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Definition of Conversion RightConversion RightTerm life insurance products are offered as non-convertible or convertible to a certain time in the future. The coversion right has a time limit, usually to the policy holder's age 60 or possibly even age 70. This right means that the policy holder has the right to convert their existing policy to another specific different plan of permanent insurance within the specified time period, without providing evidence of insurability. There is a slightly higher cost for a term policy with the conversion priviledge but it is a valuable feature should a policy holder's health change for the worst and continued insurance coverage becomes a necessity.
Related Terms:ConversionThe act of changing from one type of life insurance policy to another, without having to give evidence of insurability. Right Reading Reverse Feeright reading reverse plans show the design flipped 180 degrees with all of the text reading normally. When you choose this option, we ship each set of purchased blueprints in this format. Registered Pension PlanCommonly referred to as an RPP this is a tax sheltered employee group plan approved by Federal and Provincial governments allowing employees to have deductions made directly from their wages by their employer with a resulting reduction of income taxes at source. These plans are easy to implement but difficult to dissolve should the group have a change of heart. Employer contributions are usually a percentage of the employee's salary, typically from 3% to 5%, with a maximum of the lessor of 20% or $3,500 per annum. The employee has the same right of contribution. Vesting is generally set at 2 years, which means that the employee has right of ownership of both his/her and his/her employers contributions to the plan after 2 years. It also means that all contributions are locked in after 2 years and cannot be cashed in for use by the employee in a low income year. Should the employee change jobs, these funds can only be transferred to the RPP of a new employer or the funds can be transferred to an individual RRSP (or any number of RRSPs) but in either scenario, the funds are locked in and cannot be accessed until at least age 60. The only choices available to access locked in RPP funds after age 60 are the conversion to a Life Income Fund or a Unisex Annuity. Policy FeeThis is an administrative fee which is part of most life insurance policies. It ranges from about $40 to as much as $100 per year per policy. It is not a separate fee. It is incorporated in the regular monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual payment that you make for your policy. Knowing about this hidden fee is important because some insurance companies offer a policy fee discount on additional policies purchased under certain conditions. Sometimes they reduce the policy fee or waive it altogether on one or more additional policies purchased at the same time and billed to the same address. The rules are slightly different depending on the insurance company. There could be enormous savings if several people in the same family or business were intending to purchase coverage at the same time. Policy FeeAdministrative charge included in a Policy Premium. Origination feeA fee paid to a lender for processing a loan application, usually computed as a percentage of face value of the loan. Recording feeA charge from the city or county for recording the transfer of the property. Mirror ReverseMirror reversed plans show the design flipped 180 degrees just like looking at it reflected in a mirror. Keep in mind that all of the text will be flipped too. The fee allows you to have one or more sets shipped in mirror reverse format. We recommend having at least one regular set handy. Canadian Deposit Insurance CorporationBetter known as CDIC, this is an organization which insures qualifying deposits and GICs at savings institutions, mainly banks and trust companys, which belong to the CDIC for amounts up to $60,000 and for terms of up to five years. Many types of deposits are not insured, such as mortgage-backed deposits, annuities of duration of more than five years, and mutual funds. Captive AgentA licensed insurance agent who sells insurance for only one company. Co-insuranceIn medical insurance, the insured person and the insurer sometimes share the cost of services under a policy in a specified ratio, for example 80% by the insurer and 20% by the insured. By this means, the cost of coverage to the insured is reduced. Dead Peasants Insurancealso known as "Dead Janitors insurance", this is the practice, where allowed, in several U.S. states, of numerous well known large American Corporations taking out corporate owned life insurance policies on millions of their regular employees, often without the knowledge or consent of those employees. Corporations profiting from the deaths of their employees [and sometimes ex-employees] have attracted adverse publicity because ultimate death benefits are seldom, even partially passed down to surviving families. Disability Insuranceinsurance that pays you an ongoing income if you become disabled and are unable to pursue employment or business activities. There are limits to how much you can