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		<title>Common Insurance Buying Mistakes</title>
		<link>https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/common-insurance-buying-mistakes/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Bish]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2021 05:01:54 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disability Cover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Total & Permanent Disability (TPD)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trauma Cover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buying life insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[common insurance mistakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how much insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Income protection]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insurance coverage is necessary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pre-existing conditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[premium cost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unexpected costs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wrong excess]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/?p=1677</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/<p>Unexpected losses can put the best-laid financial plans in turmoil. Insurance coverage is necessary to protect against unexpected costs, property loss, and disability. There are no universal answers to the question of how much insurance is enough. Situations vary.  &#8230; <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/common-insurance-buying-mistakes/">Read More</a></p>
The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/common-insurance-buying-mistakes/">Common Insurance Buying Mistakes</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></description>
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			<h2 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">COMMON INSURANCE BUYING MISTAKES</h2>		</div>
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				<p>Unexpected losses can put the best-laid financial plans in turmoil. <strong><em>Insurance coverage is necessary to protect against unexpected costs, property loss, and disability.</em></strong> There are no universal answers to the question of how much insurance is enough. Situations vary. Today we are talking about personal insurance (life cover, disability, trauma, income protection etc…).</p><p>A single 22-year old, unmarried, in perfect health, without dependents has different needs than a 35-year old working mother of four. But both certainly need insurance coverage.</p><p>Some types of insurance are expensive, but that doesn’t mean they’re unnecessary. It’s important to determine your needs before comparing policies.</p><p><strong>Consider these insurance buying mistakes:</strong></p><ol><li><strong>Choosing an excess that is too low.</strong> This is relevent to health &amp; medical cover here in New Zealand. By doubling your excess, you could seriously cut your monthly premium. Save the extra money in your savings account. If you do have a claim, you’ll have the extra available to cover the higher excess. If you don’t have a claim, it’s money in your pocket or your rainy-day account. <strong><em>Do the math and make an informed decision.</em></strong><br /><br /></li><li><strong>Assuming your pre-existing conditions will exclude you from all insurance types and companies. </strong>Insurance products and providers have different requirements when it comes to your pre-existing conditions. There is no ‘three step’ rule to whether a condition will be covered or not. You’ll need to get professional advice from a financial adviser who has a good relationship with a range of insurance companies. They will be able to find you the best cover according to your condition.<strong><br /><br /></strong></li><li><strong>Buying life insurance when you don’t have dependents.</strong> It’s challenging to think of a reason for carrying life insurance when you’re single and dependent-free. Life insurance isn’t necessary for everyone. Avoid paying for policies that you don’t even need. If you have excessive debt however, you may need to reconsider this point. If you are young, consider how you would pay your way if you were never able to work again. Permanent disability at a young age can create a lifetime of financial misfortune.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Buying life insurance coverage for your children.</strong> Unless you’re financially dependent on your children, it doesn’t make sense to insure them. Life insurance is to financially protect the people that are left behind. If you’re children aren’t contributing financially, avoid insuring them.<strong><br /><br /></strong></li><li><strong>Failing to review a company’s complaints</strong>. It’s not all about the premium. <em>Saving a few dollars each month might not be worth the hassle when it comes time to make a claim.</em> See how other insurance customers rate their experiences. Paying a couple of dollars more each month might be worth it. A good financial adviser will be able to help you with identifying the market leaders in this area.</li></ol><p> </p><ol start="6"><li><strong>Failing to review all the options each year.</strong> It’s common to stick with an insurer for decades. Avoid letting the past determine the future. Review all of your insurance policies each year. You’re bound to find at least one better option. Make sure your adviser talks through all the options with you – changing your personal insurance policies may put you at a disadvantage. A few dollars of savings may mean that your pre-existing conditions are not covered by the new company – choose carefully.<strong><br /><br /></strong></li><li><strong>Only shopping by premium cost.</strong> The monthly premium is often the only factor considered by those searching for a policy. You will notice this is becoming a common theme in the article. What are you actually getting for that premium? Remember to review all the benefits the policy provides. Buying a ‘skinny insurance product because it is cheap, may just end up being a bad economic decision in the long term. Insurance companies are not silly. If they are selling you a ‘skinny’ product it means that they are saving on their costs – that may effect you if you need to claim.<strong><br /><br /></strong></li><li><strong>Failing to buy disability insurance.</strong> <strong><em>You’re at least 5 times more likely to be disabled than to die, regardless of your age.</em></strong> How will you pay your bills and care for your family if you’re unable to work? Disability insurance can be expensive, but it’s one of the most important policies to carry. There are cost-effective ways to manage your risk without spending too much.<strong><br /><br /></strong></li></ol><p>Avoiding mistakes is an effective way to ensure success. Insurance can be expensive but shopping around can make the necessary coverage more affordable. Determine your needs and purchase insurance intelligently. Even better, speak with a professional adviser. They will walk you through different options specific to your circumstances and budget.</p>					</div>
