paced, web-based therapy, i-Volve can help plan members identify, challenge and overcome anxious thoughts, behaviours and emotions.

All Equitable Life clients and their plan members have access to i-Volve. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wherever you choose to access it.

Learn more about Online CBT or access i-Volve at Homeweb.ca/Equitable.

COVID-19 Support Resources

Drawing on their expertise in mental health, as well as guidance from trusted sources including Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization, Homewood has created a number of resources to help support your clients and their plan members.
If you have any questions, or wish to discuss the tools, please reach out directly to Homewood. They are here to help support you, your clients and their employees through these unprecedented times. Contact your Homewood Health Account Manager or Homewood’s Customer Experience Team by phone at 1.833.375.0270 or email customersupport@homewoodhealth.com
Elevate your business with industry best practices and needs-based selling Keeping your business aligned with industry best practices is vital for your success. It not only supports the fair treatment of clients – it also helps you meet certain market conduct requirements and Equitable’s expectations for needs-based selling.

The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) has a program that checks how well advisors follow the Insurance Act and its conduct rules. FSRA looks at how well advisors follow industry best practices and fair treatment of clients guidance (see CLHIA’s guidance document, “The Approach”). Their focus is on key areas such as giving sound advice, managing conflicts of interest, and putting clients’ needs first. FSRA selects advisors’ client files and looks for documentation that indicates needs-based selling.

In December 2024, FSRA released its latest Market Conduct Supervision Report. It highlights the need for advisors to follow certain rules and industry best practices. The report found five key areas where improvement is needed:

1. Missing notes from client meetings and calls
2. Inadequate advisor disclosure
3. Missing sales illustrations for different product options
4. Missing insurance needs analysis
5. Missing policy delivery receipts

By following industry best practices and keeping thorough records, you show your commitment to providing clients with the solutions they need. For example, taking notes during client meetings helps you track all discussions that support your recommendations. Having an insurance needs analysis shows you are providing clients with suitable advice to buy the solutions that best meet their needs.

Resources: Equitable^® has resources that can help improve your business practices and help you treat clients fairly. We encourage you to check these out:

1. PPT: “Ensuring a Compliant, Needs-based Insurance Sale”. The steps to follow in needs-based selling and the records to keep.

Get CE credits! We offer the above as a self-study course that qualifies for 1 Continuing Education (CE) credit. Access it here: https://equitable-life-education.teachable.com/. (Use your contracted email to log in).

2. Client File Reference: The records to keep when selling investments, life insurance, or critical illness insurance, including key documents insurers and regulators look for during compliance audits.

3. Investor Profile Questionnaires: These will help you document your sales recommendations for:
● Universal Life (UL) sales: 1190.pdf, and
● Pivotal Select (Segregated Fund) sales: 1165.pdf

Questions? Contact your Equitable wholesaler. They are ready to support your success!

EAMG Market Commentary July 2024
Rates & Credit – In Q2 2024, U.S. inflation and economic growth data was mixed, leading to moderately higher interest rates in the U.S. Meanwhile, in Canada, long-end interest rates were little changed during the quarter, but short-term interest rates fell. That was due to the weaker economic outlook, as well as the Bank of Canada’s decision to reduce its overnight interest rate in June, with anticipation of further monetary policy easing to come. Canadian corporate bonds returned 1.1%, outperforming the 0.8% return of government bonds as well as the 0.9% return for the overall FTSE Canada Universe Bond index. Shorter-dated bonds outperformed longer-dated bonds. Within corporate bonds, lower-rated BBBs outperformed higher-rated A bonds, while industries that have shorter-dated debt (e.g. real estate and financials) outperformed those that tend to have longer-dated debt (e.g. communications and infrastructure).

Equity Overview – Against the backdrop of volatile inflation data and a lack of indication from the Federal Reserve that it was prepared to start cutting interest rates yet, U.S. equity markets decoupled from other regions. Crowding into AI-focused, mega-cap names accelerated in Q2. More specifically, investors defaulted toward the Magnificent 7 to navigate the current period, overlooking broadening earnings breadth and less expensive valuations from the remaining S&P 493. Outside the U.S., equity returns were generally mundane in dollar terms. That said, emerging markets proved to be a bright spot for investors seeking value, as the rebound in heavily discounted Chinese equities helped push frontier markets higher.