receive based on your pre-disability earnings. Rates will vary based on occupational duties and length of time in a particular industry. this kind of coverage has a waiting period before you can begin collecting benefits, usually 30, 60 or 90 days. The benefit paying period also varies from 2 years to age 65. A short waiting period will cost more that a longer waiting period. As well, a long benefit paying period will cost more than a short benefit paying period. Dollar Cost AveragingA way of smoothing out your investment deposits by investing regularly. Instead of making one large deposit a year into your RRSP, you make smaller regular monthly deposits. If you are buying units in a mutual fund or segregated equity fund, you would end up buying more units in the month that values were low and less units in the month that values were higher. By spreading out your purchases, you don't have to worry about buying at the Right time. Errors and Omissions Insuranceinsurance coverage purchased by the agent/broker which provides protection against loss incurred by a client because of some negligent act, error, oversight, or omission by the agent/broker. Fiat MoneyFiat Money is paper currency made legal tender by law or fiat. It is not backed by gold or silver and is not necessarily redeemable in coin. this practice has had widespread use for about the last 70 years. If governments produce too much of it, There is a loss of confidence. even so, governments print it routinely When they need it. The value of fiat money is dependent upon the performance of the economy of the country which issued it. Canada's currency falls into this category. First To Die Coveragethis means that There are two or more life insured on the same policy but the death benefit is paid out on the first death only. If two or more persons at the same address are purchasing life insurance at the same time, it is wise to compare the cost of this kind of coverage with individual policies having a multiple policy discount. Grace PeriodA specific period of time after a premium payment is due during which the policy owner may make a payment, and during which, the protection of the policy continues. The grace period usually ends in 30 days. Group Life Insurancethis is a very common form of life insurance which is found in employee benefit plans and bank mortgage insurance. In employee benefit plans the form of this insurance is usually one year renewable term insurance. The cost of this coverage is based on the average age of everyone in the group. Therefore a group of young people would have inexpensive rates and an older group would have more expensive rates. Insured MortgageAn insured mortgage protects only the mortgage lender in case you do not make your mortgage payments. this coverage is provided by CMHC [Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation] and is required if a person has a high-ratio mortgage. [A mortgage is high-ratio if the amount borrowed is more than 75% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less.] Insured Retirement Planthis is a recently coined phrase describing the concept of using Universal life insurance to tax shelter earnings which can be used to generate tax-free income in retirement. The concept has been described by some as "the Most effective tax-neutralization strategy that exists in Canada today." Last To Die Coveragethis means that There are two or more life insured on the same policy but the death benefit is paid out on the last person to die. The cost of this type of coverage is much less than a first to die policy and it is generally used to protect estate value for children where There might be substantial capital gains taxes due upon the death of the last parent. this kind of policy is also valuable When one of two people covered has health problems which would prohibit obtaining individual coverage. Level Premium Life Insurancethis is a type of insurance for which the cost is distributed evenly over the premium payment period. The premium remains the same from year to year and is more than actual cost of protection in the earlier years of the policy and less than the actual cost of protection in the later years. The excess paid in the early years builds up a reserve to cover the higher cost in the later years. Life ExpectancyThe average number of years of life remaining for a group of people of a given age and gender according to a particular mortality table. Life Income FundCommonly known as a LIF, this is one of the options available to locked in Registered Pension plan (RPP) holders for income payout as opposed to Registered Retirement Savings plan (RRSP) holders choice of payout through Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIF). A LIF must be converted to a unisex annuity by the time the holder reaches age 80. Living BenefitSome insurance companies include this benefit option at no cost to their policy holders. The insurer considers on a case to case basis, the need for insurance funds before death. If the insured can demonstrate a shortened life of less than two years and with some insurers one year, the insurer will consider releasing up to 50% or a maximum of $100,000 of the life insurance coverage held by the insured. Not all insurers offer this benefit for