Site Search

411 results for enter portal now PROBLEMGO.COM Buying a solution to IRS problems

1. Roll out the red carpet for a refreshed Term! We are pleased to announce that updates to our Term life insurance solution are now live! We believe that Term life insurance can deliver value to clients at every stage of their life journeys. Be it at renewal or at conversion, Term is a flexible and affordable life insurance solution for clients today and into tomorrow.
   
   On February 3^rd, 2024, we refreshed our Term life insurance solution. Some of the existing and new updates with our Term offering include:
   ●  More targeted, competitive pricing,
   ●  Benefits re-aligned under the KIND™ program,
   ●  Yearly renewals. After the initial term of level premiums, Term life insurance will now renew yearly with premiums gradually increasing each year. This will help clients keep their Term protection longer without large premium increases.
   
   With these updates and more, our Term solution doesn’t just “do the job,” it’s what clients want!
   
   Visit our splash page and watch our informative video to learn more and start selling today!
    
   
   
   
   View our Transition Rules for all the details on processing your applications.
    
   We’ve also updated our illustration tool:
   ● New Desktop illustration software
   
   Want to learn more?
   Contact your Equitable wholesaler anytime!
    
   
   ® or ™ denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
2. Did you miss our Equimax update in December?
   Equimax – a better and stronger solution!
   
   Discover the latest Equimax updates

   
   Great news! We’ve made further updates to our Equimax^® insurance solution to better serve clients.  
   
   Here are some of the changes:
   
   ● A new guaranteed 10 pay premium option for Equimax Wealth Accumulator^®. 
   ● You can now add an Excelerator deposit option (EDO) on Equimax Estate Builder^® and Wealth Accumulator plans with a 10 Pay premium option (term rider not required at issue of the policy). 
   ● We increased our flexibility with EDO. This will make it easier for clients to stop and start EDO contributions without losing their maximum approved contribution room. On top of that, these changes will apply to all inforce policies. A single set of EDO rules will apply to every Equimax policy whether it’s issued tomorrow or 10 years ago, making it simpler to help clients manage their policies. 
   ● We increased the maximum amount of Equimax coverage that can be applied for without a special quote from $20M to $25M.
     
   
   
   
   
   Equimax is now an even better and stronger solution. For a full breakdown of these product updates visit our splash page.
   
     
   
   *Video available in English with French and Chinese sub-titles.
   
   
   
   Please refer to our Transition Rules for all the details on processing your applications.
   
   Need more information? Please contact your Equitable wholesaler.

3. EZcomplete Non-Face-to-Face enhancement

   
   An EZ way to conduct your out-of-town business

   You asked for it, we built it: a solution for your non face-to-face business. EZcomplete^® allows you to conduct your non face-to-face business easily and quickly with your clients providing their signature remotely on their own device.

   How does it work?

   EZcomplete walks you through the electronic signature process. EZcomplete allows your clients to sign remotely using their own device for non-face-to-face applications. You only need to enter their email address and provide them with a secret passcode to securely access the documents to review and sign.

    Just another reason to do business with Equitable Life^® 

   EZcomplete makes it easy to process your non-face-to-face applications and do business with Equitable Life. 

   Login to EquiNet® and click on the EZcomplete icon on the menu bar

    

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

4. 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.
    
5. New year tune-up for Equimax participating whole life

   It’s a new year and time for an Equimax^® tune up! We have made some exciting changes for new sales of Equimax Estate Builder^® and Equimax Wealth Accumulator^® effective February 11, 2023.

   
   These exciting enhancements make Equimax even more robust, simpler and cost effective, to ensure it continues to be the preferred participating whole life solution for clients and advisors alike.
   
   Watch our informative video to learn more.
    
   Check out our Equimax splash page for complete details on all the enhancements, our transition rules, and much more.
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   What’s new?
   • All new children’s policies will now be issued as non-smoker for life – we will no longer request a non-smoker declaration for new children's policies.
   • We have also removed the policy fees on new Equimax sales, reducing total premium payments – allowing clients to buy even more coverage for the same payment.
   But there’s more to our Equimax tune-up!
   The following enhancements add more value, making it easier for you to recommend Equimax as your preferred whole life solution.
   • Monthly Excelerator Deposit Option(EDO) payments and EDO payments received off anniversary will now buy more paid-up additional insurance,
   • Dividends earned on EDO payment paid-up additions, and credited on the base policy, can now buy even more paid-up additions,
   • New clients now have the option to elect individual policies on joint last to die (JLTD) plans if their personal situation changes,
   • We have also changed the way we calculate monthly premiums – resulting in lower premium payments across the board,
   • And we have added our KIND™ benefit program to Equimax, as we did for our newest Generations Universal Life  solution last September – making it easier for families and beneficiaries at claim time.
   • And, finally, we are introducing some new sales illustration features, a Web-based software and more to help you market Equimax!
   Visit our splash page and watch our informative video to learn more and start selling the enhanced Equimax today.
    
