The lifecycle of Personal Insurance

Mark is 29 years old and currently lives in his parents’ home in Oakville, a suburb of Toronto, Ontario. He wants to live amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto to be closer to his friends. With the help of his parents, he is excited about taking a leap into the real estate market by purchasing his first condo. As Mark’s work is in Oakville, he will need a car to commute back and forth.

Taking pride in his new independence, he talks to a broker to ensure he has the necessary insurance coverage for his condo and car, so there are no surprises when he moves. As a young professional with a certain amount of disposable income, he has various high-valued items that will need to be insured, such as a lavish camera for travel photography and a sophisticated personal computer. He’s also an avid golfer and wants to ensure his club set is covered. Most of these items will be kept in a storage locker in his condo’s underground parking garage.

Consider the following:

As a new condo-owner, Mark will likely have limited cash-flow, unable to afford any major surprises:

· Having both his condo and auto insurance with WA, Mark is able to take advantage of a multi-line discount by bundling his policies together.*

· Since Mark purchases a new vehicle, he could be eligible for the New Vehicle discount, which provides a discount from original delivery date.

As Mark was the original purchaser of his vehicle, suggest the Depreciation Waiver Endorsement.

The WA Comprehensive Condominium product would be a good choice for Mark. But as a first-time homeowner, Mark may make some assumptions on what is or is not covered in his base condo coverage:

· Look into increasing the policy limits or scheduling specialty items separately, so that it won’t affect the policy limits on his Comprehensive Condominium policy.

· Remind Mark that sewer back-up and overland flood is not automatically covered and to consider Waterproof Coverage™ to ensure valuables such as his golf set is covered.

· As a busy millennial, Mark may appreciate WA’s Hassle-Free Claims Service^®, which ensures we will return a call on a new claim within 6 hours, or we will pay your customer $500^†.

Sarah, 27, has rented the same apartment since her university days in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. With a great job, she has saved enough to purchase her first condo outside of central Vancouver. It is an older high-rise unit, which means it has the charm and character she loves, while also affording her more storage space than newer buildings. Although further from the city centre, Sarah plans on continuing to commute to her nearby work on her e-bike, as she tries to live as eco-friendly as possible.

Consider the following:

For those customers concerned about the environment:

· Don’t forget that about our Greener Home Endorsement^‡ that provides customers the ability to replace damaged property with environmentally friendly, non-toxic and energy-efficient alternatives—even if they cost more to replace.

· E-bikes are now covered in WA’s base policy wording, so your customers can rest assured that they will be protected.

When we left off with Mark, he had just finished buying his first condo in Toronto. Since then, his law career has taken off—so much so that he’s saved enough to buy a second condo in the Toronto suburb of Burlington, right next to Oakville, where he grew up. This second condo will be Mark’s investment property, as he intends to rent it out while living in downtown Toronto.

Since this is Mark’s first time renting out a condo, though, he’s a little uncertain as to what his insurance needs will be. Mark will also be travelling overseas more often for work, and is wondering if he’ll be covered if he decides to rent out his home for a week when he’s out of town. He just wants to make sure his investments are protected.

Consider the following:

Mark is becoming a landlord for the first time, and is unfamiliar with his responsibilities and coverages with this new investment.

· WA’s Landlordshield^®, a specialized condo policy for customers who rent out an investment property, provides all-risk, comprehensive coverage.

Mark’s personal Condo Comprehensive policy allows for owners to rent out their condo occasionally, meaning he can draw extra revenue from his home when he’s travelling for work with no extra add-on coverages needed.

As Mark has now been claims-free on his condo for at least three years, he is entitled to a claims-free discount on his condo policy (discount varies by province).

Sarah’s moving up in the world—she’s been promoted from the Vancouver branch office to a management role in the Toronto headquarters. She’s excited for the move, but she’s unfamiliar with Toronto and the surrounding area, so Sarah has signed a rental lease for a condo in the Toronto suburb of Burlington, from which she looks for a neighbourhood closer to the city in which she’d like to buy a home.

While she’s excited for the move, she’s worried that some of her valuables that were covered under her old condo policy, such as her precious family heirlooms and her beloved e-bike, won’t be covered under a tenant’s policy. Sarah is also looking for a new car to get her to and from work and look around the GTA for the perfect house. Since Sarah’s never rented before, her new landlord, Mark, recommends his broker to her to help discuss her insurance needs as she gets settled in Ontario.

Consider the following:

WA’s Tenantshield^® policy provides comprehensive coverage for renters’ possessions, meaning her treasured e-bike and family heirlooms can be protected in the event of loss or damage.

If Sarah signs up for a Tenantshield^® policy, she will also qualify for a multi-line discount on auto coverage with WA.

· Remember—customers moving between provinces might be unfamiliar with where to obtain coverage for auto insurance. Depending on the province, it may be private carriers or public (government).

New to the city, Sarah wants to explore Toronto and all it has to offer.

The last time we checked in on them, Mark had just rented out his condo to Sarah, who had recently arrived in Toronto from Vancouver. Well, sparks began to fly, and here we are a couple of years later: the two of them couldn’t be more in love—in fact, they’re engaged and looking to buy a new home together.

