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Equitable Life of Canada ends 2020 in a position of financial strength
Equitable Life of Canada is pleased to report that our strategic approach continued to serve us well in 2020, despite operating in a global pandemic.
Equitable Life, one of Canada’s largest mutual life insurance companies, closed out 2020 with strong earnings and solid growth.
The Company reported earnings of $153 million, equating to a return on policyholders’ equity of 16%. This result was driven by strong sales, investment performance, positive impacts from favourable expense ratios and reserve assumption changes.
“There is no doubt the global pandemic has had, and continues to have, a profound impact on the lives of Canadians and created challenges for all of us in 2020 that we could never have envisioned,” said Ron Beettam, Equitable Life’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Thanks to the resiliency and commitment of our entire team, we effectively responded to unfavourable impacts caused by the pandemic, including market volatility, and continued to achieve a high growth rate on most key measures, ending 2020 in a position of financial strength.”
Equitable Life reported premiums and deposits of $1.7 billion in 2020, contributing to $6.0 billion of assets under administration. This growth was supported by very strong sales during the pandemic, as more Canadians turned to insurance to protect the financial security of their families. Dividends to participating policyholders increased by 24% over the prior year.
The Individual Insurance business reported 2020 sales of $149 million, reflecting the third consecutive year of double-digit sales growth. Savings & Retirement reported sales of $401 million, driven by sales of segregated funds. Group Benefits delivered sales of $46 million, despite competitive industry pricing strategies and the impact the pandemic had on businesses.
Equitable Life finished the year with an impressive LICAT ratio of 166%, well above the regulatory target and one of the highest in the industry. This capital result demonstrates that we are well-positioned to continue meeting our commitments to our policyholders. In addition, DBRS Limited (DBRS Morningstar) upgraded our Financial Strength rating to A (high) with Stable Trends in September.
“While we don’t yet know what future impacts the global pandemic could have on our business, we know we can face the future with confidence,” said Beettam. “I am very proud of all that we have accomplished together, especially throughout this unpredictable year, and I know the Company is very well positioned to meet the challenges ahead and will continue building on those achievements by focusing on organic and profitable growth across all lines of business, with a continued emphasis on meeting the needs of our policyholders and distribution partners.”
2020 Financial Highlights
- Net income of $153 million, for a return on policyholders' equity of 16%
- Capital strength, as measured by the LICAT ratio, ended the year at 166%
- Participating policyholders' equity surpassed $1 billion
- Premiums and deposits increased by 6.8% to $1.7 billion
- Sales of $149 million in Individual Insurance, $401 million in Savings and Retirement, and $46 million in Group Benefits
- Assets under administration grew 17.6% to $6 billion
- Benefits and payments to policyholders of $820 million
- Dividends to participating policyholders increased by 24% to $61 million
About Equitable Life of Canada
Canadians have turned to Equitable Life since 1920 to protect what matters most. We work with independent advisors across Canada to offer individual insurance, savings & retirement, and group benefits solutions to meet your needs.
Equitable Life is not your typical financial services company. We have the knowledge, experience and ability to find solutions that work for you. We’re friendly, caring and interested in helping. As a mutual company, we are not driven by shareholder pressures for quarterly results. This allows us to focus on management strategies that foster prudent long-term growth, continuity and stability. We are dedicated to meeting our commitments to customers – now and in the future.
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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
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.
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Tax impacts of the Canadian Dental Care Plan for your clients
Tax impacts of the Canadian Dental Care Plan for your clients*
Earlier this year, the government shared its progress on the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).
The CDCP will be available to Canadians with an annual family income of less than $90,000 who do not have dental benefits. Co-pays will be waived for eligible Canadians with a family income of less than $70,000.
Canadians who have access to private dental coverage are not eligible for the CDCP. This means that your clients must now report on T4s/T4As if dental coverage** was available on December 31 of the reporting tax year for:- Employees,
- Employees’ spouses and/or dependents,
- Former employees, and
- Spouses of deceased employees.