   Plus, visit our Equimax product page on EquiNet^®, then click on the Marketing Materials tab for the latest Equimax marketing materials.
    
   Need more information? Please contact your local wholesaler.
    
    _{® and} ™ _{denotes a trademark of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.}
6. Equitable Life Group Benefits Bulletin – May 2020

   In this issue:

   • Digital options for your clients and their plan members*
   • Alberta delaying biosimilar initiative*
   • Yukon increasing insurance premium tax*
   • Manitoba and New Brunswick relaxing drug limits*
   • Free guide to accessing virtual healthcare*
   • Homeweb for plan members who are losing coverage*

   *Indicates content that will be shared with your clients

   
   Easy and convenient digital resources for your clients and their plan members

   During this time of physical distancing, people are looking for ways to interact with their providers virtually. We have several convenient digital tools available to make it easier for your clients and their plan members.

   
   For plan administrators:

   
   Plan administrator portal (EquitableHealth.ca)

   Our secure portal allows plan administrators to easily manage their plan anytime and anywhere. Instead of printing and mailing forms, they can make real-time updates at their convenience. The site also makes it easy to:

   • View or upload forms and other important documents;
   • Retrieve billing information;
   • Estimate monthly premium costs; and
   • View announcements, tips and reminders.

   Plan administrators can visit www.equitablehealth.ca to activate their account.

   Digital Welcome Kits

   Instead of paper kits that can easily get lost or quickly become outdated, plan members receive personalized welcome kits via an interactive email, including instructions on how to:

   • Activate their online group benefits account;
   • Download their digital benefits card;
   • Submit claims from their computer or mobile device;
   • Review their coverage details; and
   • Explore health and wellness resources.

   Easy automated payments

   Automated payments are a convenient way to avoid missed payments, suspended claims and disruption. Plan administrators simply complete the pre-authorized debit form and send to GroupCollections@equitable.ca. Or contact Group Collections about online banking and electronic funds transfer (EFT).

   We can help

   For assistance, plan administrators can contact their Client Relationship Specialist or our Web Services team at 1.800.265.4556 ext. 283 or groupbenefitsadmin@equitable.ca.

   
   For plan members:

   
   Plan member portal (EquitableHealth.ca)

   By logging into EquitableHealth.ca, plan members have secure 24/7 access to their personalized Group Benefits account. They can:

   • View and submit claims;
   • Review their coverage details; and
   • Access health and wellness resources.

   Electronic claims payment and notifications

   Once plan members have activated their Group Benefits account on EquitableHealth.ca, they can easily set up receiving their claim payments via direct deposit, and their claim notifications via email.

   EZClaim Mobile App

   Submitting claims is fast, easy and secure with the Equitable EZClaim® mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Plan members can view and submit health and dental claims and review their coverage details.

   Digital Benefits Cards

   Instead of digging through their wallets, plan members can download a digital version of their benefits card to their mobile device.

   We can help

   We’ve created a video guide to help plan members access and use their digital resources. For further assistance, plan members can contact our Web Services team at 1.800.265.4556 ext. 283 or groupbenefitsadmin@equitable.ca.

   
   Alberta government delaying biosimilar initiative

   As we announced in the February 2020 issue of eNews, the Alberta Biosimilar Initiative will require patients using several originator biologic drugs to switch to a biosimilar in order to maintain coverage through their Alberta government sponsored drug plan.

   Due to the increased demands the COVID-19 pandemic is placing on healthcare providers, the Alberta government has postponed the switching requirement. Affected patients will now have until January 15, 2021 to switch to the biosimilar version of their drug in order to maintain provincial coverage.

   We continue to investigate appropriate options to help ensure this provincial change does not unreasonably impact Equitable Life groups and patients and will keep you informed.
   For more information about the Alberta Biosimilars Initiative, consult the Alberta government website.

   
   Yukon increasing Insurance Premium Tax

   The Yukon Government has announced that it plans to increase its Insurance Premium Tax rates effective January 1, 2021. The premium tax rates for group life and accident and sickness insurance are expected to increase from 2% to 4%. The new tax rates will be applied to premiums paid on or after January 1, 2021.

   
   Manitoba and New Brunswick relaxing drug limits

   In order to protect the drug supply during the COVID-19 crisis, residents of most provinces were temporarily limited to receiving a 30-day supply of drugs when filling a prescription. Normally, doctors prescribe a 90-day supply for most maintenance-type drugs.