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					</div>The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/common-insurance-buying-mistakes/">Common Insurance Buying Mistakes</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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		<title>BMI &#8211; What It Is &#038; How It Changes Your Insurance</title>
		<link>https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/bmi-what-it-is-how-it-changes-your-insurance/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Bish]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Apr 2021 22:15:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Disability Cover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Total & Permanent Disability (TPD)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trauma Cover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BMI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Body mass index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[height]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Offer of terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pre-existing conditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Underwriting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weight]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/?p=1631</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/<p>BMI; that tool that nobody likes but everyone uses. “What is a Body Mass Index anyway and why should I care?”. And more importantly for us in this forum, what does it have to do with personal insurance? Key Points: &#8230; <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/bmi-what-it-is-how-it-changes-your-insurance/">Read More</a></p>
The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/bmi-what-it-is-how-it-changes-your-insurance/">BMI – What It Is & How It Changes Your Insurance</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></description>
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				<h6>BMI; that tool that nobody likes but everyone uses. “What is a Body Mass Index anyway and why should I care?”. And more importantly for us in this forum, what does it have to do with personal insurance?</h6><p><strong>Key Points:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>BMI – What is it?</strong></li><li><strong>How is it used for insurance?</strong></li><li><strong>What are the downsides to this measurement?</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>Body Mass Index is a simple tool that quickly informs people about potential physical characteristics. What do we mean by that? Do I mean being over-weight or under-weight? Partly, but there is also more to it than that. Before we answer those questions, let’s back up a bit and dissect what the measurement actually <em>is</em>.</p><p>The calculation for BMI = mass / height^2, specifically <em>Kg/m^2</em>. Or put simply, if you weigh 60Kg are you are 1.8m tall, then your BMI is 18.5. <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/bmi-calculator-tool/">Use this calculator</a> to find out your own BMI. The index is a ratio of your height (squared) to weight.</p><p>The World Health Organisation (WHO) characterises BMI in the following table. You will notice in the example I just used that an index of 18.5 would mean the person was just in the ‘normal’ range, bordering on ‘Mild Thinness’.</p><table><tbody><tr><td width="136"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;"><strong>Category</strong></span></td><td width="90"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;"><strong>BMI Range</strong></span></td></tr><tr><td width="136"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Severe Thinness</span></td><td width="90"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">&lt; 16</span></td></tr><tr><td width="136"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Moderate Thinness</span></td><td width="90"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">16 &#8211; 17</span></td></tr><tr><td width="136"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Mild Thinness</span></td><td width="90"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">17 &#8211; 18.5</span></td></tr><tr><td width="136"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Normal</span></td><td width="90"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">18.5 &#8211; 25</span></td></tr><tr><td width="136"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Overweight</span></td><td width="90"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">25 &#8211; 30</span></td></tr><tr><td width="136"><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Obese Class I</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Obese Class II</span></p></td><td width="90"><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">30 &#8211; 35</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">35 &#8211; 40</span></p></td></tr><tr><td width="136"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">Obese Class III</span></td><td width="90"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #993366;">&gt; 40</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>How is it used in insurance?</strong></p><p>When you apply for personal insurance (such as life cover, income protection or private health &amp; medical), two key questions will be asked; your height and weight. Insurance companies want to know the type of ‘risk’ that you pose to them. How healthy are you, <em>really</em>? A high BMI or a low BMI can indicate several pre-existing conditions or future issues that may present. Both are therefore potential risks.</p><p><em>A high BMI can be an indicator of:</em></p><ul><li>High blood pressure</li><li>Higher levels of LDL cholesterol, which is widely considered “bad cholesterol”</li><li>Type II diabetes</li><li>Coronary heart disease</li><li>Stroke</li></ul><p><em> A low BMI can be an indicator of:</em></p><ul><li>Malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, anaemia</li><li>Osteoporosis</li><li>A decrease in immune function</li></ul><p>There are other risk factors which may also be present, this list is not exhaustive.