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1. Financial planning concepts & tools
2. Celebrating our most popular Pivotal Select funds

   In August 2022, Equitable^® launched 12 new segregated funds in Pivotal Select’s Investment Class (75/75). We wanted to bring some new innovative solutions to the product, including six sustainable investment funds. To say the launch of these funds was successful would be an understatement.
   
   The funds are quickly becoming some of the most popular funds in Pivotal Select™, and their performance in 2023 was impressive. Equitable wants to celebrate these funds and encourage clients to consider them for their portfolios.
   
   As of February 29, 2024, nine out of the 12 funds received a 1st quartile ranking for their 1-year return and two more were 2nd quartile. The table below shows the new funds that ranked in the top two quartiles for their 1-year returns.

   
   

   Access additional fund performance information
   
   If you haven’t looked at these funds yet, now is the time. Speak to clients about their investment options and see if these funds fit within their investment portfolio.
   
   Talk to your Director, Investment Sales today for more information.

    

   Disclaimer

   Any amount that is allocated to a segregated fund is invested at the risk of the contractholder and may increase or decrease in value. Segregated fund values change frequently, and past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors do not purchase an interest in underlying securities or funds, but rather, an individual variable insurance contract issued by The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada. There are risks involved with investing in segregated funds. Please read the Contract and Information Folder before investing for a description of risks relevant to each segregated fund and for a complete description of product features and guarantees. Copies of the Contract and Information Folder are available on equitable.ca.

   Management Expense Ratios (MERs) are based on figures as of February 29, 2024, and are unaudited. MERs may vary at any time. The MER is the combination of the management fee, insurance fee, operating expenses, HST, and any other applicable non-income tax for the fund and for the underlying fund. For clients with larger contract values, a Management Fee Reduction may be available through the Preferred Pricing Program. For details, please see the Pivotal Select Contract and Information Folder.

   ® and TM denote trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.

    

   Posted April 18, 2024 

3. New Year, New Opportunities—Explore Equitable’s Competitive Term Life Solution The new year brings new opportunities to help clients feel confident about their financial future. Equitable’s term rates are among the best on LifeGuide in key markets*, combined with our flexibility and support, making us a great choice for clients. Run an illustration now!

   Why choose Equitable for term life insurance?

   • Great rates – we’ve recently repriced! On average, we reduced our monthly term rates by 5%. Check out our great term rates for yourself.  Tip! For best term rates, choose monthly premiums.
   • Flexibility to change the term plan** – life is always changing, and so do life insurance needs. Offer clients the flexibility to:
        • Exchange term plans: from Term 10 to Term 20 or Term 30/65. They can also exchange from Term 20 to Term 30/65.
        • Convert to permanent coverage: Offer clients the security of changing their term plan to any of our permanent plans without underwriting.
   • Partial term conversion with term rider carryover: Convert part of the term coverage into permanent protection and carry over the remaining coverage as any term rider plan.
   • Extra support when it matters most – our KIND^® program offers a suite of benefits for clients and their families. This reflects our deep commitment to standing by them when it matters most. 
   
   
   
   
   Build client relationships with trusted protection
   This year, and every year, strengthen your client relationships by choosing Equitable for term life protection. With our flexible solutions, innovative features, and unwavering support, you can help clients move forward with confidence.
   
   Start the year off by helping clients meet their insurance needs with a term plan.
   
   Run a quote today!
   
   Contact your Equitable wholesaler today to learn more!
   
    *Effective November 22, 2025. Our monthly term rates are ranked among the best on LifeGuide when compared against top carriers in key markets. 
   ** Administrative rules and age limits apply to exchanges and conversions. Please see the policy for details. The policy governs in all cases.
    
4. March 2026 eNews

   In this issue:

   Equitable is adding nutrition app to all group benefits plans*
   Coming soon: One-time passcodes will be added to account login process*
   Standardized CLHIA disability form is now part of our disability claims submission package*
   Reminder: Review manual allocations for HCSAs and/or TSAs*
   Protecting clients’ plans from benefits fraud*
   
   *Indicates content that will be shared with your clients.
    

   Equitable is adding nutrition app to all group benefits plans

    

   Equitable is making healthy eating easier and more accessible for all group benefits plan members. Beginning in April, access to the RxFood mobile app will be added to every Equitable group benefits plan—at no extra cost.

    

   This will put personalized nutrition insights, practical tips and tailored recommendations at every plan member’s fingertips—helping them make more informed food choices that can either help prevent or manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease.

    

   What is RxFood?