Alongside trying to find the perfect home, they’re also busy planning their dream wedding, with family flying in from across the country and around the world. Planning for the future, Mark and Sarah are looking to upgrade to a car that has additional safety features. With so much going on in their lives, it falls to their broker, Stacy, to know just what coverages they’ll need as they embark on this new adventure in their lives.

Consider the following:

Mark and Sarah are expecting to buy more jewellery in advance of the wedding (rings, necklaces) and to receive many high-valued gifts from wedding guests. Our Comprehensive Homeshield^® coverage provides all-risk coverage for the home, additional buildings and contents.

In the rush to buy a new home, many homeowners overlook or may not know what water coverage they require to protect their property from flooding risk. Waterproof Coverage™ can help take away the worry at an affordable price.

Young home buyers need to have good financials to get in the game—our Quality Rating factor can reward customers with a discount on their property insurance, based on their credit rating.

Mark and Sarah can also be eligible for an additional discount with the Vehicle Safety Technology Factor. This provides new vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems, such as autonomous emergency braking technology, with a reduction in premium.

Browse our additional resources for insightful brochures and discussion guides.

· Waterproof Coverage™ Brochure

· Quality Rating Discussion Guide

Mark and Sarah are now approaching their 20th anniversary—and have two teenagers of their own, Josh and Mia. Since we last checked in on them, Mark and Sarah have upgraded their home to a high-value family house, as well as purchased a cottage in Nova Scotia to be closer to Mark’s retired parents during the summer.

With all those ups, though, there have been a couple of challenges along the way, too. Sarah lost a prized family necklace that she had inherited many years ago from her grandmother. Josh is getting ready to take off for university across the country, with Mia sure to do the same in a few years. Mark and Sarah are happy to encourage them in their educational pursuits, but like any parents, they have their reservations about being so far away from the kids for the bulk of the year.

There’s a lot going on in the lives of Mark and Sarah—and a lot of opportunities for an insurance broker to help them find the right coverage for their many investments and lifestyle choices.

Consider the following:

With a big new home—and plenty of valuables inside—Mark and Sarah need a home insurance policy with great depth and breadth. WA’s competitive Platinum Plus policy offers many best-in-class coverages for items such as jewellery, art and wine collections.

· Platinum Plus also allows for Mark and Sarah to add the contents in Josh’s dorm room to their home policy.

While Mark and Sarah don’t get to the cottage as often as they’d like to, the whole family gathers there in the warmer months, making it an ideal property to be covered with a seasonal policy from WA’s Leisure Lifestyle range of products.

Sarah was devastated when she lost her family heirloom, but it was covered under their home insurance policy. Thanks to WA’s Hassle-Free Claims^® service, Sarah’s claim was handled quickly and efficiently. She also received complimentary emotional support through WA Care to help her through the trying time.

· Since the necklace was valued at just under $25,000, it qualified for WA’s Property Express program, meaning her claim could be settled even more quickly—and that Sarah would be compensated for her loss.

Before losing the necklace, neither Mark nor Sarah had made a claim for more than three years, so they qualified for WA’s Claims Protection Coverage. Under this coverage, their premiums didn’t go up after making the claim on the necklace, as it was their first loss.

With their children grown up and pursuing careers of their own, Mark and Sarah have both retired and are looking forward to enjoying their golden years together. Both avid travellers, they’ve spent much of their retirement so far knocking off bucket-list destinations, including Paris and London.

The family cottage in Nova Scotia is also getting plenty of use in the summertime—which might have something to do with the ATV they purchased recently. And with the kids out of the family house, they’ve downsized to a luxury condominium that better fits their new lifestyle.

Not everything has been smooth sailing for Mark and Sarah, however. Mark had to deal with a case of identity theft on his home computer, causing a great deal of stress. His mother is also getting older, and will soon need the assistance that only a nursing home can provide. On the plus side, the nursing home is much closer to Mark and Sarah’s new condominium than her old home in Nova Scotia.

Mark and Sarah are ready to unwind after a lifetime of hard work and raising a family—but they’ll still need the proper insurance coverage if they’re going to get the most out of their golden years.

Consider the following:

Being adventurous travellers, Mark and Sarah are exposed to all kinds of unpredictable risks while abroad. Stacey, their broker, recommended that they purchase a personal umbrella policy, which gives them an extra layer of personal liability protection no matter where they are.

Downsizing to a luxury condominium means Mark and Sarah need a new policy. Given the value of the contents in their new home, Mark and Sarah opt for WA’s Platinum Plus Condominium coverage, which provides ample protection for their possessions and is tailored to the unique exposures faced by condo owners.

Their Platinum Plus policy also provides coverage for personal property in Mark’s mother’s new nursing home.

The more time Mark and Sarah spend at the cottage, the more recreational gear and gadgets they seem to acquire. Thankfully, the Leisure Lifestyle coverage from WA that they purchased years ago included an auto policy to cover items such as their ATV.

While Mark knew that he had coverage for expenses and lost income suffered during the identity theft, he still had to put up with lengthy legal processes to have everything return to normal. RSA’s toll-free, 24/7 Telephone Legal Assistance helped Mark get through his ordeal with extra guidance and support when he needed it most.