Saving, protecting, planning, retiring - what's your life stage priority?

New tool brings "life" to financial planning

TORONTO, Feb. 23 /CNW/ - At 20, you may be saving for your first car; at 30, perhaps you are considering life insurance. What will it be at age 40 or 50? Financial needs change at each stage of life, and this can bring a multitude of questions. With input from Canadians, Sun Life Financial launched Life Stage Planner, a unique new tool that informs consumers of recommended financial considerations associated with their specific stage in life.

"Like everything else, your financial needs change as you enter different stages of your life," says Kevin Strain, Senior Vice-President, Individual Insurance and Investments, Sun Life Financial Canada. "Life Stage Planner is a fantastic new tool that provides consumers with the opportunity to financially educate themselves about what they need to help them achieve lifetime financial security at any stage of life."

Feedback from clients indicated that consumers do not always know where to start when considering their financial options at the various stages of their lives. Life Stage Planner invites visitors to share information about themselves* and based on that input, the program creates a response using age, marital status, dependents and type of employment/business ownership to indicate what the consumer should be thinking about, financially.

The Life Stage Planner tool provides consumers with the ability to access information that's important for them to consider at any life stage. Through this engaging interactive tool, users are provided with relevant and personal information that places them in the driver's seat to talk with a financial advisor and determine their next steps towards achieving their financial goals.

According to the 2009 Sun Life Canadian Unretirement(TM) Index, advice and knowledge can go a long way and this information is more important than ever to Canadians:

    
    -   Eighty-six per cent of Canadians who have access to professional
        advice said they feel they are making better financial decisions
    -   Sixty-seven per cent of working Canadians who had an advisor believed
        their retirement will be as comfortable as they expected, compared to
        57 per cent without an advisor.
    

"We've heard from Canadians that those with financial advisors believe their retirement will be more comfortable than those without an advisor," said Strain. "While not everyone has an advisor, the Life Stage Planner tool provides a good starting point for people who want to educate themselves on what they need to consider for their financial plan based on where they are in life right now."

For more information:

    
    -   Visit www.sunlife.ca, and click on the Life Stage Planner banner ad
    -   Find an advisor that clicks with you at www.sunlife.ca
    -   Learn more about financial planning at www.sunlife.ca/MyFinancialPlan
    

* All information collected through Life Stage Planner remains confidential and is not sold to any third party vendors or used for any other purpose.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2009, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $433 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

For further information: Media Relations Contact: Krista Wilson, Media & Public Relations, Sun Life Financial Canada, [phone] ext. 4896, [email protected]