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1. International Women’s Day

   Reflecting on inclusion in our industry
   
   International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to pause and think about how we support the women clients we serve. In wealth management, inclusion is not just a theme for one day a year — it plays a critical role in building stronger relationships and long‑term business growth.
   
   Our recent Master Class – From Insight to Inclusion: Engaging Women Investors with Confidence –reinforced this.

   The 60-minute session, featuring Susan Silma, Client Experience Transformation Leader and industry speaker and columnist, looked at why many women still feel under‑served in our industry and what advisors can do to create a more engaging and supportive experience.
   
   Here are a few key takeaways from the conversation:

   •  Inclusion strengthens your practice. When women feel heard and understood, trust grows —and so does loyalty.
   •  Start with better conversations. Susan shared ways to turn research and insights into everyday discussions that feel relevant and meaningful to women.
   •  Consistency builds confidence. A clear, repeatable process for prospecting, onboarding and reviewing plans with women clients helps ensure they feel included from day one.
   
   Did you know: 82% of advisors who attended the live Master Class identified the need to add more women clients to their business.
   
   As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is a good reminder that creating a space where women feel comfortable, informed and valued benefits everyone — and positions your practice for long‑term success.
   
   If you missed the session — or would like to revisit the ideas — the Master Class recording is now available on demand. On behalf of everyone at Equitable, Happy International Women’s Day, Canada!
   
   
   
   Date posted: Thursday, March 5, 2026
2. New Dividend Scale Effective July 1, 2023! Equitable Life’s Board of Directors has approved a change to the dividend scale* for the period July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
   
   - The interest rate we use for the dividend scale will go from 6.05% to 6.25% on July 1, 2023.
   - Other factors used to decide the dividend scale will stay the same.
   - The interest rate for participating whole life policies with dividends on deposit will stay the same at 2.25%.
   - The policy loan interest rate** will go from 6.20% to 6.50% on June 30, 2023
   
   More good news!
   Once the next dividend scale year starts, we expect policyholder dividends to be close to $105 million until the end of June 2024.
   
   Learn more
   - Advisor Dividend Scale Notice
   - Client Dividend Scale Notice
   - Dividend Information Page
   
   
   
   
   Did you miss our virtual Spring Update & 2023 Dividend Scale Announcement? Watch it now:
     
   (*The French and Chinese events will be partially in English, with sub-titles on screen).
    
   
   TOGETHER – Protecting Today – Preparing Tomorrow™
   As a MUTUAL we provide financial security DIFFERENTLY by focusing exclusively on our CLIENTS.
   
   *Dividends are not guaranteed and are paid at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors. Dividends may be subject to taxation. Dividends will vary based on the actual investment returns in the Participating Account as well as mortality, expense, lapse, claims experience, taxes, and other experience of the participating block of policies. Changes in the dividend scale do not affect the guaranteed premium, guaranteed cash values, or guaranteed death benefit amount.  A copy of Equitable Life’s Dividend Policy and Participating Account Management Policy can be found on our website at www.equitable.ca.
    
   ** This applies to all new and active policy loans, including automatic premium loans. This change is for Equimax^_® policies that have a 9-digit policy number beginning with a “3” or an “8”. Some older policies may have other loan rates as they are based on the prime interest rate.
3. Equitable 2024 dividend scale!

   Equitable’s Board of Directors has approved a new dividend scale for the period of July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

   ● The interest rate* we use for the dividend scale will change. It will go from 6.25% to 6.40% on July 1, 2024.
   ● Other factors used to decide the dividend scale will remain the same.
   ● The interest rate for policies with dividends on deposit will change. It will go from 2.25% to 3.50% on July 1, 2024.
   ● The interest rate for most policy loans will remain at 6.50%. This applies to both new and existing policy loans, and automatic premium loans. It specifically applies to Equimax^® policies with a 9-digit policy number that starts with either "3" or "8". Older policies may have different loan rates as they are based on the prime interest rate.
   