    

   RxFood is Canada’s first clinically validated nutrition platform that’s used and trusted by leading health care institutions across the country, including SickKids Hospital, Diabetes Canada, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and more, to support better health outcomes through nutrition.

    

   While we can track many aspects of our daily health—steps, heart rate, sleep, and blood sugar—food is often overlooked. RxFood helps close that gap by using technology that’s powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to turn everyday meals into meaningful health insights.

    

   How it works

    

   A plan member takes photos of their meals with their smartphone. RxFood will analyze what's on their plate, from nutritional quality to portion sizes, then provide personalized feedback, easy-to-follow suggestions and recipes with ingredient options tailored to their budget.

    

   After a few days of logging, they’ll receive a comprehensive nutrition summary showing how their eating patterns align with their personal health goals, and where to go from there.

    

   Check out the following video to learn more about RxFood— and how Equitable is putting the power to eat healthy in the hands of plan members.

   
    

   Coming soon: One-time passcodes will be added to account login process

    

   This spring, Equitable will launch a new multi-factor authentication (MFA) security measure to further enhance our digital security. When our new feature takes effect, anyone logging in to EquitableHealth.ca® and the Equitable EZClaim® mobile app with an email address and password may be required to enter a one-time passcode they receive via email. This will further safeguard their account access and personal data.

    

   Keep it simple – create a passkey

    

   If you don’t want to enter a one-time passcode when logging into your account, you can skip this extra step all together by creating a passkey on your mobile device or computer.

    

   Passkeys are safe and provide a quicker, easier way to log in while also enhancing account security. They use either biometrics–your face or fingerprint–or a PIN authenticator to confirm your identity.

    

   If you create and use a passkey to log in, you won’t need to enter a one-time passcode.

   Learn more about passkeys. The set-up process is simple. The two videos below guide you through creating a passkey on both your mobile device and computer.

    

   Client and plan member communications

    

   We will share this information with clients and group benefits plan members before we introduce our new security measure. Please reach out to your Group Account Executive if you have any questions.

    
   
   
   If you use the same email address to log in to your accounts on EquitableHealth.ca, EquiNet^® and Equitable Client Access^®, you can use the same passkey. Equitable Client Access is our secure site for Individual Insurance and Individual Wealth clients.
    

   
   Standardized  CLHIA disability form is now part of our disability claims submission package

    

   Clients with employees who are submitting short-term or long-term disability claims should be aware that we’ve changed one of the required forms in our disability claim submission package.

    

   The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s (CLHIA) Initial Disability Insurance Medical Statement has replaced our Attending Physician’s Statement (APS) form.
   
   
   Our disability claim application packages on Equitable.ca and EquitableHealth.ca now include the CLHIA standardized form instead of our APS form. Our old form is no longer available on our websites.
   
   
   We will continue accepting our previous APS form for initiating disability claims for now. However, we’re encouraging clients to begin using the standardized form as soon as possible. Using a standardized form for disability claims across the group insurance industry helps reduce the administrative burden on physicians by simplifying the disability application process.
   
   
   If you have any questions, please contact your Group Account Executive.

   
   Reminder: Review manual allocations for HCSAs and/or TSAs

   
   If your client’s Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and/or Taxable Spending Account (TSA) has manual allocations, they need to allocate these amounts to plan members each year.
   
   Plan administrators can update these amounts on EquitableHealth.ca. Here are the steps:

   • Select View certificate
   • Select Health Care Spending Account or Taxable Spending Account
   • Select Update Allocation in Task Center
   • Enter amount in Revised Allocation Amount
   • Override Reason – Plan Administrator Request
   • Select Save

   Plan administrators who have reporting capability can determine which plan members have a zero allocation by running the HCSA Totals by Plan Member report online. Here are the steps:

   • Select Reports
   • Select New
   • Select Next
   • Select HCSA or TSA Totals by Plan Member
   • Select Next
   • Enter end date of 12/31/2026
   • Select Next
   • Select Finish
   • View Report

   Your clients can also contact us at GroupBenefitsAdmin@equitable.ca for help with updating the amounts.
    

   Protecting clients’ plans from benefits fraud

   
   March is Fraud Prevention month – the perfect time for clients to educate their plan members on the consequences of benefits fraud.
   
   According to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA), benefits fraud costs millions each year and can contribute to higher premiums for plan sponsors.
   
