The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOP) recently commissioned Abacus Data to poll 3,500 participants on their current thinking about saving and planning for retirement. David Colette, Abacus CEO said in a briefing on the poll results that 70% of the respondents are looking to retire sooner and … [Read more...]
Canadians Do Not Need To Worry by Kirsteen Etherington
By now we thought we would all be inured to such conspiracy theories as the hoax pandemic and the stolen election; but recent online misinformation about Canadian life insurance companies and the vaccine made us want to send out a clarification. Very happy to confirm that the Canadian Life … [Read more...]
Out of the Darkness by Brian Etherington
In reflecting upon the past twelve months we have all experienced events which were previously anathema to us: the tragic pandemic and the assault on democracy at the US Capitol bookending the year. "The New Normal" has entered our lexicon in so many ways that were previously unthinkable: … [Read more...]
“How to Help the Helpers” by Brian Etherington
Whilst Canadians are attempting to cope with the personal and corporate economic challenges of the pandemic it is not surprising to learn that charities in Canada have experienced a roughly 75% reduction in donations and 50% less engagement from volunteers; which may see as many as 33% of Canada’s … [Read more...]
Tune in Tomorrow (Sept 26th) for motionball’s First Ever Virtual Marathon of Sport!
While COVID-19 has affected us all, Special Olympics athletes are feeling the effects of this global pandemic more than most. Sport programs are suspended, competitions have been cancelled, and many athletes remain stuck indoors, at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 than the general … [Read more...]
Views on Risk: Pre & Post Pandemic by Brian Etherington
History has taught us unsurprisingly that the farther away in time we are from a tragedy the more our collective memory fades of it’s consequences. This condition of course is exacerbated when we are facing something that we have never faced before. As written by Laurence Mussio in his article in … [Read more...]
Unconquerable Human Spirit by Brian Etherington
Having contracted polio at the age of nine months many years ago and listened to the stories of how my Mother and Father coped in that pandemic; I never thought for a moment that the modern world would in my lifetime be brought to its knees by another. I was placed in quarantine in Hamilton General … [Read more...]
Pandemic Accelerates Estate & Wealth Management Planning
The global health crisis has understandably triggered in all of us a current awareness of our own mortality and morbidity exposure; which when combined with an upward interest and capability in digital transactions and the sudden availability of the time to ponder/review such personal planning … [Read more...]
Just in Case Planning
My post of May 13th (Things To Keep In Mind) confirmed that many of our clients are currently reviewing the risk protection aspect of their estate plans in light of hopefully temporary pandemic related diminishment of business valuations, investment portfolios and employee benefit coverages. It was … [Read more...]
A Great Time to Talk
In the normal scheme of things most employee and executive benefit and pension plans tend to wander from their initial design. Almost without fail, the original relevance of these programs to the corporation’s mission statement diminishes, either because the company’s philosophy has changed or the … [Read more...]