   Learn more:
   ● 2024 Advisor Dividend Scale Notice
   ● 2024 Client Dividend Scale Notice
   ● Dividend Information Page 
   
   
   
   
   
   Did you miss our Spring update & 2024 Dividend Scale announcement? Watch it now: 
     
   (*The French and Chinese events will be partially in English, with sub-titles on screen).
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   *The dividend scale interest rate (DSIR) is different from the participating account (PAR) rate of return. The PAR rate of return is the return on the investments in the participating account over the calendar year. The DSIR smooths out the ups and downs of the participating account experience.
4. Introducing Equitable EZBenefits: A better group benefits solution for your small business clients If you serve small business owners, chances are they’re looking for a group benefits solution that’s affordable, sustainable and easy to manage. That’s why we introduced Equitable EZBenefits™. It’s a unique group benefits solution designed with you and your small business clients in mind.
    
   Options to fit every need
   Available to organizations with between 2 and 25 employees, EZBenefits offers a range of plan design options to match different needs and budgets. * Whether your client owns start-up or a growing company, we’ve got them covered. Plan options include a mix of Life, Health and Dental coverage. ** Clients can also add Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage or a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).
    
   Embedded services to support health and wellness
   To provide employees with added support for both their physical and mental wellbeing, all our plan design options include:
   • Anytime, online access to medical professionals through our Virtual Healthcare solution from Dialogue,
   • Access to professional counselors – via the telephone, the web or in-person – through our Employee and Family Assistance Program from Homewood Health®, and
   • Online resources to help manage health, financial and family challenges through Homeweb, Homewood Health’s online wellness portal.
   Extra HR support for your clients
   EZBenefits also comes with built-in HR support through Equitable Life’s partnership with HRdownloads® This takes the heavy lifting out of common human resource tasks with HR support tools and services, including:
   • HR Technology: An award-winning cloud-based human resource information system to provide help from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between.
   • HR Content: Access to a library of over 3,000 HR documents, templates, compliance resources and articles, with 25 free document downloads.
   • HR Training: A free Workplace Diversity and Inclusion online training course.
   • HR Support: One free Live HR Advice call with a seasoned HR expert.
   A streamlined process to optimize your time
   We know that advising small business clients can be challenging. We’ve created a streamlined benefits process that provides rapid quotes, hassle-free plan implementation, simplified renewals and that is easy to administer. That way, you can spend more time advising your clients and building your business – and less time with administrative back and forth.
    
   Pricing stability for long-term stability
   When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, we know your small business clients are competing with larger organizations that have big budgets and lots of resources. That’s why we’ve designed EZBenefits to provide long-term pricing stability for health and dental benefits.
    
   Find out more
   Watch this video to learn how EZBenefits can help you and your clients. You can also visit info.equitable.ca/ezbenefits for more details or to request a quote. If you have questions, contact your Equitable Life Group Account Executive. If you don't have an Equitable Life Group Account Executive, email us at EZBenefits@equitable.ca.
    
   
   * Not available in Quebec.
   ** Dental coverage is not included with the Bronze plan design option.
5. Explore Equitable EZBenefits™

   A better group benefits solution for your small business clients

   Running a small business isn't easy, especially for companies with smaller budgets and fewer resources. It can be tough to find a competitively priced benefits plan with the features that clients want. That’s why we created Equitable EZBenefits™, a benefits solution designed with the needs of small businesses in mind.
   
   Options to fit every need
   Available to organizations with between 2 and 25 employees, EZBenefits offers a range of plan design options to match different needs and budgets. * Whether your client owns start-up or a growing company, we’ve got them covered. Plan options include a mix of Life, Health and Dental coverage. ** Clients can also add Long-Term Disability (LTD) coverage or a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).
   
