What You need to Know about RESP and its Benefits

The tax-deferred savings plan known as Registered Education Savings Plan is one of the best ways for a Canadian parent to save up for their child’s future. It is so for a number of reasons. The following are just some of those benefits:

• Better education guarantee – RESPs allow you to set aside a certain sum of money on a regular basis, so your child can have access to better education when necessary. The funds withdrawn can be used for education-related expenses including tuition, living costs, books, and travel.

• Contributions from the government – The Canada Education Grant program or CESG enables you to receive contributions from the federal government on your child’s RESP. This contribution can be up to $500 a year, as the government will contribute an amount equal to 20% of the first $2500 you contribute in a year.

• Flexible contribution plans – A major benefit of the Registered Education Savings Plan is that it offers a high level of flexibility for contributors. You get to decide the amount that should be withdrawn as well as the maturity of the plan. Also, if the funds are not paid out to the beneficiary for valid reasons, the accumulated amount can be transferred to your or your spouse’s RRSP account, given that there is available contribution room.

• Choice of plan – When starting an RESP, you have the option of going for an individual plan and a family plan. Both have varying benefits depending on the needs of different individuals. In an individual plan, there can be only one benefit. If you need to have multiple beneficiaries, you could go for the family plan.

• Savings on tax – When making contributions to an RESP account, your contributions are not tax deductible. However, the beneficiary may need to pay only little or no amount of tax on the funds owing to low income as a student. The taxes on withdrawal are charged to the beneficiary and not the contributor.

Success Tips for New Insurance Advisors

For those that are new to the insurance advising business, there are plenty to be learned. With the right mindset, you could be well on your way to finding success in your line of career. Let’s give you a few tips that could help you prepare to be a successful insurance advisor:

1. Be a leader – This means that you take on the role of a trusted advisor who educates people about the various options available for them. Selling a policy does not mean forcing clients to buy something they don’t need but instead leading them to the right path to make their life decisions.
   
   
2. Be prepared – In your line of business, you can’t just “wing it” and be successful. Being an insurance advisor requires plenty of preparation for your everyday challenges – whether it’s in the way you handle clients or brushing up your knowledge of the industry.
   
   It’s important that you know beforehand what you have to say to your clients and how to answer their questions. This would require you to educate yourself on the various policies and plans available for them.
   
   
3. Work hard and smart – For an insurance advisor, it always pays off to go the extra mile and work as hard as possible. This is especially true in the case of those who are new to the business. Be prepared and willing to take on any challenge that could help you learn more about the industry as well as your clients.
   
   At the same time, avoid trying to waste your time on unproductive tasks. Working smart is always the first rule. For instance, try to plan out a schedule for your daily activities to optimize your productivity.

One of the most important things to remember for an insurance advisor is to take responsibility for your actions and your business. Making excuses and blaming other factors or people for your failure can never help you find success in any line of business.

Benefit from Becoming an Insurance Advisor

Have you ever thought about becoming an advisor in the insurance market? Not everyone can have a promising career in the field of insurance, let alone in advising others on which insurance would benefit them the most. It takes determination, honesty, and wits to succeed in the business.

Take a look at the following responsibilities you will have as an insurance advisor and find out if you will be able to fulfill them:

• As an insurance advisor, your job revolves around providing your clients with the best insurance solutions.
• You have the responsibility of pointing your clients towards policies and plans that are most suited for their needs.
• It is your job to empower your clients and their families to attain financial security by helping them take proper investment routes.
• You have the responsibility of educating your clients about every little detail of all the investment options available for them.

If you can indeed fulfill the above responsibilities, the following are some of the benefits you can get as an insurance advisor:

• A career as an insurance advisor gives you a lucrative earning potential, while at the same time building you up for career growth. Every policy you sell helps you earn an impressive commission, meaning that the more you sell the more you’ll earn. You will be able to develop your skills and knowledge to establish a successful and stable career.
• By starting out as an insurance solution provider or an insurance advisor, you can eventually develop enough experience and skills to become a specialist in the field. This makes for a wider scope in career growth to ensure your future success and financial stability.
• To become successful as an insurance adviser, you do not need a start-up capital. All you need to invest is your time and effort and your scope for growth and financial success will continue to grow the longer you stay in the business.