</p><p>As I’ve <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/terms/pre-conditioned/">discussed here before</a>, there are only four things that the insurance company can do with your application. These possible outcomes are:</p><ol><li style="list-style-type: none;"><ol><li style="list-style-type: none;"><ol><li>Your application is accepted as standard</li><li>Or you are denied cover (possibly as a <em>deferral</em> for 12 months).</li><li>Or, you receive a policy with standard pricing, covering all conditions, but with an exclusion on the specific condition you mentioned in your application – in this case, having a high/ low BMI (and, sometimes, related conditions as per the above).</li><li>You get cover, but your premium is increased to offset the “risk” you pose to the insurer.</li></ol></li></ol></li></ol><p><strong>What are the downsides to this measurement?</strong></p><p>The Body Mass Index is not a perfect tool. Some people are perfectly healthy but are naturally of a certain body composition that would make them <em>appear</em> to be “obese” or “severely thin”, according to WHO’s definition.</p><p>Sports people often fall foul of this measure, especially if they have developed higher than ‘normal’ muscle mass. Muscle being denser than fat, skews the index disproportionally.</p><p>Insurance companies, and the underwriters who determine your ‘risk’, usually work hard to find out the relevant information that is specific to your situation. If you do not present any other health triggers or factors, then there is a good chance (depending on the level of the index), that you can get your standard cover at standard rates. The index allows the underwriters to quickly ask questions about the state of your health, while they gather further medical information.</p><p>As with all things in personal insurance, it pays not to make assumptions about your cover. One thing that is often overlooked, is that if your weight changes, and your BMI changes, this might be a positive step that the insurance company will view favourably (possibly enough to even reduce your premium). The best thing you can do is ask your professional financial adviser. They will guide you to your next steps.</p><p>Check out the other calculators we have <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/calculators-tools/">here</a>.</p>					</div>
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					</div>The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/bmi-what-it-is-how-it-changes-your-insurance/">BMI – What It Is & How It Changes Your Insurance</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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		<title>How much do Financial Advisers Make?</title>
		<link>https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-much-do-financial-advisers-make/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Bish]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2020 02:36:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Total & Permanent Disability (TPD)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trauma Cover]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/?p=1044</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/<p>“Loads of doh” or “too much” may be your first thought. How much is “too much”? Money is a representation and transfer of value. What is value in this instance? Is the job that is done by the insurance agent, &#8230; <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-much-do-financial-advisers-make/">Read More</a></p>
The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-much-do-financial-advisers-make/">How much do Financial Advisers Make?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></description>
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				<p>“Loads of doh” or “too much” may be your first thought. How much is “too much”? Money is a representation and transfer of value. What is value in this instance? Is the job that is done by the insurance agent, sufficient to reduce the ‘pain’ for the client and therefore solves that client’s problem? Does the financial adviser meet all of the regulatory requirements while adhering to the insurer’s agency and contractual obligations?</p><p><strong>Key Points:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>What ‘job is done’ for the client</strong></li><li><strong>Business costs</strong></li><li><strong>Agent commissions</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>What ‘job is done’ for the client</strong></p><p>When I studied at Massey, there was a fairly simple way to describe the desired interaction for a customer and business. From the client’s perspective, what ‘pain’ do they want removed (a pain that might exist now or in the future), what ‘gain’ are they trying to achieve and what ‘job are they trying to get done’ with the business’s product or service. It is then the business’ responsibility to solve that pain, gain and job-to-be-done.</p><p>Pain, gain and job-to-be-done. All businesses will satisfy one or all these conditions for the customer. Buying a cup of coffee? You body needs caffeine, it is in the <em>pain</em> of caffeine withdrawal, you want to <em>gain</em> the caffeine hit to your system, and you need to focus so that your <em>job</em> can be done for another few hours! A tongue-in-cheek example but helps to set the scene for the next paragraph.</p><p>People buy insurance, not because it is a sexy item that they can discuss with their Instagram followers, but because it meets one, two or three of the above conditions. Life insurance (and in this definition we’ll include the other types of products like Income Protection or Trauma cover etc), will alleviate the ‘pain’ of knowing that they should plan for the ‘what if’ worst-case scenario. The insurance will provide an income or cash injection should a health event happen, thereby giving the client a ‘gain’, and the ‘job’ that it solves is to give the client peace-of-mind about their financial security.</p><p>Enter stage left, the insurance agent. This person will spend a lot of time with the client, understanding their situation, researching the best solutions, discussing these solutions with the client and then helping them through the application and underwriting process. After the policy is issued, that same insurance broker will continue to regularly have contact with this client, sometimes twice a year. They will also assist with any claims that the client needs to process. This financial adviser is an advocate for the client in all dealings with the insurance provider.