   Embedded services to support health and wellness
   To provide employees with added support for both their physical and mental wellbeing, all our plan design options include:
   ● Anytime, online access to medical professionals through our Virtual Healthcare solution from Dialogue,
   ● Access to professional counselors – via the telephone, the web or in-person – through our Employee and Family Assistance Program from Homewood Health^®, and
   ● Online resources to help manage health, financial and family challenges through Homeweb, Homewood Health’s online wellness portal.
   
   Extra HR support for EZBenefits clients
   EZBenefits also comes with built-in HR support through Equitable’s partnership with Citation Canada^® (formerly HRdownloads). It takes the heavy lifting out of common human resource tasks with HR support tools and services. Features include:
   ● an award-winning cloud-based human resource information system (HRIS) to provide help from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between,
   ● access to a library of over 3,000 HR documents, templates, compliance resources and articles, with 25 free document downloads,
   ● a free Workplace Diversity and Inclusion online training course, and
   ● one free Life HR advice call with a seasoned HR expert.
   
   A streamlined process to optimize your time
   We know that advising small business clients can be challenging. We’ve created a streamlined benefits process that provides rapid quotes, hassle-free plan implementation, simplified renewals and that is easy to administer. That way, you can spend more time advising your clients and building your business – and less time with administrative back and forth.
   
   Pricing stability for long-term stability
   When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, we know your small business clients are competing with larger organizations that have big budgets and lots of resources. That’s why we’ve designed EZBenefits to provide long-term pricing stability for health and dental benefits.
   
   Find out more
   To learn more about EZBenefits, watch our video to learn more or view our brochure. You can also visit info.equitable.ca/ezbenefits for more details or to request a quote. If you have questions, contact your Equitable Life Group Account Executive. If you don't have an Equitable Life Group Account Executive, email us at EZBenefits@equitable.ca.
   
   * Not available in Quebec.
   ** Dental coverage is not included with the Bronze plan design option.
    
6. [pdf] myFlex Options Overview
7. Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin - September 2022

   Homewood Health launches Sentio, an upgraded iCBT platform

   Equitable Life’s mental health partner, Homewood Health, has launched Sentio, an upgraded platform for Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT). This self-directed platform is now available to all Equitable Life clients, and it replaces Homewood’s previous iCBT platform, i-Volve.
   
   Sentio Self-Directed iCBT is a comprehensive digital cognitive behavioural therapy platform. Developed by Homewood’s mental health experts, it is an action-oriented solution for plan members, giving them practical resources and activities to help with their depression, anxiety and overall mental health challenges.
    
   Available as a standalone app, on mobile, tablet and desktop, Sentio contains over 20 unique treatment goals for issues like stress management, improving sleep, managing depressive thoughts, and coping with panic. Users can work through treatment goals in any order, at their own pace. It also includes tools and resources to help plan members build skills and change their thought patterns. 

   Sentio iCBT benefits

   Sentio integrates seamlessly with Homewood Pathfinder so that users can easily locate and take advantage of the iCBT activities available. Sentio also includes a number of unique features:
   • More interactive features and activities to help plan members build valuable mental health skills
   • Integrated symptom measurement and progress tracking
   • Interactive multimedia learning and cognitive exercises to enhance learning
   • Progress, learnings, and exercises that have been accessed are available to be re-accessed for 12 months 
   Access to i-Volve will end 30 days after your clients received access to Sentio, but plan members can complete any in-progress sessions until then.
   
   Please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager if you have any questions.
    

   Streamlining disability claims with Opifiny

    Equitable Life is partnering with Opifiny to provide a quicker and more seamless disability claims experience.
    
   Opifiny is an online platform that streamlines the disability claims process for consulting physicians, benefits plan sponsors, and disability plan members. Equitable Life will be using Opifiny for ongoing disability claims management, modernizing the process of gathering medical assessments and information.
    
   Disability claims frequently involve several instances of correspondence between Equitable Life and the plan member’s medical team. By using the secure platform, health care professionals can access, respond to and process medical insurance requests easily from any device. They can typically complete administrative tasks associated with disability claims in a quarter of the time. The platform is secure and protects the privacy of their patients’ confidential information.
    
