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An insurance advisor acts as your guide through the often complex world of insurance policies, helping you to identify the coverage that best suits your life and financial goals. A life insurance advisor is not just someone who sells you a policy; they are here for your personal support.
Researching and ultimately buying life insurance can be a daunting task. A life insurance advisor serves as your personal guide helping make sense of the complex insurance industry and presenting coverage options that suit your unique financial needs.
They have a lot of experience working with clients with a variety of needs, and can decode insurance terminology and common myths you might find online.
During a planning meeting with a life insurance advisors, they will usually:
- Understand what is your reason for getting coverage
- Listen to any concerns you may have
- Explain complex terminology or myths about how insurance works
- Provide advice for your situation
- Recommend an insurance plan that provides you with necessary coverage
- Inform you of features that you can use to maximize your policy
Life insurance plans are highly customizable with multiple term options, and coverage amounts. Advisors ask a lot of questions upfront to ensure you can choose the right insurance option that will allow you to be adaptable to your life milestones.
Whether you’re planning on buying a house or starting a family, it’s beneficial to discuss with an insurance advisor to make sure your coverage plan continues to be the right fit for you.
Tip! A good time to revisit your insurance coverage needs is when you’re planning for these big life milestones, like expanding the family or making a big purchase like a home. But it can also be helpful to revisit your policy once a year to make sure your information is up to date.
In the world of life insurance, an insurance advisor, particularly certified ones, are beneficial in the buying process as they come with a lot of specific expertise, and are held to high ethical standards.
Most certified life insurance advisors have experience with a variety of insurance products. Having worked with different types of insurance products, they can introduce you to products you may not have heard of that may suit your insurance needs best. Some insurance products include:
- Term life insurance
- Whole life insurance
- Universal life insurance
- Variable life insurance
- Indexed universal life insurance
Whether you’re looking for an affordable option for your family like term life insurance, or one with a cash value component, a life insurance advisor can work with your budget and your needs and to recommend the best coverage for you.
Life insurance advisors have a fiduciary duty to you, which means they need to act in your best interest. To become a certified life insurance advisor, their training includes guidelines on ethics and professional practice.
Finding a life insurance advisor can be easy as all licensed advisors will use their experience to provide their best advice, so the choice will come down to who you feel most comfortable with.
To become a licensed insurance advisor, one must complete the Life License Qualification Program Insurance Course (LLQP) followed by the LLQP exam. The courses can only be taken through an approved course provider, and the course takes roughly 100 hours to complete.
Plus an advisor can also get other specialized designations such as the Professional Financial Advisor (PFA™) and the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®). Each with their own individual requirements.
In Canada, each province has their own licensing requirements so all certified life insurance advisors are held to a high professional standard for each province they practice in.
The course and relevant designations are often earned alongside or after getting a university or college degree, showing a high commitment into the world of financial planning and life insurance.
A good client-advisor relationship is marked by:
- A strong personal connection
- Mutual trust and understanding
- Feeling comfort when sharing of personal and financial information
- A plan that meets your needs and objectives
There’s several life insurance options for you to choose from, each offering unique advantages and drawbacks. With a licensed advisor as your guide, you can learn more about each option like term, whole, and universal life insurance and select which one is better suited to your financial and life’s goals.
Term life insurance is an affordable and straightforward type of life insurance that provides financial protection for a set period. The beneficiary gets a lump sum death benefit if the policyholder passes within that time frame. Term policies are often the cheapest life insurance in Canada.
Whole life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance, meaning that it provides coverage over your entire life. Alongside the lifelong coverage, it may come with a cash value component that grows over time.
Whole life insurance is usually pricier than term life insurance, sometimes up to 7.5 times more. But is ideal for high earners seeking tax-deferred savings options.
Universal life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance coverage that will cover you for your whole life, as long as you keep paying the premiums.
Some of what you pay goes towards the life insurance itself, while another portion is divided between savings and investment components.
Universal life insurance is easy to customize and offers some flexibility for what you pay into. But you need to monitor your policy closely to make sure the investments are performing and make adjustments as needed.
Some common misconceptions about life insurance advisors include that they only act to increase their commissions. While some advisors may get commissions, the main goal of being an insurance advisor is building trust, fostering relationships, and ensuring their client’s financial interests are met.
Let’s dispel some myths about life insurance advisors:
- Contrary to popular belief, life insurance advisors don't disappear after you buy a policy; they're there for ongoing support and to answer any questions you may have.
- Life insurance advisors aren't just after commissions; many work on a fee-for-service basis or get commissions from insurance companies, but their primary goal is to find the best coverage for you.
- While some may worry about hidden fees, reputable life insurance advisors in Canada are transparent about costs and will explain everything clearly before you make any decisions.
Technology has introduced a lot of innovation into the approach of life insurance advisors. Aside from getting more advanced actuarial science, advisors now have more tools and digital platforms to use.
This can increase an advisor's efficiency in communicating and engaging with clients virtually, and also having some insurance steps be done completely online.
- A life insurance advisor serves as your personal guide helping make sense of the complex insurance industry.
- When working with a life insurance advisor, you can get personalized coverage options and insurance product recommendations.
- Certified life insurance advisors act in your best interest and are held to high ethical standards and practices.