U.S. Fundamentals – Corporate earnings continued to surpass expectations last quarter with stable operating margins helping businesses report better-than-expected bottom line results. Investors remain focused on the ability of companies to sustain debt levels ahead of renewing debt obligations, rewarding businesses with a strong ability to generate stable cash flows. Moreover, while prior quarters have witnessed earnings growth that was largely driven by highly profitable mega-cap technology stocks, U.S. markets are witnessing a broadening trend in earnings strength, with previously stunted segments of the market recovering. Our work shows that members of the Russell 1000 index, excluding the Magnificent 7, posted a median earnings growth of about 6% last quarter, with nearly 60% of companies increasing earnings versus the year prior. Furthermore, we observed an increase in the number of major companies that expect improving financial performance to approximately 27%, suggesting that the recovery in earnings breadth may persist.

U.S. Quant Factors – As mentioned, concentration in the equity market drove a surge in valuations as investors continued to chase specific mega-cap technology stocks. In fact, within the Russell 1000 growth factor – which screens for companies whose earnings are expected to grow at an above-average rate relative to the market – the Magnificent 7 totaled nearly 55% of the entire index by quarter-end. In addition, the Nasdaq 100 – which is generally viewed as a technology-biased index – saw the weight of the Magnificent 7 rise to almost 43% of the entire index by the end of the quarter. Furthermore, the equal-weighted S&P 500 underperformed the cap-weighted index by nearly 7% last quarter, bringing the year-to-date divergence to about 10%. With concentration accelerating, the cap-weighted index outperformance has soared past Covid-era levels, a period that saw investors rapidly crowd into profitable technology names due to panic and economic uncertainty. We remain cautious of a severely crowded market that trades near all-time highs as strong performance from 5-7 names distorts the overall stature of market conditions.

Canadian Fundamentals – Although Canadian companies exceeded bleak forecasts, earnings continue to contract on a year-over-year basis. Furthermore, earnings revisions have grinded lower with easing monetary conditions unable to offset concerns of a slowing economic environment. We note the sharp contrast versus the U.S. as the bifurcation of earnings performance widens. The CRB Raw Industrials Index, a measure of price changes of basic commodities, broke out of recent ranges as metals rallied higher despite a stronger U.S. dollar and elevated interest rates. The mining industry benefited from a sustained elevation in prices, helping the materials sector outperform over the quarter. Returns from the heavily-weighted Canadian banks were constrained last quarter with company-specific drivers – including regulatory challenges from TD, and underwhelming U.S. results from BMO – limiting performance. More broadly, the banks continue to build prudent credit provisions to mitigate uncertain economic forecasts and remain well capitalized.

Canadian Quant Factors – With investors remaining attentive to businesses’ ability to create value relative to financing costs, we see value in high quality, dividend-paying companies with strong earnings sustainability and a healthy degree of leverage. Based on our work, investors of the Canadian banks appear well compensated, with the current premium between value creation and current yield remaining compressed. In our opinion, the market has modest expectations regarding prospects for value generation from the banks and, therefore, we believe the industry stands to benefit if the premium reverts closer to historical norms. We also continue to see sources of quality dividend opportunities within certain areas of the energy sector. More specifically, we believe companies that have taken steps to improve their balance sheets through deleveraging efforts, and with improved operating leverage, offer attractive prospects given their stable and high-yielding composition.

