Products and services

Investment options

There are many different investment options to choose from. The right one for you depends on your situation and goals.

GICs (Guaranteed investment product)**

Designed for people who want to protect their principal and earn a guaranteed rate of return.
Because of their many features, guaranteed interest products are an important component of both registered and non-registered savings plans – as well as retirement income plans.

Mutual funds†

A mutual fund is a pool of money and investments (e.g. stocks, bonds and other types of investments) that are managed by a professional fund manager.

Segregated funds

Segregated fund contracts are a popular investment option, available only from life insurance companies. Similar to mutual funds, segregated funds are large pools of money invested in stocks, bonds or other securities. These contracts have higher fees than mutual funds because they also offer guarantees and some of the additional benefits of a life insurance contract.

Annuity products

An annuity protects you from the risk of outliving your money and helps to cover basic expenses in retirement. In exchange for a lump-sum premium, an insurance company – like Sun Life – guarantees to pay you an income for life or as long as the annuity contract specifies. Your income will be secure from both market and interest rate risks – and, if you buy your annuity with non-registered savings, you could also benefit from tax savings.

Looking at retirement

Everyone’s dream retirement will look a little different. That’s why it’s important to make a custom retirement plan.

RRSP (Registered retirement savings plan)

A type of savings account specially designed to help Canadians save for their retirement.
It comes with tax advantages that let you save and grow your money now, while deducting your RRSP contributions from your current tax bill.

TFSA (Tax-free savings account)

A tax-free savings account (TFSA) is a registered investment account that’s designed to help Canadians save money.

Any income earned within a TFSA, including interest, dividends and capital gains is tax-free.

RRIF (Registered retirement income fund)

An investment account that pays you income during retirement. You can transfer tax-sheltered funds from registered Canadian accounts such as RRSPs, registered pension plans and other RRIFs into a RRIF.

GICs (Guaranteed investment product)**

Designed for people who want to protect their principal and earn a guaranteed rate of return.
Because of their many features, guaranteed interest products are an important component of both registered and non-registered savings plans – as well as retirement income plans.

LIF (Life income fund)

A registered account designed to pay you income from your locked-in pension assets. These assets can’t be taken out all at once, since a LIF is meant to provide retirement income throughout your life.

Mutual funds†

A mutual fund is a pool of money and investments (e.g. stocks, bonds and other types of investments) that are managed by a professional fund manager.

Segregated funds

Segregated fund contracts are a popular investment option, available only from life insurance companies. Similar to mutual funds, segregated funds are large pools of money invested in stocks, bonds or other securities. These contracts have higher fees than mutual funds because they also offer guarantees and some of the additional benefits of a life insurance contract.

Annuity products

An annuity protects you from the risk of outliving your money and helps to cover basic expenses in retirement. In exchange for a lump-sum premium, an insurance company – like Sun Life – guarantees to pay you an income for life or as long as the annuity contract specifies. Your income will be secure from both market and interest rate risks – and, if you buy your annuity with non-registered savings, you could also benefit from tax savings.

Personal and family health insurance

A policy or contract that gives you, the insured person, financial coverage to help pay for health-care needs. Depending on your policy, the insurance company pays for your covered health-care expenses. You pay the insurance company a monthly premium or fee.

LIRA (Locked-in retirement account)

A registered account designed to hold and invest pension assets that you and your former employers contributed to. Investments within the LIRA grow tax-deferred – this means you won’t have to pay taxes on investment growth until you withdraw funds.

Long term care insurance

Long term care insurance from Sun Life provides an income-style benefit if you become unable to care for yourself due to aging, a serious accident, severe illness or deteriorated mental abilities.

Permanent Life Insurance

A type of life insurance policy that provides you with lifelong coverage to protect your loved ones. This coverage never expires, no matter your age or if your health changes. Permanent life insurance provides a death benefit, which is a tax-free payment your beneficiaries will get after you die.

Business owners

Spend more time running your business and less time worrying about your business. A strong strategy can get you there.

Business owner insurance

Whether you’re starting out or looking for ways to grow your business, business owner insurance can help you protect yourself, your partners and employees and your family.

Business Benefits & Savings

The needs of small businesses are as unique as the people running them. That’s why we’ve created a variety of affordable, customizable benefits and savings plans with the features that matter most to businesses.

RRSPs for Business Owners

Your business may produce surplus above what is needed for your business or personal lifestyle. You can either retain in the corporation or remove and invest personally. Maximizing your RRSPs makes sense for most business owners given a sufficient time horizon.

TFSAs for Business Owners

Your corporation may produce surplus above what is needed for your business or personal lifestyle. If you want to save the surplus for future use TFSA’s may be a good solution, depending on your time horizon and current and future tax brackets.

Life insurance products

Life insurance allows you to protect the people you love by providing your beneficiaries a tax-free cash payment when you die.

Whole life insurance

A type of permanent life insurance that gives your beneficiaries a tax-free payment after you die (called a death benefit). Your beneficiaries can use the money from the death benefit any way they want.
While some life insurance plans offer coverage for a specific amount of time, whole life insurance has no time limit because it covers you throughout your life. So you don’t have to worry about your coverage expiring or renewing your policy.

Participating life insurance

Participating life insurance (also called par insurance) is a contract that offers three important features: lifetime insurance, cash-value growth and a chance to earn policy dividends.

Term life insurance

An affordable life insurance policy that gives you financial protection for a certain period of time. If you die while your policy is still active, then your beneficiaries receive a lump-sum, tax-free payment (called the death benefit). They can use this money any way they please.

Mortgage protection insurance

Thinking of buying a new home? Your mortgage lender may offer the option of buying mortgage insurance (also known as creditor insurance). But do you really need it? Or do you need mortgage protection insurance instead?

Permanent Life Insurance

A type of life insurance policy that provides you with lifelong coverage to protect your loved ones. This coverage never expires, no matter your age or if your health changes. Permanent life insurance provides a death benefit, which is a tax-free payment your beneficiaries will get after you die.

Universal life insurance

The most flexible types of permanent life insurance for Canadian residents.
It offers key financial planning features such as lifelong protection that never expires and opportunities for tax-preferred savings growth.

**Sun Life Financial Trust Inc. is the issuer of Sun GIC Max and Guaranteed Investment Certificates. Sun Life Financial Trust Inc. is a member of Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC). An Insurance GIC is an accumulation annuity issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada.

†Mutual funds distributed through Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc.

Have questions?

Here to help answer your questions, provide clarity about products and get you started on the road to achieving your goals.