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  1. 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 31st 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
     
  2. [pdf] myFlex Options Overview
  3. EquiLiving offers more options to clients facing a covered Critical Illness condition Consider these statistics…1 in 2 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetimes1. They’re just numbers…until the day someone you know is diagnosed, someone who didn’t see it coming. Then it becomes very real - no longer incidence statistics, but costs. Today more people than ever are surviving and living with not only just the physical, but also the financial effects of their illness.
     
    We’re there to help when illness strikes

    NEW! EquiLiving® plans and riders have recently been enhanced including:

    ●  20 pay options with coverage to age 75 or coverage for life
    ●  Support from Cloud DX to help monitor a client’s well-being from treatment to recovery.
    ●  Added Acquired Brain Injury as a covered critical condition 
    ●  30-day survival period removed for all non-cardiovascular covered conditions
    ●  No age restriction to claim for Loss of Independent Existence (LOIE)
    ●  EquiLiving Benefit now pays the higher of the EquiLiving Benefit or the Return of Premium Rider Benefit (not including Return of Premium on Death)
    ●  And so much more …

    Learn more
    ●  CI product enhancement video
    ●  Visit our launch event page with product change details and more
    ●  Marketing Materials

    Please contact your Regional Sales Manager for more information. 
     
    1 www.cancer.ca
     
  4. [pdf] Managing a Retirement Savings Plan tax refund
  5. [pdf] Payout Annuity Advisor Guide
  6. Announcing Equitable Life's National Biosimilar Program Beginning March 1, 2024, we are expanding our biosimilar switch program nationally** to protect all our clients and to make our coverage consistent across Canada.

    Our national biosimilar initiative will simplify drug plan coverage, replacing our provincial programs with one program across the country.
     

    Why now?

    Over the past few years, most provinces have introduced policies to delist some originator biologic drugs. They require most patients to switch to biosimilar versions of those drugs to be eligible for coverage under their public drug plans. Soon, it is expected that all provincial drug plans will cover only biosimilars.

    In response, we have implemented biosimilar switch initiatives in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to align with these provincial changes. Our initiatives are designed to protect our clients from additional drug costs that may result from these government policies while providing access to equally safe and effective lower cost biosimilars.
     

    How will this affect clients’ drug plans?

    Because we have already introduced biosimilar switch initiatives in most provinces, the impact of this change will be minimal. It will primarily affect plan members in provinces or territories where we haven’t already required the switch to biosimilars, and plan members who are taking biosimilars that were not originally included in the switch initiative for their province. 

    Regardless of where they live, plan members across Canada will no longer be eligible for most originator biologic drugs if they have a condition for which Health Canada has approved a lower cost biosimilar version of the drug. Plan members already taking the originator biologic will be required to switch to a biosimilar version of the drug to maintain coverage under their Equitable plan. We will support their transition with education, personalized communication, and resources.
     

    Will this change affect clients' rates?

    Any cost savings associated with the change will be factored in at renewal.


    What is the difference between biologics and biosimilars?

    Biologics are drugs that are engineered using living organisms like yeast and bacteria. The first version of a biologic developed is known as the “originator” biologic. Biosimilars are highly similar to the drugs they are based on, and Health Canada considers them to be equally safe and effective for approved conditions.
     

    Advance notice

    We will be communicating with affected claimants in early December to allow them ample time to change their prescription and avoid any interruptions in their treatment or their coverage. 

    If you have any questions about this change, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Account Executive.


    **Excludes plan members in Quebec who participate in a separate provincial program. 
  7. EZcomplete enhancements for segregated fund applications

    When we launched EZcomplete® for segregated funds back in January we heard a lot of positive comments from our advisors. We also heard that we could do better. So that's just what we did.

     

    1. FUNDSERV CODE 

    Advisors with an active FundSERV code no longer need to remember to select the FundSERV code when starting a new segregated fund application. EZcomplete will now default to the FundSERV code.


