Life is full of surprises. It happens with or without a plan. But money... now there's something you can plan for. Money is a safety net. It gives people the peace of mind and security to face whatever challenges life throws their way and the ability to go after their dreams.
Money doesn't predict the future. But it affords the power to aim higher.
We want to help people gain that power. We want to give them a Plan for life.
The Member services team shows people how to achieve financial peace of mind and supports them every step of the way as they plan for the future. They are real people with real solutions and the expertise required to respond to the changing needs of members.
Because when it comes to money, we know how great the possibilities are. And we are committed to helping people realize their goals.
We were the first in the industry to create a dedicated Member services team over 14 years ago. Our Member services team includes 18 financial consultants (educators) who draw on a variety of educational credentials and work experience to form a dynamic group whose collective diversity adds energy and practicality to the seminars. On average, they have 7-years of experience within
Our salaried financial consultants have earned their Life Insurance and Mutual Fund licenses, enabling them to give participants investment guidance and satisfy regulatory requirements.
Our Member Services Centre, which is only a phone call away, offers support from:
- Member Service representatives.
- Financial representatives (i.e. investment specialists).
- Retirement specialists and financial planners.
The Member Services Centre responds to an average of 300,000 member calls every year. Here are just some of the services we provide:
- Investment information and guidance.
- Help in completing forms.
- Account and regulatory information.
- Answers to questions about saving for retirement.
- Tax receipt requests.
- Assistance with making investment changes over the phone (such as investment mix changes or interfund transfers).
- Contribution and withdrawal information.
- Non-financial changes.
- Obtaining a User ID and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for the VIP Room website.
- Transferring in and consolidating assets with
Standard Life .
Our financial consultants
This dynamic team of qualified and salaried financial consultants are expert instructors when it comes to financial planning. In addition to the enrolment seminars they conduct, they also offer refresher and advanced seminars, which can focus on a range of subjects, based on each company's needs.
And our financial consultants work closely with plan sponsors and their advisors to develop the best possible strategy, using our suite of communication materials and tools and services, for each member group.
They can also help implement additional periodic communication initiatives that lead members to appropriate actions at certain times of the year, like at bonus time or during RRSP season.
Financial Service Centre
Members can call our toll-free line for all the help they need. Our qualified financial representatives provide investment information and guidance and information concerning regulatory requirements, for the applicable products and respond to members' administrative needs.
Our retirement specialists
Our salaried retirement specialists help members approaching retirement review the various payout products available, and provide comprehensive quotes. They also conduct pre-retirement seminars.
The VIP Room
The VIP Room provides members with the tools, services and information they need to stay on top of their retirement program. Fully integrated with our award-winning Plan for life™ member education program and powered by state of the art technology, the VIP Room is sure to engage members.
The web site provides a unique retirement dashboard approach in the presentation of information. On the home page members are presented with all of the key information they need including account balances, asset allocations and more! Web 2.0 technology provides for a personalized web experience and allows members to:
Once members have enrolled in the group program they can access our VIP Room at www.standardlife.ca. This secured website allows members to quickly obtain information on their group program, make changes to their accounts online and use the simple, state-of-the-art investment tools. They can:
View their holdings
- Plan summary.
- Transaction history.
- Portfolio Risk Management - assess the level of risk involved with their investments.
- Investment information including personalized rates of return. GIC maturities, average purchase price and complete history of transactions.
- RRSP contributions for previous and current year - including tax receipts.
- Statements.
Manage their plans
- Make contributions online and change contribution rates , if applicable.
- Perform asset rebalancing and inter-fund transfers.
- Modify investment, reinvestment and disinvestment instructions.
- Modify personal data.
- Review beneficiary designations.
- Access forms and publications.
Plan their financial future
- The essentials- their group program, investing, planning, life events and budget management.
- Retirement Calculator - establish how much to save for retirement.
- Investor Profiler - determine risk tolerance.
- Financial Education Centre - learn about financial, retirement and lifecycle planning.
- Retirement Income Illustrator - examine retirement options and project retirement income.
Consult investment performance
- Current rates and closing values.
- Historical closing values (downloading and charting).
- Fund performance and fees.
- Other investment-related information.
- Portfolio Risk Management - assess the level of risk involved with their investments.
For an interactive demo of the VIP Room for plan sponsors, please contact us today.
Members who do not have Internet access can also use our automated Info-Line at 1-800-242-1704.
Our Quality & Choice Investment Program offers a wide variety of investment funds from which to make a fund roster selection that corresponds to the needs of different types of investors in a workforce - from the novice to the advanced investor.
Our managed investment solutions are suitable for members with some knowledge of investments, but who still require an adequate level of guidance in their selection process. Our packaged solutions include:
1. Avenue Portfolios
The Avenue Portfolios approach combines the best features of Lifestyle Funds and Target Year (lifecycle) in a single framework, a proactive way to help members keep their investments on track over the long term.
