The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada launching a new program designed to help Canadians plan for the financial realities of life and retirement: The Plan for life program.

With a growing population and longer life expectancies retirement dreams threaten to become pipe dreams unless attitudes towards saving for the future shift, the insurer says.

“People aren’t really getting how important financial planning is, and how it doesn’t happen magically or overnight. It’s often because people don’t realize how easy it can be to plan properly and save for the future, so we’re making a point of sending out the wake-up call and teaching them simple ways to get their finances on track” says Teresa Morgan, national manager of member services and marketing communications.

Standard Life has created learning materials in a variety of formats that respond to the needs of varying demographics of the Canadian workforce guiding people through the opportunities and challenges of financial planning throughout their careers and into retirement. It is a multi-media program that offers communications, investment tools and personal and online services to their clients’ members.

The Plan for life program employs down-to-earth language and situations that address the real challenges, concerns and opportunities people face when it comes to financial planning. “It’s not what people are used to seeing from big financial companies,” says Anthony Cardone, senior vp of group savings and retirement. “No stuffy financial jargon. We’re dropping the old way and talking about what really concerns people when it comes to their money and their future.”

Standard Life works with its clients and advisors to develop a custom communication strategy for employees by selecting from its suite of online, paper and personal materials and services.

And as part of it commitment to ensure that Canadians will have a better tomorrow all printed material created as a part of The Plan for life program is printed on 100% recycled material.