This week I gave a 30-minute presentation to a group of engineers. I talked about investing and insurance, while emphasising the importance of making financial and lifestyle decisions that are in line with YOUR...
You’ll never have the “right” amount of insurance, and that’s because we’re dealing with uncertainty. Working out how much insurance you need is hard. You can only tell whether you need insurance with the...
If you know anything about me – from meeting me personally, reading this blog, or understanding how my business works – you’ll know that I’m very sensitive to conflicts of interest. I encourage businesses...
Health insurers don’t provide advisers, let alone consumers, enough information to make rational health insurance decisions. This is my opinion. Let me explain. Last month I attended a professional development event which included presentations...
Every so often, I stumble upon an insurance adviser who waxes lyrical on trauma insurance, otherwise known as critical illness insurance. They get really passionate about it. It seems to go beyond salesmanship –...
Most personal insurance advice conflates two very distinct types of advice: strategic insurance advice, and insurance product advice. When it comes to insurance product advice, I’m comfortable with advisers being remunerated via commission. When it comes to strategic insurance advice, which relates to whether clients need cover and what level of cover, I’m less comfortable with commission-based remuneration models. In this article, I explain the difference and the basis for my reservations.
I also introduce my course, Insurance for Savvy Kiwis, which is available here.
As a general rule, I say “no” to level premiums for personal insurance. Your insurance needs should reduce over time, so if you select level premiums, you may end up locking yourself into unnecessary insurance, gambling for a “win” rather than using insurance to manage risk. Take the stairs: use stepped premiums.
Note: I am NOT advocating for my own services here. I don’t recommend specific insurance products, help with applying for insurance and the underwriting process, or assist at time of claim. I refer clients...
I’ve mothballed this article for the time being, until I have time to update it. If you want to be notified when this article is updated (while also getting access to lots of other...
Many insurance advisers provide terrific advice. However, this isn’t always the case. Here are two “red flags” that the advice you’ve received is sub-optimal. The adviser has recommended the same level of life insurance...