People Analytics and Workday Reporting Specialist

Prairie Provident Resources (TSX: PPR) faces creditor-led insolvency proceedings after its senior secured lenders, The Prudential Insurance Company of America and Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, applied to the Court of King's Bench of Alberta under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. The hearing is set for October 27, 2026. If granted, the order would appoint Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc. as monitor with broad powers to run the business and conduct a sale and investment solicitation process. A stay of proceedings would last until November 6, 2026, unless extended. The company is not opposing the application. Its directors and officers would resign, and operations would continue under the monitor. Prairie Provident breached financial covenants as at June 30, 2026, and talks on an out-of-court restructuring failed. Trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange is expected to halt on October 27, pending delisting.

Elderly life insurance planning focuses on asset allocation When choosing life insurance products, people should also shift from simply 'buying protection' to thinking about how to build a long-term, complete financial protection framework * 2026.10.18 * 03:00 * Commercial Times Chen Xinwen Taiwan has officially entered an aging society. As average life expectancy continues to rise, how to maintain quality of life after retirement, extend healthy life expectancy, and make accumulated assets support a longer life have gradually become important issues in people's financial planning. Life insurers observe that in the longevity era, the function of insurance has gradually extended from traditional death protection to retirement preparation, asset allocation, wealth preservation, and generational inheritance. When choosing life insurance products, people should also shift from simply 'buying protection' to thinking about how to build a long-term, complete financial protection framework. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, average life expectancy in Taiwan has risen to 81.27 years, with women averaging 84.75 years and men 77.93 years. Longer life expectancy means that the living funds needed after retirement increase relatively, and because women on average live longer, retirement funds may need to cover a longer period. Under the dual trends of aging and low birth rates, relying solely on support from children or a single source of assets is no longer enough to cope with longevity risk. How to diversify financial risks after retirement through insurance, investment, and cash flow planning has become a new demand in the life insurance market. Under this market trend, investment-linked life insurance has become an option for some people who have already accumulated assets and have needs for both protection and asset allocation. For example, Prudential Life Insurance launched 'Xinfu Guardian Variable Universal Life Insurance', targeting sandwich families, professionals with mature careers, and groups accustomed to using digital tools for financial planning. Through life insurance protection combined with investment accounts, policyholders can allocate assets according to their own risk tolerance and market views. The product is denominated in New Taiwan dollars. Investment targets include discretionary investment accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, and money accounts, and cover both New Taiwan dollar and US dollar denominated targets. Policyholders can allocate investment targets and proportions according to their needs, providing flexibility in asset allocation. However, the investment returns and some related benefits of investment-linked policies are not fixed, and price fluctuations of investment targets and policy-related fees should all be included in the assessment. By contrast, for customers who have entered the retirement preparation or asset preservation stage and place more emphasis on long-term protection and wealth inheritance, traditional life insurance and participating policies provide another way of thinking about asset planning. Allianz Life Insurance has partnered with HSBC Bank to launch 'Allianz Life Hui Hong Xiang Fu Foreign Currency Whole Life Insurance (fixed payment type)', denominated and paid in US dollars, emphasizing whole life insurance protection and a participating mechanism. The product adopts British-style participating insurance and has a dual participating mechanism of incremental participating sum assured and terminal participating sum assured. However, the relevant dividends are non-guaranteed benefits, and policyholders still need to understand that the sources of dividends, declarations, and actual payments may be affected by company operations and the market environment. The product is designed with a six-year premium payment period, provides whole life insurance protection, and from the fourth policy year may accumulate sum assured through increasing paid-up insurance amount, while also incorporating a terminal participating mechanism. For customers with US dollar asset allocation needs who hope to balance life insurance protection and long-term asset accumulation, foreign currency policies also provide an allocation option different from New Taiwan dollar assets. The choice of life insurance products should not depend only on expected returns or claimed participating effects. In particular, US dollar policies involve exchange rate risk, investment-linked policies involve fluctuations in investment targets, and dividends from participating policies are not guaranteed returns. Therefore, when making long-term asset allocation, people should first confirm their own protection gaps, retirement funding needs, liquidity needs, and risk tolerance, and then decide the proportion of insurance in their overall asset allocation. From the perspective of the aging trend, the focus of future life insurance planning will also shift from simply accumulating sum assured to building a complete 'longevity financial protection net'. For sandwich families still in the asset accumulation stage, they can pursue both protection and investment allocation to balance family responsibilities and retirement preparation; for those approaching retirement and retirees, more attention should be paid to asset preservation, retirement cash flow, and long-term medical and care needs; and for high-net-worth customers, trust, insurance, and other financial assets can be further combined for family inheritance and wealth preservation.

Brandon Willis joins Prudential Wealth Advisors in Effingham. Brandon Willis has joined Rich and Austin Hartke's office at Prudential Wealth Advisors in Effingham as a financial advisor. Born and raised in Effingham, Brandon brings a background in financial analysis and auditing along with experience as a small business owner. That combination gives him a practical understanding of both the numbers behind a financial plan and the day to day realities the families and business owners in this community are working through. Brandon holds his Series 7 and Series 66 registrations along with life and health insurance licenses, and has completed his Master's in Business Analytics. His work centers on retirement planning, cash flow analysis, investment management, asset protection, and financial planning for individuals, families, and business owners. Whether the question is how to turn savings into steady retirement income, what to do with a retirement account from a former employer, or whether a current plan still fits, Brandon aims to give clear and straightforward answers. Brandon is glad to be building his career in the community he grew up in. He can be reached at 217-347-8801 or [email protected]. social share