Universal life insurance
With universal life insurance, you have flexibility. You can leave your loved ones a significant inheritance while benefiting from a tax-sheltered accumulated fund.
When it comes to your family, we know the importance of having peace of mind. Your Desjardins Agent is there to answer all of your questions and to help you find the coverage that’s right for you.
How it works
A universal life insurance policy has two components: life insurance and a tax-free accumulation fund.
Universal life insurance requires you to make regular deposits to your tax-sheltered fund. Part of the accumulated fund pays for your insurance coverage. The excess amount goes to the investment option of your choice.
Uses for a universal life insurance
- Maximize your tax-sheltered savings as a result of reaching the contribution limits of your RRSP, TFSA and RESP and have little or no debt.
- Access your savings with no tax penalties when you make withdrawals in the event of a critical illness, disability or loss of independence.
- Leave your loved ones a significant tax-free inheritance.
- As a business owner, transfer accumulated retained earnings to your beneficiaries with minimal tax consequences.
- Invest savings in a tax-sheltered investment that would otherwise be taxable.
- Provides access to savings to complement retirement income.*
Benefits of a universal life insurance
Flexibility:
- Choose from over 30 diversified investment options
- Select the life insurance option you need: individual or joint
Succession :
At death, the accumulated fund is payable in addition to the amount of insurance to your beneficiaries, tax-free.
Access to fund value:
The fund value can be accessed to help in the event of a critical illness, disability or loss of independence without tax penalties
Three choices:
- Term 10: renews in a yearly renewable term after 10 years and is completely paid-up at the age of 90
- Term 20: renews in a yearly renewable term after 20 years and is completely paid-up at the age of 90
- Term to 100: offers a lifetime level cost
Coverage Type
- Individual
- Joint first-to-die (five lives)
- Joint last-to-die (two lives)
- Joint last-to-die, waiver of premium at first death
Term costs of insurance allow you to build a larger accumulated fund quicker than with term to 100
Low management fees on investments
Convert the term cost of insurance into a term to 100 and freeze your insurance costs
Customize Your coverage
Add even more value to your universal life insurance coverage with additional coverages.
Accident
This coverage provides an additional amount of insurance if you suffer a fracture, dismemberment, loss of one or more limbs or loss of sight or death due to an accident.
- Fixed and guaranteed
- Benefit payment for dismemberment does not cancel the coverage
- Each accident may be eligible for benefits
- The benefit may be doubled in certain circumstances (e.g., accident aboard public transit).
Provides a lump-sum benefit if you suffer a fracture due to an accident.
- $5,000: Fracture of the skull (dome of the skull), spine (excluding coccyx), pelvis (excluding coccyx) or femur
- $1,500: Fracture of a rib, sternum, scapula, humerus, patella, tibia, fibula, larynx and trachea
- $750: Fracture of a bone not listed above (including coccyx)
Eligibility
Issue age: 0 to 60
Accidental death, dismemberment or loss of use
This coverage provides a percentage of the amount of insurance if you die or lose a limb as a result of an accident. The percentage varies depending on the loss incurred and is 100% in the event of accidental death.
- Fixed and guaranteed
- Benefit payment for dismemberment does not cancel the coverage
- Benefit is payable for each loss providing that they result from a separate accident. The benefit may be doubled in certain circumstances (e.g., accident aboard public transit).
Accidental dismemberment or loss of use
This coverage provides a percentage of the amount of insurance if you lose a limb or experience a loss of use as a result of an accident. The percentage varies depending on the loss incurred.
- Fixed and guaranteed
- Benefit payment for dismemberment does not cancel the coverage
- The benefit will be payable for each fracture or complete severance, provided that the fractures are due to separate accidents
- The benefit may be doubled in certain circumstances (e.g., accident aboard public transit).
Accidental fracture
This coverage provides a lump-sum benefit if you suffer a fracture due to an accident.
- $5,000: Fracture of the skull (dome of the skull), spine (excluding coccyx), pelvis (excluding coccyx) or femur
- $1,500: Fracture of a rib, sternum, scapula, humerus, patella, tibia, fibula, larynx and trachea
- $750: Fracture of a bone not listed above (including coccyx)
Eligibility
Issue age: 0 to 60
Children’s accidental fracture
This coverage provides an additional amount of insurance if your children or children to be suffer a fracture as a result of an accident.
Issue ages
Policyowner: 18 to 55 years of age
Child: 15 days to 17 years of age
Features
Coverage: $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000
Fixed and guaranteed.
- $5,000: Fracture of the skull (dome of the skull), spine (excluding coccyx), pelvis (excluding coccyx) or femur
- $1,500: Fracture of a rib, sternum, scapula, humerus, patella, tibia, fibula, larynx and trachea
- $750: Fracture of a bone not listed above (including coccyx)
Children’s life protection
Issue ages
Policyowner: age 18 to 55
Child(ren) already born: 15 days to age 17
Child(ren) yet to be born: The policyowner must inform Desjardins Insurance of the birth of any child after the application has been signed. No evidence of insurability is required.
Features
Fixed and guaranteed
Can be converted to permanent life insurance up to 5 times the original sum insured, without evidence of insurability, at the earliest of:
- the policyowner turns 65 years old
- the insured child is 25 years old
Disability waiver of premiums
Helps preserve your policy at a time when income may be limited due to a disability. If you become totally disabled (as defined in the policy), this coverage will waive future policy premiums as they become due as long as you remain totally disabled. This coverage automatically terminates on the policy anniversary when you turn 60, unless disability occurs prior to this date.
Guaranteed insurability
This coverage gives you the option to purchase additional life insurance amounts without new evidence of insurability. A maximum of 5 options can be exercised. When you marry, purchase a home or become a parent, you may exercise the next available option. Option ages are 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45.
If you've purchased a life policy for your child or spouse, you can also add this coverage to their policy.
Coverage
Minimum: $10,000
Maximum: the lesser of $100,000 or 200% of the total insurance amount covering the insured.
Business insurability
This coverage allows owners of a growing business to purchase an additional amount of insurance based on the increased fair market value of the company, without having to provide new evidence of insurability.
Policyowner
The business
Insured
The owner or one of the owners of the business
Issue age
18 to 65 years old
Insurance amount at issue
Minimum: $100,000
Maximum: $3.3 million
or
The insured’s portion of the fair market value of the business. The amount of the BI can’t exceed 200% of the total life insurance amount.
Policyowner
The business
Insured
The owner or one of the owners of the business
Issue age
18 to 65 years old
Insurance amount at issue
Minimum: $100,000
Maximum: $3.3 million
or
The insured’s portion of the fair market value of the business. The amount of the BI can’t exceed 200% of the total life insurance amount.
Features
Fixed and guaranteed
The business can exercise up to three times the amount of the BI.
The business can exercise an option at each coverage anniversary during the first 10 years. The amount of the option is (whichever is less):
- The insured’s portion of the fair market value of the business OR
- The maximum cumulative amount of the BI minus the additional life insurance amounts exercised previously.
*With Universal Life, the coverage will expire when the fund value is insufficient to cover the cost of insurance.
Insurance policies and/or associated riders and features may not be available in all provinces, and policy terms and conditions may vary by province. For more details on coverage, costs, restrictions and renewability; or to apply for coverage, contact your local Desjardins Agent.
This is only a general description of coverages and is not a statement of contract.