   These resources can help clients and plan members prevent benefits fraud:

   • CLHIA’s free 15-minute Protect Your Benefits online course for plan administrators and their members
   • CLHIA’s Fraud is Fraud program, including their FAQs on benefits fraud
   • CLHIA's 10 tips to 'Protect your benefits' for plan members

    

   How we protect against benefits fraud

   
   Our Investigative Claims Unit (ICU) uses a range of techniques, including CLHIA‑led tools, to detect and prevent benefits fraud: 

   • Joint Provider Fraud Investigation Program: Allows insurers to collaborate on fraud investigations that affect multiple insurers.
   • Data Pooling Program: Pools data between insurers and uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to further identify and reduce benefits fraud.
   • Provider Alert Registry: Allows insurers to view the results of other insurers’ anti-fraud investigations into specific practitioners. 

   
   To learn more, contact your Group Account Executive.
5. [pdf] Choosing the right account type
6. Market Commentary April 2025
   Key Takeaways for Q1

   • Economic policy became more uncertain with fluctuating tariff announcements from the U.S. and its trading partners.
   • Global stocks markets experienced heightened volatility year-to-date, reflecting the negative repercussions of tariffs for highly integrated global economies.
   • Within U.S. markets, investors rotated out of growth stocks into value and defensive areas of the market.
   • Bond markets performed well during the quarter as interest rates moved lower.
   • Most central banks continued to ease monetary policy by reducing their target interest rates. The U.S. Federal Reserve was a notable exception, electing to wait for greater clarity before lowering rates further.

   Economic and Market Update

   Economic Summary: In the U.S., the latest GDP data confirmed solid economic growth in 2024. However, as President Trump pushes forward his economic agenda, uncertainty surrounding fiscal policy and global trade have dampened market sentiment. Inflation pressures persisted, with the rate of inflation remaining above the central bank’s 2% objective. The labour market in the U.S. remained resilient, with unemployment rate staying low compared to historical norms. The Federal Reserve shifted to a more cautious approach, holding the policy rate steady through Q1 at the range 4.25% - 4.5%. The central bank raised its inflation forecast, lowered growth projections, and warned that “uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased.” U.S. bond yields were lower for most maturity dates during the first quarter, as the market priced in more growth concerns and anticipated more rate cuts from the Federal Reserve.
   
   
   
   In Canada, recent GDP data showed stronger-than-expected growth. The inflation rate remained close to the 2% target but rose more than expected in February, and the labour market showed signs of improvement. U.S. tariffs continued to be a significant concern, and it is prompting businesses and consumers to become more cautious and slow their spending. The Bank of Canada warned that the economic impact of the tariffs could be “severe” and expected weaker growth in the coming quarters. For those reasons the Bank of Canada continued its easing cycle, cutting rates by 25 basis points at each of the January and March meetings, bringing the policy rate to 2.75%. Bond yields in Canada were also lower, with short-term interest rates decreasing faster than long-term interest rates as the Bank of Canada’s rate cuts outpaced market expectations.
   
   
   
   Bond Markets: During Q1 2025, the FTSE Canada Universe Bond Index returned 2.0% as interest rates declined across all tenors. Although interest rates fell, this was partially offset by higher credit spreads (i.e. the extra yield on corporate bonds versus government bonds to compensate for their extra risk). Consequently, while corporate bonds still generated a positive return on the quarter, they underperformed government bonds.  Widening credit spreads reflected the risk-off tone to the market, with on-off-on-off-on(?) tariffs contributing to the uncertainty. Lower-rated BBB bonds generally performed worse than higher-quality A-rated bonds.  While credit spreads are higher than they were in December and January, they are still expensive compared to longer term averages. Corporate bond issuance remained robust up until the last week of March, as investor demand kept deals well supported. Overall, the market took in $40 billion in new issuance, the second highest on record, spread over 82 bonds. While corporate bonds are more attractive than in January 2025, we believe the more likely path is towards higher credit spreads as U.S. tariffs impact global growth.  We have maintained our conservative view with a bias towards shorter-dated credit but remain ready to invest in longer dated corporate bonds as valuations become more attractive. 
   
   
   Stock Markets – Overview:
   Uncertainty surrounding the scope and severity of new tariffs led investors to reassess global economic growth prospects and weighed on risk sentiment. As a result, the S&P 500 declined 4.3% over the quarter, underperforming Canadian and international markets. Within the U.S., investors rotated out of previously favoured growth stocks with loftier valuations – including members of the Magnificent 7 – into less volatile and value-cyclical companies. Meanwhile, Canadian equities returned 1.5% in Q1 despite ongoing trade negotiations and uncertain economic growth forecasts. Surging commodity prices helped the materials and energy sectors outperform, offsetting weakness in the technology and industrials sectors. Elsewhere, major developed markets from Europe and Asia (EAFE) were supported over the quarter by the introduction of a new German fiscal stimulus package and signs of improving Chinese economic growth. Following the quarter end, President Trump announced global tariffs on April 2^nd, prompting some trading partners to hit back with retaliatory tariffs. The S&P 500 lost a record $5.2 trillion over two trading sessions and re-entered correction territory, with other global equity markets moving in tandem.
   