Avenue Portfolios allow plan sponsors to customize a matrix of portfolios with the funds they have selected.
The matrix is based on:
- Investor profiles (Conservative, Moderate or Aggressive)
- Investment period (for example, less than 10 years, 10 to 25 years and more than 25 years).
The selection process for members is simple - by completing the investor profile questionnaire members can select the portfolio best-suited to their investor profile and investment period.
Proactive guidance
Over time, a member's investment period will shorten as the member moves from one investment period to the next, the member is advised that his portfolio will be shifted to the appropriate portfolio within the same investor profile. Unless the member advises otherwise,
Avenue Portfolios are customized to meet the needs of each plan, in accordance with the CAP Guidelines, and are completely flexible.
- Transparency - the performance and fees of the components are visible for easy monitoring
- Fairness - the fees for conservative strategies are typically less than fees for more aggressive mixes
- Affordability - no need for duplicate costs for custody, valuation and auditing.
Even though the underlying funds will continue to appear on the member's statements and on the member VIP Room website for greater transparency, members can easily see which portfolios they are invested in and switch from one to another online with a few simple clicks.
2. Lifestyle Funds
We offer both passively-managed and actively-managed asset allocation funds.
| Passive | |
|---|---|
| Income Index Portfolio (SLI) | Conservative |
| Balanced Index Portfolio (SLI) | Moderate |
| Growth Index Portfolio (SLI) | Aggressive |
| Active | |
|---|---|
| LifePoints Balanced Income Portfolio (SLI) | Conservative |
| LifePoints Balanced Growth Portfolio (SLI) | Moderate |
| LifePoints Long-Term growth Portfolio (SLI) | Aggressive |
The selection process for members is simple - by completing the investor profile questionnaire, members can determine whether they are conservative, moderate or aggressive investors and choose the Lifestyle Fund that corresponds to their risk profile.
The main advantage of this approach is the ease with which members can select their investments based on their risk profile.
3. Target Year (Lifecycle) Funds
A series of Target Year Funds managed by McLean Budden allow members to pick the fund that most closely matches their target retirement year. The shorter the member's investment period, the more conservative the investment approach adopted by the fund.
This is how they work
Note - The date indicated with the fund is the expected retirement date of the member.
We also offer an à la carte selection for members who have the knowledge, confidence and desire to build their own investment mix from the investment funds offered under the Capital Accumulation Plan.
No matter what happens in life, there are some things you can always count on. Like us!
With the Standard Life Advantage program™, you can keep many of the benefits of a group plan even when you're no longer with your employer. It offers you a smooth transition and lets you keep many of the perks and flexibility of a group savings and retirement program.
Investment management fees may vary depending on the amount to be invested, the fund(s) selected and the type of product chosen. For example, retail segregated fund policies offer a minimum principal guarantee in case of death or at maturity. This is not available under a group plan. It is recommended that you compare product fees and features before making a decision.
To help you, here are some of the advantages of your current group program that you can continue to enjoy with the Standard Life Advantage program:
A diverse selection of quality investment options monitored by our Quality & Choice governance committee.
No minimum premium required, which allows you to invest as much as you want into any of the available investment options¹.
No front-end/back-end loads or deferred sales charges on any market-related funds.
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A diverse offering that includes:
- LIRA
- RRSP/Locked-in RRSP/RRSPS
- Non-registered plans
- RRIF/LIF
- TFSA
Online VIP Room access, which allows you to obtain information on your account, monitor investment performance and make transactions.
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Interest rate enhancements on guaranteed term funds
The following rate enhancements apply to premiums and reinvestments into guaranteed term funds:
Up to $24,999: - $25,000 to $99,999: + 0.125% $100,000 to $249,999: + 0.250% $250,000 and over: + 0.375% The rate enhancement is based on the total book value of all guaranteed term funds under the Standard Life Advantage program, including the daily interest fund.
Opportunity to consolidate assets from other financial institutions and continue to contribute through Internet banking, lump-sum contributions by cheque, Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), and online contributions via the member VIP Room.
No administration fees and charges for interfund transfers or changes to your investment mix, even if you switch fund managers. Charges on withdrawals and other fees may apply.
Guaranteed term funds redeemable at any time, with a market value adjustment.
Detailed electronic statements provided on a regular basis that make managing your account easier.
Ongoing online education so you can learn at your own pace about lifecycle, financial and retirement planning.
Support and investment guidance from the licensed salaried experts at our Financial Service Centre at 1-800-242-1704.
Coaching on transitioning to retirement from our licensed salaried retirement specialists.
Increased plan option flexibility You, your spouse (if holding a spousal account in your previous plan) and your beneficiaries who will receive a death benefit from a Standard Life group plan can join any of the plans offered under the Standard Life Advantage program.
¹ Non-registered plans require a cheque deposit of $1.00. This is in accordance with anti-money laundering legislation.
