Increasing financial security

Helping people build financial security for a changing world

Through our everyday conversations with Clients, prospective Clients, and their families, we know how important financial security is. We believe there are opportunities to do much more to help Clients, employees and broader society achieve better financial outcomes. 

Our approach

A key pillar of our sustainability plan is to expand and create new opportunities to boost financial security. We’re focused on three areas: providing innovative financial products and services; empowering and educating people; and increasing access to and use of protection and wealth products, helping to build long-term wealth and close insurance coverage gaps. 

We offer a broad range of wealth and insurance solutions. Directly in line with our Purpose, they help our Clients and employees increase their lifetime financial security:

  • Insurance – including life, health, supplemental health, disability, dental, vision and medical stop-loss insurance products. These products give people a financial safety net, allowing them to protect themselves and their families in moments that matter.
  • Investments – including individual and workplace savings, investment, pension, market-based payout and annuity options. These options enable Clients to build savings toward their financial goals, including to and through retirement.
  • Advice – including financial planning and retirement planning services.

We recognize that the financial landscape is complex. Many people don’t have the time, interest or financial literacy to navigate their financial choices. We’re using new technologies and nudging strategies to make financial decisions easier for people. These approaches help motivate them to take actions to increase their financial security. For example:

  • In Canada, our digital coach, Ella, calls out opportunities to save and prepare for the future.
  • In the U.S., our interactive platform, Benefits Explorer, is designed to provide employees with personalized, live educational content and customized tools to help them make well-informed benefits decisions.
  • In Hong Kong, our digital Retirement Journey Planner helps people build and track personalized retirement goals. 

Across all of our markets, we see opportunities to reach and engage more people by creating more relevant offerings and removing barriers to access. We continue working to make insurance and wealth products available, accessible and affordable to more people – of different cultures, communities, income levels, generations and genders to help them achieve their financial security goals.

For example, we offer affordable insurance products to support underserved and low-income people in Asia. Our partnerships with local distributors help consumers access affordable insurance products. In North America, we’re taking action to close the insurance coverage gap. We have created digital tools to make it easier for anyone to apply for the life insurance they need.

Our experience shows that with greater knowledge and confidence, people can make better financial decisions. Across our regions, we’re increasing our financial education campaigns for Clients and community members. 

Advisors offer education on the importance of insurance, savings and investments through working one-on-one with Clients. Advisors also help Clients build financial plans to meet their short- and long-term goals.

  • Our websites are continually updated with easy-to-understand financial information, tools and calculators. 
  • Interactive platforms are designed to provide members with personalized, live educational content and customized tools to help them make well-informed benefits decisions.
  • We use social media to reach more people and help them understand the importance of financial security.  

We engage in advocacy activities to highlight ways to improve financial resilience in society. Our activities include contributing to public policy discussions, participating in industry forums, and sharing research and insights.

Goal

  • Increase the lifetime financial security of Clients, employees and communities. We are developing impact metrics related to this objective.

2022 highlights

  • Launched new products and services to support financial planning and security, including Benefits Explorer (U.S.) and Prospr by Sun Life (Canada) 
  • Helped Clients create over 49,000 financial roadmaps1 using the new Sun Life One Plan digital tool as well as take 1.1 million actions to boost their financial security in Canada
  • Offered financial education activities and resources globally to help people build their financial security

Learn more about our progress and performance in our 2022 Sustainability Report and ESG Performance Tables.

Helping fishing communities in the Philippines build financial resilience

The Sun Life Foundation is helping fishing families in remote communities build financial literacy and resilience against shifting environmental conditions.

Learn more

More resources

1 Figure includes Individual Clients and a pilot Group Retirement Services Client using our new Sun Life One Plan digital tool. In 2022, we created over 65,000 financial roadmaps for Individual Clients.

Refer to Sustainability Data Scope.