The job of an insurance advisor is unlike anything. It requires plenty of will and hard-work. In addition, the job is for someone who is always ready to help their clients grow.

How to Become a Good Insurance Advisor

Becoming a successful insurance advisor is not only about being a good salesperson. Although selling is an important aspect, it is not the key to achieving success. To become truly successful, you only need to master a few basic techniques that are crucial for winning over your clients. Let’s take a look at those techniques so you can implement them in your career as an insurance advisor:

1. Give your 100% – When dealing with clients or prospects, it is important that you are physically and mentally present. Avoid distracting yourself with other tasks or thoughts, as this can hamper the way you respond or deal with their queries. Also, this helps you show that you are paying attention and your clients are worth your time and energy.
   
   
2. Listen to understand – A lot of people (even in day-to-day interactions with others) make the mistake of listening just to give a suitable respond. This can be particularly harmful for an insurance advisor’s career.
   
   Instead of simply responding to your client/prospect’s queries, try to listen and understand to their queries. This can help you raise suitable questions and learn more about them.
   
   
3. Acknowledge their emotional needs – In the life of an insurance advisor, forming a close bond and relationship with clients is one of utmost importance. And for this, you need to learn to identify and acknowledge what your client/prospect is feeling about certain events or situations.
   
   For instance, try to listen carefully and see if you can recognize signs of emotions such as anxiety, fear, anger, frustration, or excitement when your client is talking about a specific situation.
   
   
4. Relate to them – One helpful way of winning over prospective clients is to give them a clear yet concise perspective about certain situations. You could try sharing your experiences or knowledge about those issues.
   
   This allows them to look at their issues through different lenses. This, in turn, gives you the opportunity to help them come up with effective and innovative solutions.
   It’s always crucial for an insurance advisor to emulate confidence when interacting with their clients and prospects. The more you trust yourself, the more your clients will learn to trust you too.

How to Avoid Common Reasons for Insurance Claim Rejections

Buying travel insurance before heading off for a vacation means you are organized. Travel insurance helps make up for a wide variety of losses you might encounter during your travels. But are you certain that you’ll get compensation even in the worst case scenario?

Avoid making the assumption that your policy is good enough to cover everything. Use the following tips to help you ensure that the policy gives you proper coverage:

1. Supplier failure – You never know when the airline you’re traveling by or the travel agency you’re using “goes bust”. Make sure you review the policy thoroughly to see if you get coverage is either of these suppliers goes out of business.
   
   
2. Valuables coverage – It’s crucial that you check with your insurance provider about the maximum coverage on valuables. In most cases, the policy would come with a default coverage limit for valuables and you might make a mistake by not reading the fine prints. This is necessary because if you intend to carry along expensive electronics and other valuables, you might need to increase the amount of coverage.
   
   
3. Obtain proof – In case of issues like theft or damage of luggage or valuables, your insurance provider would require proof before paying you out. That’s why you must try to submit a report to local police in case of theft, so you can file a claim using the crime reference number.
   
   In case of damage, you could try attaching photos of the items that have been damaged when filing your claim. If your luggage has been lost in transit by the airline, you would need to submit a complaint and use the reference number to file a claim.
   
   
4. Extra coverage – For most people, standard travel insurance policies may be sufficient to cover every eventuality. However, in case of travelers who plan to participate in activities that could easily lead to accidents (such as extreme sports), it would be a good idea to confirm if the policy gives them coverage for that as well.

It’s always a good idea to keep your insurance information close at hand, so you can easily produce them when necessary. Try having the documents photocopied and carry them in your handbag or backpack.