Does Your Mortgage Insurance Cover All the Benefits?

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Does Your Mortgage Insurance Cover All the Benefits?

If you have a mortgage, you need mortgage insurance. Should someone in your family have an accident, become ill, or suffer something worse, mortgage insurance will help you meet your financial obligations on one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make: your home.

Many Canadians purchase mortgage insurance through the same financial institution that hold their mortgage. But what they might not realize is that mortgage insurance sold through financial institutions don’t offer the same benefits as insurance products offered by insurance companies.

For example, the benefits from mortgage insurance sold by a financial institution are strictly tied to your mortgage, and decrease in value over time as you pay off your loan. For example, if your mortgage is worth $500,000 when you first purchase your home, your benefit will also be $500,000. After a number of years your mortgage will decrease to $100,000. At that point, the value of your insurance policy will also decrease to $100,000.

In other words, the benefit will only be used to pay your mortgage, and can’t be used to cover other living expenses if you’re struck by critical illness, or as protection for your family in the event of your death.

A term life insurance policy from an insurance company is not married to your mortgage. Using the above scenario, your policy will remain fixed at $500,000 throughout its lifetime regardless of the value of your mortgage. This way, you can allocate the funds wherever you see fit in the event of death, critical illness, or disability. This includes payments towards vehicle loans, second property mortgages, personal lines of credit, RRSP contributions, and other financial obligations that would be impacted by a sudden loss of income.

Take a look at the benefits insurance companies offer that you might not be getting with your financial institution:

• Guaranteed rate for the life of the policy
• Fixed insurance amount in the event of disability, critical illness, or death
• Option to convert your term life policy into permanent life insurance
• Full control over choice of beneficiaries
• Complete freedom to use the money as you see fit
• You stay insured if you switch financial institutions

You’ll need this kind of coverage in the event of an emergency, and the peace of mind it brings when your family needs protection and support the most.

Carte Risk Management Inc. in Mississauga, Toronto, and the GTA

To learn more about how term life insurance can protect your family, call your financial advisor . We’re here to help!