Charitable Giving Using Life Insurance
Charitable donations totaled $9.6 billion in 2017, and this number is on the rise.
But did you know that besides donating cash, you can also give the gift of a life insurance policy?
How does it work? And what are the tax benefits?
In this post, we’ll go over your options for charitable giving using life insurance. You’ll learn:
-Which method gives you a tax credit while you’re alive and which one gives it when you pass away
-What type of life insurance you should use for charitable giving
-How using life insurance can increase your contribution by 50% compared to other investments
Let’s begin.
Should you replace your life insurance policy?
Last week we looked at when you should perform a life insurance review. One of the suggestions that was brought up during a review was to replace your current policy if a new one would better serve your needs. How do you determine if a new policy is more suitable for you? In which way is it better? Worse? Is there a cash surrender value in the old policy that would trigger tax if you cancelled it? Would you qualify for a new policy for the same or better rate? These are all questions that you need to ask before replacing a life insurance policy.
When do you need to review your life insurance?
Some people buy life insurance and have a ‘set it and forget it’ attitude, opting never to look at their policy again. After all, they’ve done their research, and are certain they have the most suitable policy. Why should they have to change anything? The reason of course is that life is never static. Circumstances change – sometimes abruptly – which may call for a life insurance review. You may find yourself wondering if you have enough coverage, or if you should renew the term or not, among other similarly tough decisions. It’s recommended that you perform a life insurance review whenever the following events occurs.
9 Dangerous Hobbies That Affect Your Life Insurance Rates
Are you a thrill-seeker who loves dangerous hobbies? Did you know that participating in these high-risk activities can affect your life insurance rates?
You could end up paying thousands more for life insurance. Even worse, the insurance company could deny coverage altogether.
What are the 9 activities insurance companies consider dangerous, and what factors do they look at when determining your rate?
This post answers those questions and more.
By the end, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to get the coverage you need.
So if you’re a thrill-seeker looking for life insurance, this post is for you.
87 Simple Tips To Save On Life Insurance (Updated in 2024)
This is the ultimate guide for saving on life insurance.
Here, you will find a massive list of 87 simple tips to maximize your insurance dollars, leaving you more money in your pocket.
So don’t buy life insurance until you read this. It could end up saving you thousands of dollars over the life of the policy.
Product review: Humania’s P.A.G.E.
A few posts back we reviewed Manulife’s Synergy, a 3-in-1 solution that encompasses life, critical illness and disability insurance. While it’s a simple product that covers the major risks in life, there isn’t much customization associated with it. Every Synergy policy must be comprised of the three types of insurance, with no way of mixing and matching the type of protection you want. That doesn’t mean there is no product with more customization available. Humania, a company based in Quebec, came up with a solution that satisfies all your customization needs by allowing you to mix and match to your heart’s content. The product is called P.A.G.E., and it’s short for ‘Protection for the entire family, Affordable rates, Global coverage, Easy application.’
Product review: Foresters’ Quit Smoking Incentive Plan
Are you a smoker who wants to kick the habit? Chances are, if you currently smoke, that thought has crossed your mind. Besides the health benefit of quitting, there are also financial incentives. The obvious one is saving the money you used to spend on cigarettes. According to Preet Banerjee’s new book, Stop Over-Thinking Your Money, a teenager who pays $9 for a pack of cigarettes would have amassed over $375,000 if he instead would have directed the money to an investment yielding 3%. Now, Foresters has another financial incentive for you to quit smoking. In this week’s product review, we will look at Foresters’ Familylife participating whole life insurance product and its automatically included rider – Quit Smoking Incentive Plan. Chances are you haven’t heard of Familylife before. That’s because it launched in April of 2013, so it’s a brand new product in the insurance industry, and it’s one of a kind in the Canadian marketplace.
Product review: Assumption Life’s FlexOptions
Last week in our product review series we talked about Desjardins’ Life and LTC Advance, a permanent life insurance policy with a monthly long-term care benefit. While most of the product reviews we’ve done so far involved multiple benefits under one policy, there are some that only serves one purpose. One such product is Assumption Life’s FlexOptions. What is FlexOptions and who is it designed for? Let’s get into the features and pricing so you can decide if it’s the right product for you.
Product review: Desjardins Life with LTC Advance
Last week we talked about Manulife Synergy, a combination insurance that incorporates life, disability and critical illness insurance. As part of a series reviewing insurance products from Canadian insurance companies, this week we will focus on Desjardins Life with Long-Term Care Advance. Don’t be put off by its long name, as it may be just the right product for you. As implied, its a type of combination insurance that incorporates life and long-term care insurance. We’ll begin by summarizing some of its features.
Manulife Synergy: 3-in-1 Insurance
Manulife Synergy is a type of combination insurance. It’s a 3-in-1 solution that combines life, disability, and critical illness insurance.
It’s unique in that there are no other products like this in the Canadian marketplace. Let’s examine the features of Manulife Synergy.