free. The need has resulted in specific stand alone living benefit/critical illness policies coming into existence. Look under "different types of life insurance" for further information. you might have heard of "Viatical settlements", the practice of seriously ill people selling the Rights to their life insurance policies to third parties. this practice is common in the United States but has not caught on in Canada. Money Launderingthis is the process by which "dirty money" generated by criminal activities is converted through legitimate businesses into assets that cannot be easily traced back to their illegal origins. Medical Information Bureauthis organization was established in 1902. The Medical Information Bureau (M.I.B.) is a non-profit association of life insurance companies. Its purpose is to detect and deter fraud by providing warnings called, alerts, to member companies. For example, if an insurance applicant advised one insurance company of a heart attack and then applied to another insurance company omitting this history, codes, reported by the first insurance company, indicating a heart attack would alert the second insurance company to the undisclosed history. It is a rarity, however, that the alert is the only notice of a specific medical impairement as Most applicants completely disclose their history. Mortgage InsuranceCommonly sold in the form of reducing term life insurance by lending institutions, this is life insurance with a death benefit reducing to zero over a specific period of time, usually 20 to 25 years. In Most instances, the cost of coverage remains level, while the death benefit continues to decline. Re-stated, the cost of this kind of insurance is actually increasing since less death benefit is paid as the outstanding mortgage balance decreases while the cost remains the same. Lending institutions are the Most popular sources for this kind of coverage because it is usually sold during the purchase of a new mortgage. The untrained institution mortgage sales person often gives the impression that this is the only place mortgage insurance can be purchased but it is more efficiently purchased at a lower cost and with more flexibility, directly from traditional life insurance companies. No matter where it is purchased, the reducing term insurance death benefit reduces over a set period of years. Most consumers are up-sizing their residences, not down-sizing, so it is likely that more coverage is required as years pass, rather than less coverage. Non-Smoker DiscountIn October 1996 it was announced in the international news that scientists had finally located the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. In the early 1980's, some Canadian life insurance Companies had already started recognizing that non-smokers had a better life expectancy than smokers so commenced offering premium discounts for life insurance to new applicants who have been non-smokers for at least 12 months before applying for coverage. Today, Most life insurance companies offer these discounts. Non-Medical Limitthis is the maximum value of a policy that an insurance company will issue without the applicant taking a medical examination, although medical questions are invariably asked during the application process. When a non-medical issue is made through group insurance, in Most cases, medical data is not requested at all. Policy Feethis is an administrative fee which is part of Most life insurance policies. It ranges from about $40 to as much as $100 per year per policy. It is not a separate fee. It is incorporated in the regular monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual payment that you make for your policy. Knowing about this hidden fee is important because some insurance companies offer a policy fee discount on additional policies purchased under certain conditions. Sometimes they reduce the policy fee or waive it altogether on one or more additional policies purchased at the same time and billed to the same address. The rules are slightly different depending on the insurance company. There could be enormous savings if several people in the same family or business were intending to purchase coverage at the same time. Policyholderthis is the person who owns a life insurance policy. this is usually the insured person, but it may also be a relative of the insured, a partnership or a corporation. There are instances in marriage breakup (or relationship breakup with dependent children) where appropriate life insurance on the support provider, owned and paid for by the ex-spouse receiving the support is an acceptable method of ensuring future security. Registered Pension PlanCommonly referred to as an RPP this is a tax sheltered employee group plan approved by Federal and Provincial governments allowing employees to have deductions made directly from their wages by their employer with a resulting reduction of income taxes at source. These plans are easy to implement but difficult to dissolve should the group have a change of heart. Employer contributions are usually a percentage of the employee's salary, typically from 3% to 5%, with a maximum of the lessor of 20% or $3,500 per annum. The employee has the same Right of contribution. Vesting is generally set at 2 years, which means that