    2. LOAN DEPOSIT OPTION
    Under the Contributions section of the segregated fund application for Non-registered, TFSA, RSP or Spousal RSP, Loan is now a deposit option under Deposit Types. If Loan is selected, EZcomplete will ask for amount and Lending Company name. Equitable Life® has partnered with B2B Bank to provide investment and RSP loans at competitive rates. Details can be found on EquiNet® under "Loans".


    3. LIMITING SUCCESSOR ANNUITANT
    Applicable to TFSA, RIF and Spousal RIF applications only, EZcomplete will now use validation to prevent advisors from accidentally naming the same person as both successor annuitant and beneficiary, reducing the instances of "not in good order" applications.


    4. ONGOING PAD FUND SELECTION
    If Ongoing PAD is selected as a Deposit Type, an advisor can allocate the Ongoing PAD to a fund allocation that is different than the rest of the deposit options.


    5. TRANSFER FORM NOTIFICATION
    The MGA and advisor confirmation emails now include text to confirm that a Transfer Form has been uploaded and submitted as part of the segregated fund application. This additional information will act as a reminder to the Advisor/MGA to send the Transfer Form to the relinquishing institution.

     

    6. POPULATING FIELDS
    Advisors will no longer need to keep entering the same advisor and MGA information on new segregated fund applications. The first time an advisor code is used on an EZcomplete segregated fund application, the advisor will populate all the required fields. Each subsequent time a new segregated fund application is created with the same advisor code, the following fields will pre-populate with the values that were last entered.

    a) Advisor Email
    b) Dealer/MGA Name
    c) Branch Number
    d) MGA Email

  8. Insights from a pandemic: COVID-19 and group benefits plans

    We’ve received numerous questions about the impact of COVID-19 and what it will mean for benefits plans in the months ahead. Below is a summary of what we’re seeing so far. In the coming weeks, we’ll explore each of these topics in greater depth.

    Disability

    Initially, as COVID-19 started to spread, we saw STD claims ramp up quickly. Since then, we’ve seen the number of COVID-19-related STD claims slow significantly. As for LTD, we believe both the incidence and duration of those claims will increase in both the short term and medium term due to COVID-19.

    Health and Dental Claims

    We saw an overall spike in the volume and paid amounts for drug claims in March as plan members rushed to stock up on their medications. This was followed by a drop in April after most provinces put 30-day refill limits in place. One exception was claims for asthma drugs which surged in March but had no drop in April. Overall, the April plunge will be short-lived; drug costs have already begun to rise in May.

    While paramedical and dental claims are down, we are seeing an increase in claims for virtual treatments and emergency dental services. We expect that claims will spike once the current pandemic restrictions are lifted. We’ve already started to see claims rise in provinces that are allowing health providers to re-open.

    Despite the shift to more virtual services, we haven’t seen an increase in fraudulent activity. But we continue to be vigilant. Our investigative practices – verifying with the plan member that they received the treatment and have a valid receipt, and that the practitioner has treatment notes – remain the same whether treatment is provided in person or virtually.

    Technology

    During this time of physical distancing, people are looking for ways to interact with their providers virtually. Fortunately, our business model is almost entirely electronic, and we have several convenient digital options available for plan members and plan sponsors. Our focus in recent weeks has been to remind clients and plan members about these tools and make it as easy as possible for them to activate and use them. And we are continually adding functionality that will allow us to serve our customers even better.

    Mental Health/Wellness

    Usage of i-Volve, Homewood’s online cognitive behavioural therapy tool, increased significantly in March before levelling back down in April and May. And while EFAP cases fell in April and early-May, the number of cases has begun to climb in recent weeks, particularly for anxiety. In the coming weeks and months, we expect an eventual increase in marital and family issues, as well as depression. We’ve also seen an increase in mental-health-related prescriptions.

    Plan Design

    It’s too early to predict how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact benefits plan design and how it will change in the coming months. We would love to get your feedback and insights about how benefit plans will evolve and what new features or provisions they should include.

    Please share your thoughts and suggestions with your Group Account Executive or myFlex Marketing Manager. Or, you can email your ideas to GroupCommunications@equitable.ca.

  9. 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).  
     

      sand.jpg                     internet-(2).jpg
     

    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. 
     

  10. Investment Calculators