   U.S. Equities: While the impact of tariffs has made investors more apprehensive, we have yet to witness a deterioration in financial performance. In fact, U.S. earnings continued to exceed forecasts last quarter, with approximately 70% of companies beating expectations. Furthermore, our bottom-up analysis shows that the skew of corporate earnings surprises continues to tilt positive. That said, we note that companies are providing more cautious guidance amid the increased economic uncertainty and that these earnings largely reflect conditions in 2024, not 2025. Notably, consumer stocks like Walmart have lowered growth forecasts for 2025, citing concerns surrounding consumer confidence and macroeconomic conditions. In addition to clouding the outlook, geopolitical shocks like sweeping tariffs may risk changing how companies choose to operate, including the structure of supply chains and sources of revenue. At this stage, it is still unclear how long these trade tensions will last, as that depends on how other countries choose to respond. If the tariffs are rolled back quickly, many companies may be able to absorb the temporary extra costs without serious damage to profits, and the broader economy could avoid lasting harm. But if the tariffs remain in place for a long time, the consequences could be much more serious; companies might have to change how they operate, restructure supply chains, and raise prices to deal with long-term pressure on profits.
   
   Canadian Equities: Against the backdrop of worrisome trade developments, the Bank of Canada continued to ease monetary policy. While lower rates have helped Canadian companies report better-than-expected profit growth, consensus earnings expectations for 2025 have been revised 2% lower since the beginning of the year, reflecting the expectations for tariff headwinds. Falling bond yields made high quality, high dividend paying companies more attractive, helping this group outperform. Furthermore, the price of raw industrials – a basket of commodities – surged higher over the quarter and as a result, commodity-oriented companies benefitted. More specifically, the materials sector performed strongly with gold prices reaching new all-time highs throughout the quarter. However, if trade frictions continue to escalate and weaker growth projections materialize into a real economic slowdown, the Canadian market, given its cyclical nature and heavy reliance on commodity-driven businesses, remains particularly vulnerable to external headwinds. Moreover, given Canada’s weaker fundamental backdrop, we caution that the recent outperformance of Canadian equities relative to the U.S. may prove short-lived, particularly if trade tension persists.
   
   Bottom line:
   Heightened uncertainty surrounding global trade policies, coupled with deteriorating economic growth projections, continued to weigh on investor sentiment. Bond prices benefited from the flight to less-risky assets, with lower interest rates in anticipation of weaker economic conditions. In equity markets, the introduction of broad-based tariffs increased market volatility and drove major indices sharply lower year-to-date. Looking forward, we remain cautious of the recent outperformance of Canadian and international markets relative to the U.S. While tariffs began as a U.S. policy move, the ripple effects extend far beyond American borders, reflecting the systemic fragility that underpins global trade. If trade barriers persist, businesses may be forced to make structural shifts in their operations and review their current business models. Until markets achieve greater clarity on global trade policies, we continue to prioritize exposure to diversified large-cap stocks in the U.S., over defensive or growth-heavy positions. Within Canada, we continue to favour high quality, high dividend paying names with less sensitivity to downgrades in global growth.
   
   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.
    
7. Delegation Requests Now Available on EquiNet We are excited to announce a new feature that will help make it easier for you to do business with Equitable Life.
    
   This new feature allows you, to submit a delegation request through the “Access” tab under your EquiNet profile. 
   
   Once the delegation request has been completed, the specified people will be able to view and manage the policies of the Advisor who submitted the request, as long as they have codes of their own within the system.
    
   Please contact the customer service team at customerservice@equitable.ca for more information.
8. [pdf] Levelize the tax on your fixed income investments with participating whole life (individual clients)
9. Web Illustration Tool for Universal Life (UL) Insurance now available

   The new tool for UL provides greater flexibility and convenience. You will now have access to UL illustrations in the same way that you access and save Whole life web illustrations. It enables you to manage your business on the go from your laptop.
   
   This is the latest step in our commitment to making it easier for you to do business with us, with all our product illustrations now available in a web version. Visit the new web illustration tool here.
   
   Speak to your individual life wholesaler to learn more!