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Protect future insurability
Establish permanent coverage while your child qualifies, before possible changes in health or circumstances. Future increases, if desired, depend on policy provisions and available riders.
InsuranceVilla · Family legacy planning
Life Ensuring Your Children.
The gift they may not understand today—and could appreciate for a lifetime. Explore Desjardins participating whole life insurance designed to protect a child's life insurance coverage and build potential long-term value.
For parents, grandparents, future retirees and business owners. Insurance eligibility and product terms apply.
5 years5 Pay PAR guaranteed base premium period
7 choicesParticipating whole life payment structures
LifetimePermanent insurance protection, subject to policy terms
♡ A lasting gift✓ A clear payment finish line✦ A future worth planning for
Start early · Think beyond today
More than protection. A foundation for tomorrow.
Childhood can be an opportunity to arrange life insurance while young and potentially establish future options. Participating whole life coverage can combine a guaranteed basic death benefit with contractual cash surrender values and potential non-guaranteed policy dividends.
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Give a policy, not a bill
Limited-pay designs can let parents or grandparents finish the scheduled base premiums before a carefully planned ownership transfer to an adult child.
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Build potential living value
Guaranteed basic cash values and potential dividends may provide financial flexibility later in life, depending on how the policy performs and is used.
Featured solution · Desjardins
5 Pay PAR: Five years of premiums. A lifetime of possibilities.
A short, defined premium commitment can be valuable for families who want to complete their planned funding early. Desjardins positions 5 Pay PAR for parents and grandparents, people nearing retirement, and business owners seeking to avoid long-term base premium commitments.
Primary characteristics
- Enhanced insurance dividend option selected at issue.
- Guaranteed premium payment period of five years for the base plan.
- Certain eligible complementary coverages may become paid-up after five years; exclusions and contract terms apply.
- Guaranteed cash surrender values on basic coverage; cash values from paid-up additions depend on non-guaranteed dividends.
- Possible dividend option change after ten years, subject to the tax-exempt policy test and insurer rules.
- Possible long-term policy value growth—but future dividends and projections are not guaranteed.
Important: “Paid up” refers to scheduled base premiums; any new optional coverage, deposits or other policy provisions may require additional payments. Always review the issued illustration and contract.
Choose the pace that fits
Explore Desjardins' 7 participating whole life options
5 Pay PAR prioritizes the shortest premium commitment. Estate Enhancer generally emphasizes long-term estate value. Accelerated Growth is designed to emphasize earlier cash value growth. Actual illustrations and available features vary.
5 Pay PAR
5 yearsComplete scheduled base premiums in five years. Well-suited to early-funded family gifting plans, subject to affordability and underwriting.
Official overview ↗10 Pay
10 yearsComplete scheduled base premiums after 10 years, with a focus on longer-term participating policy value.
Product details ↗20 Pay
20 yearsA longer payment horizon than 10 Pay that may balance annual premium budget and legacy planning.
Product details ↗To Age 100
To age 100Scheduled premiums continue to age 100, with permanent coverage under the contract.
Product details ↗10 Pay
10 yearsShorter premium period paired with an emphasis on earlier cash value accumulation.
Product details ↗20 Pay
20 yearsA twenty-year base premium schedule and a participating design oriented toward earlier policy value.
Product details ↗To Age 100
To age 100Extended premium period for families prioritizing ongoing affordability and earlier value potential.
Product details ↗| Product family | Pay for | General design emphasis | Potential family-planning fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Pay PAR | 5 years | Shortest guaranteed base premium schedule | Complete scheduled funding before an adult-child gift |
| Estate Enhancer | 10 / 20 / to 100 | Longer-term estate / death benefit growth emphasis | Family legacy and intergenerational planning |
| Accelerated Growth | 10 / 20 / to 100 | Earlier cash value growth emphasis | Families interested in potential living policy values |
These comparisons describe product design aims, not promises of returns or recommendations for any individual family. Product availability and suitability require a current Desjardins illustration.
InsuranceVilla video learning centre
What is Participating Whole Life Insurance?
Watch this introductory video to better understand how participating (PAR) whole life insurance works, why permanent protection matters, and how potential dividends and cash values fit into a long-term family plan.
While watching, consider:
- How permanent life coverage differs from term insurance.
- What the policy guarantees versus what depends on dividends.
- How cash surrender values may provide future options.
- Why a 5-, 10- or 20-pay structure might fit different budgets.
This video is third-party educational content. It may describe general participating insurance rather than the exact Desjardins contract. Always refer to current Desjardins policy documents and a personalized illustration.
Know what is guaranteed
Understanding cash surrender values
What may be guaranteed
- Base premiums and their scheduled payment period.
- Basic insurance death benefit, as stated in the contract.
- Scheduled basic policy cash surrender values.
All guarantees are subject to the actual policy and provisions.
What is not guaranteed
- Future participating dividends or illustrated growth.
- Extra paid-up insurance purchased using dividends.
- Future non-guaranteed cash values associated with paid-up additions.
Dividends depend on participating account experience and insurer declarations.
Cash surrender is not a full refund promise. Ending a policy may return less than the premiums paid, potentially more, or nothing in early years depending on the contract. Surrender ends the associated coverage. Withdrawals, policy loans and transfers can have tax consequences.
Practical questions from parents and grandparents
Planning carefully for the next generation
Can a paid-up 5 Pay PAR policy be transferred to my child?
Ownership may be transferable subject to contract provisions and legal requirements. In Canada, eligible transfers to a child can receive special tax treatment, but the conditions matter, including ownership and insured-person details. Coordinate any ownership change with your advisor and tax professional.
Is a participating whole life policy the same as an RESP?
No. An RESP is a separate registered education savings plan with its own grant, withdrawal and tax rules. A participating life policy may be considered alongside an RESP in broader family planning, but insurance is not a substitute for education savings and policy withdrawals may trigger taxable gains.
Can insurance cash values help with education costs?
Potentially, through permitted surrender, withdrawal or borrowing strategies where available. Doing so can reduce policy value or death benefit, require interest payments, or create tax consequences. Values and options must be checked against an actual in-force illustration.
Why might parents choose 10 Pay or 20 Pay instead?
5 Pay compresses scheduled premiums into a shorter window, potentially requiring a higher annual outlay. A 10- or 20-year design may better fit household cash flow. A personalized side-by-side illustration shows the trade-offs.
What if I am nearing retirement or own a business?
Limited-pay whole life may help put a definite end date on base premiums. Business ownership and corporate-owned insurance introduce additional tax, accounting and planning considerations; obtain independent professional advice.
InsuranceVilla · Guided planning
Start early. Leave a legacy—not a premium obligation.
Request a needs-based review and compare 5, 10 and 20-year payment designs using personalized Desjardins illustrations, realistic affordability, and your family's goals.
Official information: Desjardins participating life insurance · Desjardins product resource · Desjardins participating life guide (PDF).