Core Financial Concepts

Why haven’t you looked into life insurance yet?

The following responses are satire… before somebody fact-checks Abraham Lincoln. 😂

“I’ve been meaning to get around to it.”
— Everybody

“I figured I had more time.”
— Julius Caesar

“I’m pretty confident nothing unexpected is going to happen.”
— Abraham Lincoln

“I’ll deal with it after this voyage.”
— Titanic Passenger

“I’ve got a pretty good feeling about tomorrow.”
— Napoleon

“I don’t really like thinking about worst-case scenarios.”
— Custer

“I’m young.”
— James Dean

“I’m healthy.”
— Bruce Lee

“I’ve still got plenty of time.”
— Elvis Presley

“Maybe next year.”
— John Lennon

“I’m too busy working.”
— Steve Jobs

“I’m waiting until life settles down.”
— Every Parent Ever

“My family will figure something out.”
— Famous Last Words

“I don’t like paperwork.”
— Homer Simpson

“D’oh!”
— Homer Simpson, five minutes later

“I have people for that.”
— Tony Stark

“I’m Batman.”
— Batman

“I’ve survived everything so far.”
— James Bond

“What could possibly go wrong?”
— Every Horror Movie Character

“I’ll be back.”
— The Terminator

“Life insurance? Great Scott!”
— Doc Brown

“I thought the Force would handle it.”
— Luke Skywalker

“Never tell me the odds.”
— Han Solo

“My financial plan is basically hakuna matata.”
— Timon

“I have nine lives.”
— Garfield

“I’m practically indestructible.”
— Wile E. Coyote

“I’m waiting for a better deal.”
— Mr. Krabs

“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
— Every Canadian Dad

“I’m still comparing companies.”
— Canadian Who Started Comparing Them in 2019

“I thought the government covered that.”
— Someone, Somewhere in Canada

“I’m waiting until interest rates come down.”
— Canadian Homeowner

“I’ve already got enough bills.”
— Every Canadian in 2026

“I’ll think about it after hockey season.”
— Canadian

“I’m busy watching the Oilers.”
— Albertan

“After harvest.”
— Farmer

“After Christmas.”
— Everyone in December

“After tax season.”
— Everyone in April

“After summer.”
— Everyone in June

“After the kids go back to school.”
— Everyone in August

“After things calm down.”
— Everyone, Forever

“I’m going to make a tremendous decision. Possibly the greatest life insurance decision anyone has ever made.”
— Donald Trump, probably

“I have a plan.”
— Justin Trudeau, probably

“We need to bring it home.”
— Pierre Poilievre, probably

“I’m going to need more information and several committees.”
— Canadian Government, probably

“I’ll make a decision after Question Period.”
— Canadian Politician

“We can discuss that after the election.”
— Every Politician Ever

“I’m not worried. Everything will work itself out.”
— Person Whose Family Wishes He Had Life Insurance

“I don’t need life insurance. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

Imagine leaving your children something more valuable than money.
Imagine leaving them financial habits.
They know how to save because saving was normal in your house.
They understand debt because you explained what interest actually costs.
They invest because they learned early that money can work too.
They protect their families because you taught them that planning for difficult possibilities is part of loving people.
And when they begin earning their own money, they don’t have to spend their first ten years figuring out lessons you already learned the hard way.
An inheritance can eventually be spent.
Knowledge can keep producing value for a lifetime.
Build the assets.
But pass down the wisdom too.

One day you’ll make your last car payment.
Your last mortgage payment.
Your last day of work will come too.
Build toward the day when the paycheques stop, not just the next payday.

There are people making $100,000 who are broke.
There are people making $50,000 who are building wealth.
Income matters.
But what you do with it matters too.

A million dollars sounds impossible to a lot of people.
So let’s make the number smaller.
Using a hypothetical 7% average annual return, investing about $820 per month for 30 years would grow to roughly $1 million.
That’s still a lot of money every month.
So start earlier.
Over 40 years, roughly $380 per month at the same hypothetical return gets you into that neighbourhood.
That’s the power of time.
And it demonstrates why waiting until you “have lots of money” can work against you.
Returns aren’t guaranteed. Investments rise and fall, and actual results will vary.
The point isn’t that everyone needs exactly $1 million.
The point is that long-term wealth can be built from ordinary monthly contributions given enough time.
You don’t have to start rich.
You have to start.

Your children are watching more than you think.
Let them see you save.
Let them hear you talk about money wisely.
Let them see you say, “We can afford it, but we don’t need it.”
That’s financial education too.

$20 a week = $1,040 a year.
$50 a week = $2,600.
$100 a week = $5,200.
Don’t underestimate what a small amount can become when you stop interrupting it.

There’s a difference between being able to make the payment and being able to afford something.
A lender may approve you for the vehicle.
A credit card may have enough room for the furniture.
A financing company may happily divide your purchase into convenient monthly payments.
None of that means the purchase fits your financial life.
Affordability should include the other things you’re trying to accomplish.
Can you still save?
Can you handle an emergency?
Can you pay your other bills comfortably?
Are you building anything for your future?
Sometimes the question isn’t:
“Can I make the payment?”
It’s:
“What could I build if I didn’t have the payment?”
That question can completely change how you look at debt.

Your emergency fund isn’t there to impress anybody.
It’s there so when life says, “That’ll be $900,” you don’t have to ask a credit card for permission.

One generation can change the financial direction of a family.
Maybe you weren’t taught how credit works.
Maybe nobody explained investing.
Maybe insurance was never discussed.
Maybe saving meant putting aside whatever happened to be left.
You can learn differently.
And then you can teach differently.
Imagine children growing up knowing how to budget, understanding debt, knowing why an emergency fund matters and learning that investing isn’t something reserved for wealthy people.
That knowledge can follow them for the rest of their lives.
You may not be able to change the financial lessons you inherited.
But you absolutely have a say in the lessons you pass on.