All around the world this month (and especially in Canada) you may have noticed a dramatic trend in men’s facial hair. Welcome to Movember.

Movember started in Melbourne, Australia back in 1999 as an awareness campaign focused on men’s health. It has since become a global phenomenon, focusing primarily on prostate cancer. Canada has lead the world recently, with nearly 119,000 men participating in 2010, raising over $22 Million for Prostate Cancer Canada.

The rules are simple:

1. Each mo bro must begin the 1st of November with a clean shaven face.
2. For the entire month of Movember each mo bro must grow and groom a moustache.
3. There is to be no joining of the mo to your sideburns. (That’s considered a beard.)
4. There is to be no joining of the handlebars to your chin. (That’s considered a goatee.)
5. Each mo bro must conduct himself like a true country gentleman.

This is my second year participating in Movember. Part of my job at The Financial Benefits Group is helping our clients plan for worst case scenarios, and unfortunately that means considering the impact that cancer would have on their lives. It is estimated that 1 in 7 Canadian men will develop prostate cancer at some point. The good news is that prostate cancer is over 90% curable if detected early.

I’d like to speak directly to anyone reading this, and ask you to do two things:

1. If you’re a man, get yourself checked. If you are a woman, tell any man you care about to get himself checked. Here’s a link to a pdf poster that talks about what guys can do, and what they need to talk to their doctor about.
2. Get Critical Illness Insurance. Any amount is better than none. You can even build it so you get all your money back if you don’t claim. If you do get sick, the worst thing for you is to be stressed out and worrying about bills and mortgages and child care instead of focusing on getting healthy. Talk to your advisor or give us a call, but I truly believe that Critical Illness Insurance is the most important coverage any of us can have.

I also invite you to check out my Movember page: mobro.co/mikelawtonyeg

You can laugh at my pictures, follow my progress, and (most importantly) donate to Prostate Cancer Canada.

Thanks for reading and thank you for your support.