the employee has Right of ownership of both his/her and his/her employers contributions to the plan after 2 years. It also means that all contributions are locked in after 2 years and cannot be cashed in for use by the employee in a low income year. should the employee change jobs, these funds can only be transferred to the RPP of a new employer or the funds can be transferred to an individual RRSP (or any number of RRSPs) but in either scenario, the funds are locked in and cannot be accessed until at least age 60. The only choices available to access locked in RPP funds after age 60 are the conversion to a life Income Fund or a Unisex Annuity. Registered Retirement Savings Plan (Canada)Commonly referred to as an RRSP, this is a tax sheltered and tax deferred savings plan recognized by the Federal and Provincial tax authorities, whereby deposits are fully tax deductable in the year of deposit and fully taxable in the year of receipt. The ability to defer taxes on RRSP earnings allows one to save much faster than is ordinarily possible. The new rules which apply to RRSP's are that the holder of such a plan must convert it into income by the end of the year in which the holder turns age 69. The choices for conversion are to simply cash it in an pay full tax in the year of receipt, convert it to a RRIF and take a varying stream of income, paying tax on the amount received annually until the income is exhausted, or converting it into an annuity with guaranteed payments for a chosen number of years, again paying tax each year on moneys received. Spousal Registered Retirement Savings Planthis is an RRSP owned by the spouse of the person contributing to it. The contributor can direct up to 100% of eligible RRSP deposits into a spousal RRSP each and every year. Contributing to a spouses RRSP reduces the amount one can contribute to one's own RRSP, however, if the spouse is a lower income earner, it is an excellent way in which to split income for lower taxation in retirement years. Split Dollar Life InsuranceThe split dollar concept is usually associated with cash value life insurance where There is a death benefit and an accumulation of cash value. The basic premise is the sharing of the costs and benefits of a life insurance policy by two or more parties. usually one party owns and pays for the insurance protection and the other owns and pays for the cash accumulation. There is no single way to structure a split dollar arrangement. The possible structures are limited only by the imagination of the parties involved. Structured SettlementHistorically, damages paid out during settlement of personal physical injury cases were distributed in the form of a lump-sum cash payment to the plaintiff. this windfall was intended to provide for a lifetime of medical and income needs. The claimant or his/her family was then forced into the position of becoming the manager of a large sum of money. Temporary Life InsuranceTemporary insurance coverage is available at time of application for a life insurance policy if certain conditions are met. Normally, temporary coverage relates to free coverage while the insurance company which is underwriting the risk, goes through the process of deciding whether or not they will grant a contract of coverage. The qualifications for temporary coverage vary from insurance company to insurance company but generally applicants will qualify if they are between the ages of 18 and 65, have no knowledge or suspicions of ill health, have not been absent from work for more than 7 days within the prior 6 months because of sickness or injury and total coverage applied for from all sources does not exceed $500,000. Normally a cheque covering a minimum of one months premium is required to complete the conditions for this kind of coverage. The insurance company applies this deposit towards the cost of a policy at its issue date, which may be several weeks in the future. Term Life InsuranceA plan of insurance which covers the insured for only a certain period of time and not necessarily for his or her entire life. The policy pays a death benefit only if the insured dies during the term. Underwriterthis could be the person (broker or agent) who helps you choose the proper type of life insurance or disability insurance and the insurance company for your particular needs. this could also be the person at the insurance company's head office who reviews your application for coverage to determine whether or not the insurance company will issue a policy to you. Viatical SettlementA dictionary meaning for the word viatica is "the eucharist as given to a dying person or to one in danger of death". In the context of Viatical settlement it means the selling of one's own life insurance policy to another in exchange for an immediate percentage of the death benefit. The person or in many cases, group of persons buying the Rights to the policy have high expectation of the imminent death of the previous owner. The sooner the death of the previous owner, the higher the profit. Consumer knowledge about this subject is poor and little is known about the entities that fund the companies that purchase policies. People should be very careful When considering the sale of their policy, and they should remember a sale of their