One thing is certain in life: change.
Sometimes it’s for the best and sometimes it’s not so good. But it’s guaranteed that something unexpected will happen, at some point. We just don’t know when – but usually we can be confident it will happen just when it is least convenient.
It doesn’t bear thinking about, does it? Except that you must, if you want to minimise the risk. Should the worst happen, you need a plan in order to leave your family secure.
There are risks you can avoid; risks you can transfer; risks you can minimise (through insurance for example); and risks you just have to accept if you’re going to get out of bed in the morning. We’re concerned with helping you plan around the first three, and to do this we can help you create a financial plan that will help ensure:
Protection policies insure against something happening within a given period, known as the term, and will pay out a pre-determined capital amount should the specified event occur during the term of the policy.
For example, while the children are still young and living at home, you may take out a term assurance policy to provide protection against the death of the principal breadwinner.
Provides a lump sum on the death of the life or lives assured. If no death occurs in the term, then the policies simply lapse, with no value. These provide protection at critical periods of your life, such as when children are born, for the lowest cost when budgets are stretched.
These products are designed to provide for the repayment of any outstanding loan on a repayment mortgage. The payout will normally be made on the death of one of the mortgagees, but there is no value to the policy once the mortgage has been repaid at the end of term. It does mean that you or your partner won’t lose your home, in the event one of you dies before the mortgage is fully repaid.
This provides an income if the insured is unable to work because of illness or accident. Normally, there is a deferred period before the income is paid and the longer the deferment, the lower the premium.
If the insured becomes permanently disabled then income will be paid, though the definition of disabled varies from company to company and may or may not be restricted to the ability to carry on any previous trade or profession. (Payments may be restricted to approximately 60% of previous earnings and any state benefits will be taken into account.)
Many people who suffer a life threatening illness survive for relatively long periods due to the advances in medical care. Many people worry about the effects of a critical illness on the family's ability to maintain the lifestyle they have worked hard for. Critical Illness is a protection policy that provides a lump sum (sum assured) on diagnosis of one of a specified list of illnesses, or on the permanent total disability of the life assured.
For advice on any of the above please call on 01738 628191 or complete our enquiry form.