Life Insurance

Nobody expects life to be cut short or impeded by injury or illness. Life insurance is there to protect you and your family from financial hardship created by these situations.

A life insurance policy can take many forms, depending on the type of coverage you want to include. At Ron Johnston Insurance, we work with both personal and commercial life insurance clients across Ontario. Some of the life insurance products we offer, include:

Term

A term life insurance policy covers you for a specified term. In Ontario, the most common term options are:

• 10-years
• 15-years
• 20-years
• 25-years
• 30-years

Some term policies are intact until a set age. If your term policy ends, you can choose to extend it, or opt for a different policy.

Many term policy holders select this life insurance product because it has a lower premium than lengthier contracts. It offers the same type of protection while active, but without the high price tag.

Whole Life

Whole life insurance policy protects for the entirety of your life – not just a specified term. The policy may extend up to a specific age, normally something outside of the range of an average human life, such as 120-years.

Unlike term insurance, your whole life plan builds as the policy continues. This means the payout accumulates, rather than remaining at a set amount. Whole life insurance plans tend to have higher premiums.

Universal

Universal life insurance is a two-pronged policy. It includes the standard financial protection offered in most life products, but also includes an investment aspect.

A universal policy lets you pay your premium, and the remaining money is funneled into tax free investments of your choosing. These investments are transparent to you and can be bequeathed in the event of your death.

The money is accessible to you anytime and if you cancel, you will receive the cash in your account (minus a surrender value if you cancel before the ten-year mark.

There are minimums for borrowing and spending with universal insurance, so be sure to ask your life insurance broker about the fine print of your policy.

Long-term Disability

Missing work due to a disability can be debilitating to your financial standing and self esteem. Long term disability insurance protects you from loss of income by paying up to 90% of your monthly wages.

Disability insurance is a worthwhile investment, ensuring you can pay for everyday expenses like:

• Mortgage
• Rent
• Power
• Water
• Groceries
• Vehicle  

Your long-term disability coverage may have a cap on the amount or time frame for which you receive payments. It is important to thoroughly check your policy.

Critical Illness

Critical illness insurance is coverage used when you are afflicted by an illness which keeps you from working or may lead to death. Examples of critical illnesses include, but are not limited to:

• Cancer
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Paralysis
• Kidney Failure
• Requirement of Organ Transplant
• Heart Attack or Stroke

Having a critical illness comes with additional expenses, including:

• Prescriptions
• In-home care
• Transportation to medical facilities
• Specialty services
• Respite care

While the Canadian government pays for many medical expenses, not everything is covered through standard medical care. This means you are left paying out of pocket.

What Does Life Insurance Cover?

Life insurance can be used for any number of things. In the event of a claim, your loved ones can use your life insurance payout for:

• Mortgage
• Education costs
• Vehicle payments
• Funeral costs
• Debt repayment
• Home renovations

Life insurance covers you in the event of accidental death, murder, critical illness, disability, and many other facets of illness, injury, or death. Some life insurance policies do not protect in the event of a suicide.

There are different types of life insurance as outlined above, including:

• Term
• Whole Life
• Universal
• Long-term Disability
• Critical Illness

The type of coverage you purchase will alter the types of claims you can make and the resulting payouts.

Additional Life Insurance Coverages

Your initial life insurance policy may not offer enough coverage for your individual needs. You can add extended life insurance protection to cover additional needs. These add-ons, include:

• Guaranteed Insurability– If you need to change your policy in the future, guaranteed insurability ensures you do not require further medical tests to achieve more coverage.
• Family Income Benefit– If the insured part passes, a family income benefit provides consistent payout to your beneficiaries as a source of income.
• Accelerated Death– If you are diagnosed with a critical illness, accelerated death benefits give you the ability to use your claim money during the end of your life. Any residual money left to claim will go to your beneficiaries in the event of eventual death.