   The Government of Manitoba and the Government of New Brunswick are now relaxing this 30-day limit for prescription drugs where shortages do not exist. They will address potential shortages of specific drugs if necessary.

   As the situation continues to evolve, there may continue to be changes to provincial legislation and prescription limits. Plan members should speak to their pharmacist for the most up to date information.

   
   Free guide to accessing virtual healthcare

   With many health clinics closed and the healthcare system under strain, people are looking to access a doctor and other health providers virtually.

   As we announced previously, we’ve made it easier for plan members to find the information they need using our Guide to Accessing Virtual Healthcare. This online resource provides information about and links to a range of virtual health services they need to take care of their health and the health of their family during these challenging times.

   The Guide also indicates which services are covered by public health plan, so there’s no cost to the patient to access them if they provide their valid provincial health card.
   We will continue to update the Guide as more virtual healthcare providers and services become available.

   The Guide is available on both EquitableHealth.ca and Equitable.ca.

   
   Homeweb for plan members who are losing coverage

   We know these are difficult times for Canadian employers and their employees. As businesses temporarily suspend operations, some employers have had to make the difficult decision to temporarily lay off employees or put their benefits coverage on hold.

   That’s why we were pleased to announce that Homewood Health^® and Equitable Life will extend access to Homeweb, a personalized online mental health and wellness portal, for up to 120 days for plan members who have temporarily lost their benefits coverage due to COVID-19.

   Employees and their family members will continue to have access to the Homeweb website and mobile app, including:

   • iVolve, online self-directed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy;
   • Resources to support themselves and their family members through the COVID-19 pandemic;
   • An interactive online Health Risk Assessment; and
   • An online library of tools, assessments and e-courses.

   This will allow businesses undergoing financial hardship to provide some support to employees who are temporarily without benefits coverage.

7. Term vs permanent life insurance: helping clients choose the best solution for them Most people understand why life insurance matters. What they’re often unsure about is which type of coverage is right for them. As an advisor, you’re in a unique position to do more than present options, you can help clients feel confident they’re making an informed choice. 
   
   Start with the client, not the product
   Before discussing insurance solutions, you can start by asking three important questions:
   1. What do you need to protect today?
   2. What are you trying to achieve for the future?
   3. What is your budget?
   By asking these questions you will get a better understanding of which solution fits the client’s needs.
   
   Matching the solution to the client
   Term life insurance may be ideal for clients who have budget considerations and need coverage for: 
   • Helping to replace income
   • Helping cover a mortgage or other debts
   • Business protection
   • A specific period of time (10 – 30 years)
   If a client wants lifetime coverage but can’t afford it right now, term insurance is a good option.  It gives them affordable coverage today that they can later choose to convert to permanent insurance when their income increases.¹
   
   Permanent life insurance (whole life and universal life) is an option for clients looking for lifelong coverage and added long-term value. It’s a good option for clients who want to:
   • Build an inheritance
   • Preserve their estate
   • Build tax advantaged cash value growth
   
   Permanent life insurance is also an excellent way for parents or grandparents to help give children or grandchildren some lasting financial security. It secures lifetime protection at a lower cost when the child is young and healthy. It also offers the potential for cash value growth that they can access if needed.   
   
   Helping clients make confident choices
   By focusing on what the client needs now—and what they might need later—you can help them pick life insurance that fits their changing life and financial goals. Share this client‑friendly piece that outlines some of the things that clients should consider to make an informed decision: 
   Which life insurance solution is right for you?
   
   Reminder: Clients’ needs can change; it’s a good idea to review their coverage regularly.
   
   For any questions, contact your Equitable wholesaler.
   
   
   ¹See contract for details on conversion limitations and eligibility.
8. Easier than ever with Equitable and EZtransact Equitable^® keeps improving our digital self-serve tool, EZtransact^®. Our latest enhancements make it easier than ever to do business with us.
   
   What's new?
   Dollar cost averaging transaction
   • Advisors can now submit new dollar cost averaging requests through the Fund Switch transaction in EZtransact. A new recurring switch type is available.
   • When submitting a new request, you'll need to enter the amount, frequency, date of transfers, and the funds involved.
   • If a client has an active request, you can change the amount, frequency, date, and funds.
   • After you submit the request, the client will get an email to sign. Once they e-sign, the request goes directly to Equitable.
   
   Other recent enhancements include:
   • Segregated fund withdrawals and fund transfers
   • New dashboard for client search, transaction management enhancements and signing process improvements
   See what advisors are saying about our updates and advance your sales process with EZtransact. If you have questions, contact your Director, Investment Sales.
   
   Date posted: December 11, 2024
9. [pdf] Advisors Edge Insurance for Children Article
10. Financial planning concepts & tools