Welcome to my new series on Life Insurance For Women. In the introduction, I mentioned the reasons why women need insurance and how it empowers you.

I am going to interview Chad Viminitz on the following topics:

Women are being overcharged, a lot, for mortgage insurance – what you need to know!

Why women talk themselves out of the life insurance they want/need?

How to prepare for the baby- 3 pieces to financial protection (will, mat leave savings, life insurance).

Is underwriting for women different?

In the third interview we focus on how to prepare for a baby, the three pieces of financial protection (will, mat leave savings, life insurance).

Chad having a baby is a significant life event. Why is being financially prepared often ignored?

The simple answer is: a baby’s arrival is much more fun and exciting! Expecting your first or 2nd (and 3rd or 4th) child is full of excitement and unknowns but also can be exhausting, leaving little time for financially practical tasks. Pressing priorities are obvious like getting the baby room/house ready, choosing a name, attending prenatal classes, and still living daily life. Financial matters are often not part of baby conversations with friends and family.

What are 3 ways expecting moms can be financially prepared?

You might not be able to get fully prepared for motherhood but here are three ways you can have your finances in order:

1. Write a will: Your will is the last chance for your wishes to be heard; given this includes what happens to your children, having a will is extremely important. Before the baby arrives you can have your will done, it is standard practice for lawyers to give consideration for future children.

2. Discuss changes to cash flow during a maternity or paternity leave: The cost of having kids can easily catch new parents off guard and people prefer to discuss babies, politics, religion, and personal problems before finances. Financial communication is key to balancing financial priorities with lifestyle. Do a test run and live on a reduced income before the baby arrives and save a little extra during the months leading up to the due date.

3. Apply for life insurance: No one wants to buy life insurance but no one wants to be left financially exposed or for their family to be financially vulnerable. Getting the best term life insurance is now quick, easy and very affordable, with no high-pressure sales. Just get it done and enjoy time with your family!

Why do pregnant women, in particular, need life insurance?

“I’ll get life insurance after the baby is born” is often said but life gets really busy, very fast. It’s normal to want to delay a decision like getting life insurance until we really have to but good intentions don’t always translate into action. Almost 45% of Canadians have no life insurance at all. When the baby arrives so does less sleep, visitors, doctor appointments, parent groups and that doesn’t include regular life (eating, work, house stuff, and other relationships).  Getting your coverage in place in advance ensures you have financial protection for your child and family from day one.

What stops pregnant women from getting these financial tasks completed?

There is a lot going on! Physically one’s body is tired or aching and the anticipation and excitement can emotionally be draining.  Finding the energy and time to see a lawyer, discuss cash flow and get life insurance can be like pulling teeth! Being financially prepared in advance of the delivery can reduce stress and give you more precious time to spend with your newborn. The financial protection for your growing family can be just as critical as reading sleep books.

You say financial security is invisible, can you explain?

When you are sharing your new baby with friends and family, the physical safety of the baby can be seen (ie. car seat, crib, etc) but financial stewardship or safety is invisible. Friends and family don’t see if a will or life insurance is in place and your financial plan is not truly tested until the unthinkable happens — only then will the strength of your financial security be exposed.

How much life insurance do most new parents need?

There are two main goals for having life insurance:

Eliminate Debts (ie. mortgage)

Protect Income (preserve lifestyle)

For most individuals that means having 10-15X their annual income in life insurance coverage. Term life insurance rates are at historic lows making proper coverage for families more affordable than ever.

What is the best life insurance product a new family to purchase?

The best, cheapest, and most appropriate product for most families is 10-year term insurance. A good 10-year term policy gives you the most amount of coverage for the lowest price — allowing life insurance to fit into an already full budget. 20-year term insurance can also provide good protection but it will cost more. My advice is to get the right amount of financial protection (ie. coverage), beneficiaries never ask “Did my partner have a 10 year or 20-year term insurance?” They ask “Did we have enough?”

Why do so many of us procrastinate on getting life insurance?

The anticipation of a child’s arrival is exciting but it also can stir up a sense of tension of “responsibility” and from a financial perspective we are unsure what to do with it. We are also rarely forced to self evaluate our own “financial worth” which can be a strange concept to many. Intuitively, I think most people know that their financial value to their family and children is a big number and that can be scary and with 80% of people overestimate the cost of term life insurance it’s easy for us to push aside the decision to get coverage. The good news is that the best and cheapest form of term life insurance need for most families is at historic lows.

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The post Baby on the Way? How to be Financially Prepared appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

There’s something extraordinary about the bond between a father and his daughter—a connection so deep, so tender, that it reshapes the very fabric of a man’s heart. Garrison Keillor once wrote that “the father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage,” and he’s right. One word, one look, one question from her—and the strongest man becomes soft clay.

From the moment I heard my daughter’s heartbeat in that clinic room, my life changed forever. What began as a clinical visit turned into a spiritual awakening. Bryan Cranston captured it perfectly: “I felt an instant, radical, unconditional love that redefined love.” That’s exactly what happened to me.

