Hard lessons in life....

I am a parent of a 4 yr old.. I catch myself saying "It's ok to make mistakes as long as we learn from them" Yes this is true in so many ways. Riding a bicycle takes practice.. You will probably fall a few times until you finally figure it out.
Accidentally breaking something.... accidents happen, what can we learn from them.

Can we also learn from other people's mistakes? Absolutely!
- Have you heard of someone dying without a Will? what has happened to their family?

- Have you also heard of someone dying without life insurance? yes and what has their family had to go through?

- Have you heard of someone getting sick or injured,not having adequate health insurance, how did they manage their bills?

- Have you heard of someone not planning their retirement properly? How will they manage to live off goverment programs?

Why make the same mistakes as these people? You are a smart person with responsibilities of your own. Great! If you have already thought of these crucial things and put plans in place. If not, start now. It is the only thing you can control.

Thanks for reading!

Karen
karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com
604-603-8571

Giving back...

This blog is about giving back to a cause I believe in.

For those of you who do not know, I am very involved with the ALS Society of BC and the ALS Society of Canada. Do you know what ALS is? If you do, you understand the seriousness of a diagnosis, the upset of how your life has changed because someone close to you has been diagnosed with ALS.

What is ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease?
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive, neuromuscular disease. It attacks the motor neurons that transmit electrical impulses from the brain to the voluntary muscles in the body. When these muscles fail to receive messages, they lose strength, atrophy and die.

ALS can hit anyone at any, time regardless of age, gender, or ethnic origin.

ALS does not affect the senses; only rarely does it affect the mind.
In 90% of cases, it strikes people with no family history of the disease.
Equipment costs for each patient average $137,000; nursing and home care costs can be up to 10 times this amount.

My Mom was diagnosed with ALS in 1998. She died in 1999. I was in my last year of University, 3 hrs away from home. I would come home every month to see a dramatic change in her. My Mom needed a feeding tube, she was unable to walk, talk, care for herself. The only thing she was able to do was smile with her eyes. She died suddenly in March 1999.
This is the reason I am involved with the Walk for ALS. We create awareness,raise funds for patient services and research.

This is also the reason I have chosen a career at Sunlife Financial. I help people plan for the life they always dream of. I also help people have plans in place to protect themselves and the ones they care about against the negative effects of ill health and death. No one expects to get ill, injured, become unable to work or die too young. Reality is, it happens! It is a terrible situation, however if you have one last thing to worry about (your finances) I am sure you/your family would be thankful you were thinking ahead.

We all have stories about things that affect us and what drives our actions. Now you know a little bit of my story.

Be well! Enjoy life

Karen:)

karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com
604-603-8571

How to juggle today and still plan for tomorrow..

Hi there!
If you are like me.. life is certainly busy! juggling it all seems overwhelming doesn't it.
I am here to remind you to sit back and think about what your values are, where are you heading? what will your future look like?

Do you find yourself avoiding coversations about saving for your retirement, Wills, life insurance, your benefit package booklet?.... You are not alone. Here's the situation though... two options you could choose. Continue to avoid and leave success to chance, or do something about it.
There are far too many stories of disappointment. You have time to take action.
Start by discussing this with your family. Life is just too short.

Always looking out for you
Karen :)

Plan B

This is something I want you to think about...

We all have plans for our lives.. This might include career plans, family plans, vacation, home, etc. Short term and long term plans are what drives our day to day..

Here's the catch though. Your plans can have big interuptions. These are not planned, they can include great things like an amazing job offer, any other offer in business or personal you just weren't expecting.

These unplanned things can also include devastating news about a family member's health, financial upset, unexpected expenses.
It's the ones that have the coping mechanisms and plans in place to deal with these upsets that keep their original plans in check.

I met with a client earlier today.. a 61 yr old woman who lost her husband 7 yrs ago to a brain aneurysm. She has one son who is 27 yrs old. She's healthy, has a house, she's happy and probably will work until she's 65. Her plan for her older yrs in retirement is to live with her sister,her cousin and hire someone to take care of them when they get old.. I love that! Hopefully many years away, but at least she has thought of this. If money gets tight, she will bring in one or 2 students to live with her and pay room/board.
Her life insurance needs are being looked after already.

