What is Personal Protection?
Posted on 14th January 2021
Protection can mean many things, but we’re not talking about bodyguards, deodorant, or safe sex here; we’re talking about financially protecting you and your family against the unknown. Nobody knows what the future holds, so it’s important that we all consider the risks and are financially prepared if things take a sudden turn for the worst.
Take some time to think about what is most important in your life – for example; your family, your home, your lifestyle etc. – and make sure you have guarded these things against any financial hardship that could occur in the future.
Worryingly, research by ABI shows that more than a sixth of all UK families would receive no help from the state and would see their household income drop by more than a third should the main breadwinner suddenly become unable to work for any reason. This is where protection insurance comes in! While everyone’s circumstances are different, there are some common types of protection that could come in handy for most people or families.
If you read my last blog article, you will already be very familiar with life insurance and how it works. To sum life cover up in once sentence; you pay a monthly or yearly premium to the provider of the cover, and if you die during the term of the policy your beneficiaries will be paid out a pre-defined lump sum.
Next, there’s critical illness cover. Like life insurance, you will pay a premium to the provider and will then be covered should you suffer a number of different health conditions such as cancer, heart attack, stroke etc.
If you do suffer a condition that is covered by your policy, it will pay out a lump sum of money which can be a huge help if you’re unable to work for a while. The quality and cost of critical illness insurance varies drastically from provider to provider, so remember we’re always here to help you select the best policy for your circumstances!
So, you’ve financially covered your family against death and serious illness… but what if you’re unable to work for years, or perhaps never again? That lump sum paid out by your critical illness cover will only last for so long, right? This is where income protection comes into play. IP is a long-term insurance policy designed to help you if you can’t work because you’re ill or injured, but rather than pay out a single lump sum it instead ensures you continue to receive a regular income until you retire or are able to return to work. When you consider that over a million people each year find themselves unable to work, you really start see the value of IP!
Predicting the future is tricky, isn’t it? So, there’s also accident, sickness and unemployment cover which combines these three key areas under one policy as they are likely to be the key causes of loss of income at any point in time.
If all of this sounds complicated then, well, frankly it is… but that’s why we exist! We are here to give you expert, professional advice on which protection products would suit you and your family the best, and remove the headache of trying to do it all yourself.
Don’t be shy, give our friendly team a call on 01234 419999 today or contact us to book in a free-of-charge initial discussion with us.
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