Mike McPhee | Investments, Insurance, Planning

Your home’s mortgage if often your biggest debt. For this reason, most people buy insurance on the primary income earner to protect their family from financial hardship if something should happen to this person.

But is the insurance offered by your bank the same as buying an individual insurance policy?

It’s certainly convenient – a few questions and a signature and you’re covered. But is the coverage guaranteed and at what cost? Should you be looking at other options before accepting the coverage that’s offered by your lender?

Your hard work has created a successful business that has allowed you and your family and your employees to live a comfortable life. It has also allowed you to give back to your community. It is now time to think about your transition into retirement. With a proper succession plan your chances of successfully selling or transferring your business are maximized.

When a friend or family member is diagnosed with a serious illness it becomes a wake-up call for all of us. Do we have everything in order? We’ve all heard the stories of families that experience serious relationship damage because of disagreements which arise when decisions have to be made for their parents. This can occur when they become incapable of making their own decisions, or in the aftermath of their eventual passing.

Stock markets will always be affected by economic and business cycles. These cycles in turn cause movements in interest rates, commodity prices and exchange rates, all of which influence stock prices. This reality has certainly been confirmed over the past few years. Although cycles create anxiety for investors they also provide opportunities to assess their portfolios and rebalance where necessary.

I have listed ten questions that you should be asking yourself or your investment advisor at this time.