Views From the Frontline

Rates – During the first half of the second quarter, interest rates in both Canada and the U.S. increased, continuing the upward momentum from Q1. Higher-than-expected inflation data in the U.S. along with mixed economic growth data caused investors to push out expectations for when the U.S. Federal Reserve would start lowering its interest rate. This trend shifted in the second half of Q2, as positive economic momentum slowed in the U.S. economy and inflation data began to soften. Interest rates in Canada declined more rapidly than in the U.S. due to more benign inflation, a weaker job market, and economic growth remaining below population growth. This economic weakening provided the confidence required for the Bank of Canada to cut rates by 25 basis points in June to 4.75%. The Bank also signaled that if inflation continues to ease and the Bank’s confidence grows that inflation would continue to trend toward its 2% inflation target, it is reasonable to expect further cuts. The second quarter marked a pivotal point for the global policy easing cycle. Sweden, Canada, and the European Central Bank all began lowering their policy rates, and Switzerland made a second rate cut, following one in Q1. The market continues to speculate on the timing of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s first rate cut. Interest rate cut expectations are largely unchanged in Canada since last quarter, with a total of three rate cuts expected throughout 2024. Expectations for the rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve declined slightly, however, to two cuts in 2024.

Credit – The risk premium for corporate bonds (versus government bonds) was largely flat over the quarter, with spreads approaching the tight post-pandemic levels experienced in 2021. Corporate bond supply continues to be very robust, with $41bn in new issuance. Year-to-date, corporate issuance has set a new record, with an impressive $80bn in issuance. On balance, we do not think the current risk premium adequately compensates for downside risk, particularly in longer-dated corporate bonds, and have a bias towards shorter-dated credit where we view the risk / reward trade-off as being more favourable.

Equity – On the backdrop of a heavily concentrated U.S. market rally, we remain cautious of the distortion to market returns from high-flying technology stocks. As a result, we continue to favour a combination of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 for our broad U.S. market exposure. The Dow provides a more diversified exposure to 30 prominent large-cap companies and less concentration in technology relative to the S&P. Broadening earnings strength presents an opportunity for previously out-of-favour names to “catch-up”. In our view, companies outside the Magnificent 7 that have demonstrated robust earnings growth, strong cash flow generation, along with decreased debt loads, are well-positioned to benefit from internal market rotations. As such, we gain exposure to these companies through the quality factor – companies with higher return-on-equity, strong operating performance, and healthy leverage levels – and the dividend growth factor – businesses with a lengthy and established history of increasing dividends.

In Canada, we remain attentive to how efficiently corporations are generating profits relative to financing costs. Looking forward, we continue to monitor the ability of businesses to generate profits given a decline in capital spending. More specifically, we are focused on businesses’ ability to grow and sustain dividends amid the lag between easing monetary conditions and consumption. Due to this, we observe value in higher yielding companies that are higher on the spectrum of quality. Geographically, we maintain our overweight U.S. exposure, underpinned by encouraging U.S. inflation data trends, broadening corporate earnings growth, and normalizing consumption. In addition, sluggish Chinese data and the lack of positive earnings revisions from EAFE tilt the risk-adjusted return profile in favour of the U.S. Lastly, as a Canadian investor, fluctuations in the Loonie’s relative value versus other major currencies continues to present tactical trading opportunities within our investment mandate.

Downloadable Copy

Mark Warywoda, CFA VP, Public Portfolio Management	Ian Whiteside, CFA, MBA AVP, Public Portfolio Management	Johanna Shaw, CFA Director, Portfolio Management	Jin Li Director, Equity Portfolio Management
Tyler Farrow, CFA Senior Analyst, Equity	Andrew Vermeer Senior Analyst, Credit	Elizabeth Ayodele Analyst, Credit	Francie Chen Analyst, Rates

ADVISOR USE ONLY

Any statements contained herein that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements represent the portfolio manager’s best judgment as of the present date as to what may occur in the future. However, forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, and are based on the portfolio manager’s present opinions and views. For this reason, the actual outcome of the events or results predicted may differ materially from what is expressed. Furthermore, the portfolio manager’s views, opinions or assumptions may subsequently change based on previously unknown information, or for other reasons. Equitable^® assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained herein. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully and not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Investments may increase or decrease in value and are invested at the risk of the investor. Investment values change frequently, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Professional advice should be sought before an investor embarks on any investment strategy.