life insurance means some group of strangers now owns a contract on their life. If a senior finds it difficult to pay for an insurance policy it might be a better choice to request that current beneficiaries take over the burden of paying the premium. The practice selling personal life insurance policies common in the United States and is spilling over into Canada. It would appear to have a definite conflict with Canada's historical view of 'insurable interest'. Yearly Renewable Term InsuranceSometimes, simply called YRT, this is a form of term life insurance that may be renewed annually without evidence of insurability to a stated age. Accidental Death Benefit (ADB)Coverage against accidental death usually payable in addition to base amount of coverage. Accidental Dismemberment: (Credit Insurance)Provides additional financial security should an insured person be dismembered or lose the use of a limb as the result of an accident. Actuaryone who uses statistical information to evaluate the probability of future events and prices insurance products. AgencyA grouping of sales producers according to region. Compare with Branch. Agentone who represents Canada life When providing services to clients Amortization (Credit Insurance)Refers to the reduction of debt by regular payments of interest and principal in order to pay off a loan by maturity. Annuity PeriodThe time between each payment under an annuity. Assetall things of value owned by an individual or organization. Automatic Benefits PaymentAutomatic payment of moneys derived from a benefit. Beneficiary (Credit Insurance)The person or party designated to receive proceeds entitled by a benefit. Payment of a benefit is triggered by an event. In the case of credit insurance, the beneficiary will always be the creditor. BenefitAn instruction that pays a cash amount upon the occurrence of a specific event. Benefit ValueThe amount of cash payable on a benefit. Borrower (Credit Insurance)A consumer who borrows money from a lender. Canada Pension Plan (CPP)A plan that provides retirement and long term disability income benefits to residents of Canadian provinces (excluding Quebec). Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA)An association of Most of the life and health insurance companies in Canada that conducts research and compiles information about the life and health insurance industry in Canada. Child Insurance Rider (CIR)insurance or insurability provided on current or future children of insured. Commercial Business Loan (Credit Insurance)An agreement between a creditor and a borrower, where the creditor has loaned an amount to the borrower for business purposes. Cost of InsuranceThe cost of insuring a particular individual under the policy. It is based on the amount of coverage, as well as the underwriting class, age, sex and tobacco consumption of that individual. Creditor (Credit Insurance)A lender or lending institution that offers financing and loans to a borrower, for the purpose of acquiring a commodity. Critical Illness InsuranceCoverage that provides a lump-sum payment should you be diagnosed with a critical illness and survive a pre-determined period of time. There are no restrictions on how you use your benefit. Critical Illness Insurance (Credit Insurance)Coverage that provides a lump-sum payment should you become seriously ill with a specified illness. The payment is made to your creditors to pay off your debt owing. Death Benefitamount paid on death of an insured. Debt (Credit Insurance)Money, goods or services that someone is obligated to pay someone else in accordance with an expressed or implied agreement. Debt may or may not be secured. Disability Insurance (Credit Insurance)group insurance designed to cover monthly obligations due to a borrower being unable to work due to sickness or injury. Dividend Policythis policy governs Canada life's actions regarding distribution of dividends to policyholders. It's goal is to achieve a dividend distribution that is equitable and timely, and which gives full recognition of the need to ensure the ongoing solidity of the company. It also specifies that distribution to individual policyholders must be equitable between dividend classes and policyholder generations, and among policyholders within any class. Equity-based insurancelife insurance or annuity product in which the cash value and benefit level fluctuate according to the performance of an equity portfolio. Estate PlanningAn insurance program designed to provide funds for insured's dependents upon death of the insured, and to also conserve, as much as possible, the personal assets that the insured wants to bequeath to heirs. Evidence of Insurabilityevidence submitted to Canada life that is used to determine whether an individual is eligible for the insurance coverage the individual has applied for. Individual Insuranceinsurance that is offered to individuals rather than groups. Insurance ActIn Canada, a general statute that contains Most of the insurance law of a common law province, and regulates the conduct of insurers and insurance agents within the province. Insurance Policy (Credit Insurance)A policy under which the insurance company promises to pay a benefit of the person who is insured. Interest Optionone of several investment