This new tax reporting requirement is mandatory starting with the 2023 tax year. Employee tax slips will include new boxes for employers to complete:- Box 45 (T4): Employer Offered Dental Benefits. This new box will be mandatory.
- Box 015 (T4A): Payer Offered Dental Benefits. This new box will be mandatory if plan sponsors report in Box 016, Pension or Superannuation. The box will otherwise be optional.
- Code 1: The plan member has no access to dental care insurance or coverage of dental services of any kind.
- Code 2: Only the plan member has access to any dental care insurance, or coverage of dental services of any kind.
- Code 3: The plan member, their spouse and their dependents have access to any dental care insurance, or coverage of dental services of any kind.
- Code 4: Only the plan member and their spouse have access to any dental care insurance, or coverage of dental services of any kind.
- Code 5: Only the plan member and their dependents have access to any dental care insurance, or coverage of dental services of any kind.
Reports for dependents
We have a report available for plan members who have enrolled their dependents in benefits coverage. Your clients can contact their local service team representative to receive a copy of the report. We are working to make it available on our Advisor and PA websites.
Questions
For guidance on your tax slips and reporting obligations, please encourage your clients to contact their accountant, payroll provider or tax advisor.
Supporting plan members affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict*
Traumatic events continue to unfold in the Middle East. Enduring ongoing news of conflict and suffering could challenge many Canadians. During this difficult time, Equitable encourages affected clients and plan members to access the mental health support they need.
Large-scale traumatic news events can cause people to experience intense reactions. This puts a lot of strain on their mental health. Having coping mechanisms to deal with the current crisis can be a huge help. Any Equitable Life plan member who needs mental health support can visit Homeweb.ca/equitable to access online resources or contact Homewood at 1.888.707.2115.
Support available to all Equitable plan members
Support available to plan members with the Homewood Health EFAP
For your clients that have purchased Homewood Health’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), remind them that their plan members also have access to confidential counselling services. The EFAP provides plan members with 24/7 access to confidential counselling through a national network of mental health professionals. Whether it’s face-to-face, by phone, email, chat or video, plan members and their dependent family members will receive appropriate, timely support for the issue they’re dealing with.
Questions?
If you need more information, contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex account executive.
*Indicates content that will be shared with your clients. - About
- [pdf] G2 - Application for Change
- [pdf] G3 - Application for Change
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Equitable Life's RSP Contest: Grand prize winners celebrate a future filled with possibilities!
The Savings & Retirement team at Equitable Life recently celebrated the successful conclusion of their recent RSP contest with a special cheque presentation to Equitable Life client, Kavitaben Rathod, and her World Financial Group (WFG) advisor, Kinnari Patel, who were both thrilled to be selected as the grand prize winners.
The Grow Your Future contest ran from January 1 to March 1, 2023, and offered clients and advisors a chance to win big by making RSP contributions. It was a hit with clients like Kavitaben as it provided them with a compelling reason to work with their advisors to build their wealth. Clients who made a deposit into an Equitable Life RSP policy between January 1 and March 1, 2023, had the chance to win the $5,000 grand prize. When Kavitaben won the grand prize, her advisor Kinnari won $1,000 as well.
Alex Lucero, Regional Investment Sales Manager, Greater Toronto Area, met with both Kinnari and Kavitaben to present the cheque and took some photos to commemorate the occasion. The collaborative effort put in by the Equitable Life team was highly appreciated.
Kavitaben expressed her sincere gratitude, sharing how surprised, excited, and delighted she was to be chosen as the grand prize winner. She described the experience as “an amazing feeling and our best day in Canada! It was a really fortunate moment for me”.
Kinnari also expressed her appreciation to Equitable Life, Alex, and the entire WFG team for the proud moment and shared that the experience gave her “motivation and inspiration in her future work duties”.
Equitable Life's commitment to offering products, services, and choices that best suit clients' needs was evident through the contest. Clients saw contest messaging through social media and equitable.ca, while advisors saw it on the EquiNet advisor website, through emails, and MGA and WFG newsletters.Congratulations to everyone who supported the contest and helped make it a success!