What I like about this is she's thinking ahead of what she'll do.
I work with my clients to find the best solutions for their concerns. Everyone is different and I believe that this one client in particular will be well looked after should she need to go to "plan B"

Remember time goes by fast, take the time to plan ahead so you're not faced with plan b without a plan.

Now, there's your deep thought of the day.

Enjoy life!

Karen
karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com

Why April 11th is a special day

Hi and thanks for taking the time to read :)

April 11th happens to be the day that my spouse Tracy was diagnosed with breast cancer. 3 years ago, it was sunny day I remember. Tracy dropped myself and our son Nathan off at the Mount Pleasant Family Centre for a morning of play. She was going for a mammogram at the Ultrasound clinic on Victoria Drive. She had found a suspicious lump that was going to be checked out... I remember thinking, we don't need to go, no big deal, perhaps she's overreacting. WEll, guess what! it was in fact breast cancer! 34 yrs old healthy woman. WHAT? this doesn't happen to people like us..we exercise, eat well.

So the chaos begins.. I get the phone call but I still don't believe it. A mistake? must be, they'll redo the test, it will all be fine. No, it's real..

25 rounds of chemo, double mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, more more more dr's appts and recovery. All of this while struggling to keep the family together, not to disrupt Nathan too much as he was only 17 months old. Thankfully Tracy's mom came out to help from Toronto for a few months.

This story is very positive because Tracy is doing fantastic! I always knew she would would beat the cancer and she did!

I will tell you something though.. If we didn't have a special little something in place called Critical Illness insurance I'm not sure where we would have been.
We were able to put all of our energy into her getting better and not stressed about finances. I believe this made a huge difference in recovery time for her and me being able to be there for her.

The rest of the story is history, except that every women,child and man needs to have this coverage. You may be fortunate to have a group plan that includes this. If not, I highly recommend looking into to for yourself and your family. I fear that if we didn't have this coverage the outcome may have been a lot different.

Please contact me if you would like to know the whole story...

Karen
604-603-8571
karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com

Easter is a time for...

Hello there!

I am sitting here with my son who obviously had found way too many chocolate eggs! I can't say anything because we both share the same love however I prefer the dark kind.


This is the first Easter that my mother-in-law is without her husband who died only a few weeks ago. My spouse is also feeling the loss of her father.

It is also a time where I think about both my parents who have also passed away.

I don't mean to be bringing of hardship and loss at this time. I do want you to remember that life is precious. The relationships you build throughout your life are so special. Never get too busy to stay in touch or be too angry to hold grudges. Life has no time for that!

Life doesn't give you second chances so go out there and do what you're driven to do. Do what you've been meaning to do.

Go on.... go on act now!

Special bunny hugs from me to you.

Karen :)

karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com
www.sunlife.ca/karen.divenanzo
604 603 8571

"Growing your savings" Workshop Tues April 6th 7:30pm

New Workshop for Lower Mainland Residents!!!!!
Space is still available...

I am putting a workshop on for anyone who is interested in ways to grow their savings.

Whether you own your home or rent a property you are probably wondering how you can manage your day to day expenses and still have some money left over to put away.
If you have a young family this seems even more difficult!

The first step is to define your values around money. What do you strive for? What are your goals?

2nd step is to find out where you are today, Where is your money coming from? Where is it going?

3rd step is to find out where you can possibly cut back, use a budget

Finally, align your spending and saving habits with your values

Watch your money grow.

Investment/Saving options
Retirement savings vs Tax Free Savings Accounts
Guaranteed vs Market based products

Please contact me if you are interested in joining us!
For exact location (False Creek/Granville island) contact me
karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com
604-603-8571

Spring cleaning

Some call it spring cleaning, others call it gett'n things done.
There is something about the sun shining and weather getting warmer that makes us take action. Perhaps you have been thinking that it's time to paint the walls, organize the closets... etc.

How about that nagging reminder in your head that you don't have a Will. I'll start putting money aside for my retirement... I'll get to it later.

So when you find yourself feeling more energetic this time of year, don't forget to think about these important topics. They just don't get done unless you take action.

I can even help you with all that stuff!

Karen :)

karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com
C: 604-603-8571
O: 604-683-6895 ext 205
www.sunlife.ca/karen.divenanzo

Job security

Nobody wants to feel the stress of being laid off from a job. Unfortunately it seems to be a reality for many people. The stress of looking for another job while figuring out how the bills will be paid, etc is not something you want to be feeling. How do you plan ahead for something like this? Can you really save enough $ for unexpected lay-offs? An emergency fund of 3-5 months? Maybe it's a line of credit or another plan you have thought of?