accounts in which your premiums may be invested within your life insurance policy. Issue Ageage of an insured as at the policy issue date, using "age nearest" next birthday formula. Job Loss Insurance (Credit Insurance)Coverage that can pay down your debt should you become involuntarily unemployed. The payment is made to your creditors to reduce your debt owing. Joint Policy Lifeone insurance policy that covers two lives, and generally provides for payment at the time of the first insured's death. It could also be structured to pay on second death basis for estate planning purposes. Lease (Credit Insurance)Contract granting use of real estate, equipment or other fixed assets for a specified period of time in exchange for payment. The owner or a leased property is the lessor and the user the lessee. Lender (Credit Insurance)individual or firm that extends money to a borrower with the expectation of being repaid, usually with interest. Lenders create debt in the form of loans. Lenders include financial institutions, leasing companies government lending agencies and automobile dealers. Life Insuranceinsurance that provides protection against an economic loss caused by death of the person insured. Life Insurance (Credit Insurance)group term life insurance that pays or reduces the balance due on a loan if the borrower dies before the loan is repaid. Life InsuredThe person who's life is protected by an individual policy. Life Underwriterinsurance agent. Mortgage Life insurance (Credit Insurance)Decreasing term life insurance that provides a death benefit amount corresponding to the decreasing amount owed on a mortgage. Mortgage (Credit Insurance)An agreement between a creditor and a borrower, where the creditor has loaned an amount to the borrower for purposes of purchasing a loan secured by a home. Non-participating PolicyA type of insurance policy or annuity in which the owner does not receive dividends. Participating PolicyA policy offers the potential of sharing in the success of an insurance company through the receipt of dividends. Personal Line of credit (Credit Insurance)A bank's commitment to make loans to a borrower up to a specified maximum during a specific period, usually one year. PolicyA written document that serves as evidence of insurance coverage and contains pertinent information about the benefits, coverage and owner, as well as its associated directives and obligations. Policy AnniversaryYearly event linked to a policy. usually the date issued. Policy DateDate on which the insurance company assumes responsibilities for the obligations outlined in a policy. Policy FeeAdministrative charge included in a policy Premium. Policy Yearperiod between two policy anniversaries. PolicyownerThe person who owns and holds all Rights under the policy, including the power to name and change beneficiaries, make a policy loan, assign the policy to a financial institution as collateral for a loan, withdraw funds or surrender the policy. Pre-existing medical condition (Credit Insurance)A medical condition that existed before you became insured. Most policies exclude benefits if the condition is related to the event that triggers a claim if occurs within a certain period (6-12 months) after you became insured. Premium (Credit Insurance)Annual or monthly amounts payable, by a client, for a selected insurance coverage to insure debt obligations to their creditors are protected. Premium OffsetAfter premiums have been paid for a number of years, further annual premiums may be paid by the current dividends and the surrender of some of the paid-up additions which have built up in the policy. In effect, the policy can begin to pay for itself. Whether a policy becomes eligible for premium offset, the date on which it becomes eligible and whether it remains eligible once premium offset begins, will all depend on how the dividend scale changes over the years. Since dividends are not guaranteed, premium offset cannot be guaranteed either. Quebec Pension PlanA plan that primarily provides retirement and long-term disability income benefits for residents of Quebec. Refinancing (Credit Insurance)Extending the maturity date or increasing the amount of existing debt or both. also, revising a payment schedule, usually to reduce the monthly payments and often to modify interest charges. ReinsuranceProcess in which the risk of potential loss is shared between two or more insurers. Strike Insurance (Credit Insurance)Coverage that can pay down your debt should you become unemployed due to a legal strike in your place of work. The payment is made to your creditors to reduce your debt owing. TermThe time period during which a policy is in force, or the time it takes for a policy to reach maturity. Term LifeA product that provides life coverage for a specified duration typically not beyond the age of 75. Terminal Illness Insurance (Credit Insurance)Coverage that provides a lump-sum payment should you become terminally ill. The payment is made to your creditors to pay off your debt owing. TerminateCease all legal obligations under a contract. Related to : home, mortgage, insurance, homebuyer, real estate, property, buy home, home insurance, financing, home financing, home buyer, first time homebuyer, homes, homebuying, credit, condo. |