This blog is a reflection—not just on becoming a father, but on becoming a better human through that journey. It’s about miracles, perspective, and the quiet, everyday moments that teach us more than any classroom ever could. Through Jean, I’ve learned what truly matters. And maybe, as you read, you’ll be reminded of your own lessons too.

The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage. A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, “Daddy, I need to ask you something,” he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan. – Garrison Keillor, The Book of Guys, 1993

From the moment she was born… I felt an instant, radical, unconditional love that redefined love. – Bryan Cranston, A Life in Parts, 2016

Focus on the miracles around you

I am in the clinic with Debbie. She is three months pregnant. After the doctor checks her out, he asks me if I want to listen to Jean’s heartbeat. I said sure. As I put the diaphragm to Debbie’s stomach and the earplugs to my ear, I hear the heartbeat.

I asked Neal, what happens next. He said Mother Nature takes over.

Neal referred us to a gynecologist. We made the trip to the clinic a couple of times and everything was fine.

Jean was two weeks late. On the last day, as the blood pressure of the mother and daughter hit high, they asked me to go and change, since I wanted to cut the cord. In the time that it took me to change, four specialists and the nurse had already taken Debbie and performed the C section. I just saw them pulling Jean out.

They tapped her feet, gave an injection to her feet, wrapped her up, and handed her over to me.

A sperm and an egg meet to produce this baby.

It just hit me. The permutations and combinations that had to go exact for Jean.

It still boggles my mind. It is nothing but a miracle, the way the eye, nose, ear, and the rest of the body works.

All the specialists at the hospital said it is a miracle, the whole process.

As you go on your day to day, focus on all the miracles happening around you. You will be amazed.

What is important

There is a lot of noise and distractions out there in the world. Jean taught me to focus on what is important. I am responsible for raising this baby. This was an important task.

In life, focus on what is important. Too often we focus on the wrong things and end up losing the important things in our lives.

Be grateful

On our first visit to the doctor with Jean, I told Neal I was a little bit worried. He asked me why. I told him that Jean is so quiet, she sleeps well and barely cries. Do you think she is deaf and dumb? He said let us do one thing. I will take Jean and you can take my three-month-old colic son. Debbie explained to me what a colic kid is.

Try not to over-analyze everything in life. Be grateful and go with the flow.

Do not sweat the small stuff

It is so easy to get caught up in checking all the milestones. Jean would meet all the weight, height, walking, talking, getting out of diapers stage in time. Some happened earlier, some happened later.

In life no use sweating over the small stuff. If your car gets a flat tire, or the washing machine breaks down, that is life.

Give up control

I am a recovering control freak and perfectionist.  My life and home always reflected this. I write everything that needs to be done and depend on a calendar to organize my life. Once Jean came into my life, the control that I thought I had was gone.

The living room and the basement were always a mess. The family room did not look like the cover of the magazine. I enjoyed the time I had with her, not focusing on whether chores or other things had to be done.

In life, very few things are under our control. Let go.

Dance

As Jean turned four, I wanted to put her in swimming and soccer. These were two things that I had little knowledge of. After a few lessons, Jean told me she wanted to dance. The soccer registration form never got filled.

Jean has been dancing for ten years. She loves it. She lives and breathes it.

As I watch her classes, I am amazed at these talented athletes. I get tired just watching. The stretching, discipline of food, sleep, exercise, and keeping a balance is amazing.

Do not live your dreams through your kids. Play to their strengths.

Carpe diem

I loved Jean as a four-year-old. She had no regrets. She was young and free and was not negatively conditioned in any way. She had no concept of the future and no past experiences. She embraced the present. This is why kids are happier than adults.

Jean took pleasure in simple things. She loved having the sprinkler on her the whole day.

As adults, we are attached to our past and future. We are scared about the future and look at the past with regret. This constant struggle can mess us up.

Unconditional love

One evening as I was having dinner in a restaurant with Debbie during her final month of pregnancy, an older gentleman came up to me and said ‘Life will never be the same for you and you will see it from different eyes’.

Those words resonate with me daily. Jean has changed me and as a parent, you are not the same person. I have all this love for her which is unconditional. I will always be a parent, responsible for loving her.

Try loving people unconditionally. It will transform you.

Become a better person

Life has always been about me. However, Jean has taught me to make this world a better place. She is very conscious of the environment, water conservation, recycling, being a good citizen, and making a difference.

In life, if you are stuck in your way and not willing to embrace change and the positive aspects of the present generation, you really miss the boat.

Time

There is a reason I have left this as the last point. As parents, we focus on keeping the kids busy and buying them the latest games. Kids just need our time, our hugs, our smiles, and our reassurance. Kids do not care about your status, Facebook updates, LinkedIn profile, or net worth. They want your time.

I am so grateful to have learned all the above points and Jean has transformed me as a person.

Let me know of some other lessons that you have learned from your daughter.

Photo Credits:  Derek Thomson Nathan Dumlao Caleb Jones Morgan David de Lossy  lauren lulu taylor  Mikael Stenberg  Kelly Sikkema

The post Discover 10 life lessons my daughter has taught me so far appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.