   By digitizing and modernizing the claims management process for doctors, Equitable Life will have faster access to higher quality claims information. For some claims, using Opifiny may enable Equitable Life to help plan members safely return to work sooner.
    

   Reminder: Obtaining plan member signatures on all administration forms

   Please remind your clients that plan members must sign all administration forms, including enrolment forms, benefits change forms, and beneficiary designation forms. Once completed, a plan administrator can keep the form or send it to us. We are not able to accept a beneficiary designation that has not been signed by the plan member. Having appropriately signed forms helps to ensure that any life insurance claims are paid to the intended recipients.
   
   For your clients’ convenience, forms can be signed electronically using one of our approved vendors, which include DocuSign, BambooHR, Adobe Sign, and many more.
   
   If you have questions about providing signed forms, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
    

   Correction: Coverage for full-time students and dependents with disabilities

   In our August edition of eNews, we provided incorrect information about benefits coverage options for over-age dependents. We indicated that over-age dependents who are full-time students may continue to be eligible under the plan member’s benefits plan if they are studying in their home province. However, attending a post-secondary institution in their home province is not a requirement for continued eligibility. Dependents who are full-time students may continue to be eligible for coverage regardless of where in Canada they are attending post-secondary education.
   
   If your clients have any questions about extending coverage for over-age dependents that are full-time students, please notify them of this error.
    
   We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused.
   
   
    
8. Update: Employment Insurance (EI) Sickness Benefit Extension As it proposed in its 2022 Budget, the federal government has confirmed it is extending the Employment Insurance (EI) Sickness Benefits period from 15 weeks to 26 weeks later this year. The official implementation date and details have not yet been confirmed by the government and we will share further details once they are available. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know.
    
   We will not require or implement any changes to our disability plan designs based on this extension. However, plan sponsors may wish to amend their short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) plans and policies to align with the new 26-week EI period. 

   Impact to short-term disability (STD) benefits integrated with EI

   Plan sponsors with EI-integrated STD may wish to adjust their benefits to line up with the new 26-week extension. 

   Impact to plans with no STD benefits

   For plan sponsors who do not offer STD, they have the option of adjusting their LTD plans to the new 26-week elimination period if members claim EI prior to LTD. This adjustment would help to avoid the plan member receiving disability and EI payments at the same time and potentially being required to return funds due to overpayment. 

   Considerations for plan sponsors

   Plan sponsors who amend their STD or LTD policies to align with the new 26-week EI period should note that there may be inadvertent delays to their employees’ return to work. While collecting EI, injured or ill employees do not benefit from our early intervention services or rigorous claims management practices that could help them get back to work sooner. So, by delaying the availability of STD or LTD coverage, the advantages that these programs are intended to provide could also be delayed. 

   Impact to Premium Reduction Program (PRP)

   The Premium Reduction Program (PRP) allows employers with eligible short-term disability plans to pay lower EI premiums. The eligibility criteria have not changed at this time. The government plans to review the PRP in 2024.

   Questions

   If you have questions about these changes or what they mean for your clients’ disability plans, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Sales Manager.
    
9. Get Client Focused: Turning Compliance into Your Advantage

   Join Equitable Life and guest speaker, April-Lynn Levitt, CFP,  Business Coach, The Personal Coach, to learn how to be compliant in today’s environment and create client-focused review meetings:

   •   Understand the new requirements and the best practices for implementing the new requirements into your practice.

   •   Go beyond “ticking the boxes” to build an exceptional client experience.

   •   Learn to use your review process to stimulate referrals and update compliance documents seamlessly.

   We are pleased to provide you with a recorded version of April-Lynn Levitt’s presentation, “Get Client Focused: Turning Compliance into Your Advantage” click here

   This webinar is available in English only.

   ® denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
   
   Posted June 6, 2023