Date posted: April 19, 2023
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Digital tools for your clients and their plan members
In this issue:
- Digital tools for your clients and their plan members*
- QDIPC updates terms and conditions for 2024*
Digital tools for your clients and their plan members*
Do your clients know how to use all the available digital tools in their Equitable® benefits plans? With useful features for both plan administrators and their members, it’s even easier for your clients to access their plans online.Tools for plan administrators
- Our online plan member enrolment tool lets groups and administrators add new plan members online without completing paper forms
- The EquitableHealth.ca plan administrator portal makes it easy for plan administrators to manage their plan anytime and anywhere. Helpful features include:
- A premium calculator to calculate monthly costs for plan members
- A simple process for updating plan member information
- Digital welcome kits provide personalized information directly to plan members through email
- Easy, automated payment options help plan administrators avoid missed payments by offering pre-authorized debit or electronic funds transfer
Tools for plan members
- Our plan member portal at EquitableHealth.ca provides secure, 24/7 access to claims history and coverage details. It also lets members submit claims, and includes health and wellness resources
- Electronic notifications and claims payments give plan members claim updates via email and deposit payments directly into their bank account
- The Equitable EZClaim® mobile app lets plan members submit claims quickly and securely on-the-go from their mobile device
- Digital benefits cards give plan members the convenience to access their benefits cards easily from a mobile device
Help with digital benefits tools
We’ve created a brochure and video guide to help plan members use digital tools for a smoother, more convenient benefits experience.
Plan members can contact us at 1.800.265.4556 and select the option for Web Support if they need further assistance.
QDIPC updates terms and conditions for 2024*
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 2024 to reflect trends in the volume of claims submitted to the pool, particularly catastrophic claims. These updates take effect January 1, 2024. You can view the updates here.
We will apply the new pooling levels and fees to future renewal calculations that involve Quebec plan members.
If you have any questions, please contact your Group Account Executive or myFlex Account Executive.
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Advisor Compensation after the DSC/LL ban May 29, 2023
As of May 29, 2023, Pivotal Select segregated fund contracts will not allow new deposits to the Deferred Sales Charge (DSC) and Low Load (LL) sales charge options. This is in response to the ban on deferred sales charges by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). The following sales charge options will continue to be available:
- No Load (NL)
- No Load – 3 year chargeback (NL-CB)
- No Load – 5 year chargeback (NL-CB5)
Advisors may be wondering how compensation compares under various sales charge options.
Here is an example of advisor compensation for a $100,000 segregated fund contract in the Equitable Life Active Balanced Portfolio Select.*
*For illustration purposes, this assumes a 0% return over the period shown.Year No Load DSC Low Load No Load CB No Load CB5 1 $1,008 $5,544 $3,024 $3,500 $5,600 2 $1,008 $504 $504 $504 $504 3 $1,008 $504 $504 $504 $504 4 $1,008 $504 $1,008 $504 $504 5 $1,008 $504 $1,008 $1,008 $504 6 $1,008 $504 $1,008 $1,008 $504 7 $1,008 $504 $1,008 $1,008 $504 8 $1,008 $504 $1,008 $1,008 $504 Contract Value Total Compensation Paid $100,000 $8,064 $9,072 $9,072 $9,044 $9,128
Over an 8-year period, total advisor compensation with the CB5 sales charge option is $9,128 versus $9,072 and $8,064 with DSC and NL respectively.
Below is the chargeback schedule for NL-CB and NL-CB5:
Month (age of units) Commission Chargeback Schedule
NL-CBCommission Chargeback Schedule
NL-CB51 - 12 100% 100% 13 - 24 97.2% - 66.4% 98.3% - 82.0% 25 – 36 63.6% - 32.8% 80.5% - 64.0% 37 – 48 0% 62.5% - 46.0% 49 – 60 0% 44.5% - 28% 61+ 0% 0%
For more information, please contact your Regional Investment Sales Manager.
™ or ® denote registered trademarks of The Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada.
Date posted: June 15, 2023
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