This is how I view an illness or a death striking a family. What if tomorrow you find yourself dealing with an accident or a diagnosis that will require care, make you unable to work for a period longer than 1 month? years? Will you be able to manage?
Equally as bad, is an unexpected death to you or your spouse. Will your family be able to continue the quality of life you have planned without major financial upset?

The big question here is... are you prepared to take on this risk yourself or does it make more sense to share the risk with an insurer? What impact would either choice have on you/your family?

If you only rely on the coverage you have with your employer, it may not be enough. For example, if you are laid off or the company has decided to cut their benefits.

Consider all of these things when you plan ahead for your future.

Thank you!
Karen

Contact me for more details..
karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com
604-603-8571

Goal setting

I'm not a life coach, I have lived 34 yrs and have seen this throughout my own life...

Goal setting is one of those things that some people have figured out while others do not. Possibly the most important skill that should be taught throughout school and practiced throughout life.

Think about it.. When were you the most happy? Were you working toward a goal? a project, vacation, new business,etc.

If you're like me, you have many roles in life. Maybe it's difficult to think about what "you want" while juggling everything else. I can't tell you how important it is to take the time for yourself and plan your goals.. personal and professional. Write it down and think about it often. If its not written down, or you don't have a plan of action you will leave it to chance..

This is so true when it comes to planning your long term goals of life..Retirement for example.
How do you want your retirement to be? Where do you want to live? What sort of things will you be doing? How much money do you need? How much will you have?

If you think your life is just too busy or you don't feel you have enough money to set aside. You are probably right. However,If you don't take the necessary steps to get there, you will be leaving it to chance and you can probably guarantee that you won't be living out your retirement dreams. Starts with a plan... right now is a good time.

Start by figuring out what you want.. everything else will start to fall in place.

For more information about setting and achieving your financial goals you can find me here.
www.sunlife.ca/karen.divenanzo

Afraid of a diagnosis?

Here's a question for you that might make you think about a few things...

If you feel a bit strange, find a bump on your skin or something like that would you go to the Dr right away? Why or why not? If your answer is no and the problem doesn't go away in a day or so, at what point would you finally make the appointment?

There is so much talk about early detection being the key with breast cancer, colon cancer... you name it, pretty much any condition. So why do we still have people dying from preventable diseases? Perhaps, many are afraid of the result and don't want to know the answer? So many things running through your mind.. how will this affect my life, my family? Can I afford to be off work?.....

I read somewhere recently that 2 out of 5 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime. I started thinking about this a little more. I won't live in fear, I won't live in denial that this can happen to me. What I will do is, take care of myself by eating well, exercising and proper sleep (one to work on maybe). One more thing that is a must for everyone! Having plans in place that allow you to have peace of mind that should you face a personal illness you will be able to focus on recovering while allowing your life to continue.

Disability insurance, Critical illlness Insurance and Long Term Care insurance are all types of plans that you must absolutely get in place now when you're healthy. Please do not wait until the day you feel a little strange to ask the details and apply. It will be too late. This would be my worst day ever telling you.. sorry we should have done this sooner. You just never know about tomorrow, no one ever expects to get sick or hurt.

These plans are based on a few factors that will determine the best fit, how much it will cost, if you can get it,etc. Please contact me to learn more about how you're currently covered.

In good health,
Karen

www.sunlife.ca/karen.divenanzo
karen.divenanzo@sunlife.com
604-603-8571

Bring on the New Year

I wrote the date for the first time today.. oops /09. Seemed strange to write /10. I think I'll be writing 2010 until I get used to it. Besides 2010 is all about the olympics and that's pretty cool.

Seriously though... what kinds of things do you have planned for this year? I'm not talking resolutions, I'm talking real plans that will stick. Time will fly by unless you make an effort to take charge. For me, I plan to grow my family, grow my business and continue to build and nuture my existing relationships. Good health, financial security, love and relationships are extremely important to me.

What is important to you? What are your values? and where do you see yourself in the future? How do you create balance with today and tomorrow? Don't go in to your future blindly... have a plan that will get you where you want to be. Don't do it alone, include your spouse/your family and of course a professional.... such as yours truly, moi :) www.sunlife.ca/karen.divenanzo

Great success for 2010!