</p><p><strong>Business Costs</strong></p><p>For now we will set aside the cost of sitting in front of the client for the first time. Every business will have an ‘acquisition cost’ for new business. What we will do however, is take things from the first meeting. This will typically be about 40minutes to an hour, to complete the fact-finding process and gather as much information as possible on the client’s situation.</p><p>Depending on the agent and the process used, there will then be 2-4 hours of work to research the market. This research will typically include looking at different providers, calling the underwriters of different insurance providers, finalising the quote and drawing up the recommendation document.</p><p>Then the presentation will take around 20-30 minutes to make sure the clients fully understand the recommendation and its implications. Then there is the application to do, most of which can be done online quite efficiently. Next the fun begins with the underwriters. Most of this effort goes unseen by the clients. There can by many conversations between the insurance providers and the broker to assist the application going through to the stage of being issued.</p><p>More time is spent with the clients to confirm the terms with the provider. Then the policy is issued. Here again, the client’s view stops, but the financial adviser still needs to tidy up the last parts of the compliance process and documentation.</p><p>This entire process can end up taking 4-10 hours to get a client a policy. If it seems like a long time, yes it can be. Financial advisers must meet the Code of Conduct and other regulatory requirements. The insurance companies, with whom brokers have agencies, have their own obligations for us to meet. Each client (and prospective client) has time and energy invested. Financial advisers work hard to make sure that their advice is ‘fit for purpose’ and compliant. Most clients will never know this, and arguably, they don’t need to. However, this time and compliance are functions of the business cost.</p><p><strong> </strong><strong style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Agent Commissions</strong></p><p>In March 2021, all financial advisers will have to disclose how much we get paid in commissions.</p><p>Different insurance agencies will have different commission amounts congruent with negotiations and the size of business. If we use a modest commission rate of 150% of the annual premium, we will see what that might translate to in dollar terms. We will then apply that to the work performed above. At that point, we will glimpse this thing called ‘value’.</p><p>Assume that the policy above is modest for an Auckland family, around $2,600 a year. At 150%, that is $3,900. This is meant to represent the first two years of the policy. Out of this amount comes the GST (if any). Let’s assume that this policy took 8 hours to complete all the way, that equates to $487.50 per hour.</p><p>While that sounds high for an hourly rate, that is <u>not</u> a representative way of looking at the commission. Remember above I mentioned in the first couple years, there will be reviews and ‘client check-ins’ regularly, maybe even every six months? This commission payment includes all that activity too.</p><p>After a two-year period do the renewal commissions start being paid. This is a modest amount to ensure that the client is still being ‘looked after’ by the financial adviser. It is the insurance provider’s leverage to ensure that client is still being loved and treated well.</p><p>On top of that, whenever the client needs to claim, the adviser is there to jump in and help. The time taken for claims assistance is not measured directly in the hourly rate above. But it is a necessary function of the financial adviser.</p><p>One last comment on the time taken for clients. Not all clients who apply for insurance end up with insurance. This can mean that 4-8 hours of work can go in to trying to help a client, only to have the application fall over. This might be due to underwriting concerns or other situations. Some clients may take two separate applications to different providers before a policy is sussed for them. Whatever the reasons, these are ‘lost hours’ or you could describe it as ‘unpaid’ work.</p><p>Don’t be fooled by a simple hourly rate to establish the dollars that financial advisors are paid per policy. The value of the advice, the product knowledge, the compliance, the regulations that are adhered to, all form part of the overall commissions and revenue that agencies collect. If your spouse died tomorrow, and the insurance provider seemed to be making the process difficult for you, would you want to speak to the human you knew or a robot on your computer? The real ‘value’ of the financial adviser shows itself in the most unexpected times.</p>					</div>
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					</div>The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-much-do-financial-advisers-make/">How much do Financial Advisers Make?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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		<title>How Long Before Insurance Companies Pay Up?</title>
		<link>https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-long-before-insurance-companies-pay-up/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Bish]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2020 05:50:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Total & Permanent Disability (TPD)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trauma Cover]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/?p=880</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/<p>Some of the people I talk with wonder how quickly insurance companies pay claims. As with many things to do with personal insurance, that answer is ‘it depends’.  &#8230; <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-long-before-insurance-companies-pay-up/">Read More</a></p>
The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-long-before-insurance-companies-pay-up/">How Long Before Insurance Companies Pay Up?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></description>
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				<p>Some of the people I talk with wonder how quickly insurance companies pay claims. As with many things to do with personal insurance, that answer is ‘it depends’. Different insurance products have different claims requirements. Also, as we’ve seen recently in the news with Westpac, not all insurance providers are created equally.</p><p>KEY TAKEAWAYS</p><ul><li>Personal insurance product groups</li><li>Product benefits get paid differently</li><li>When do insurance companies <em><u>not</u></em> pay?</li></ul><p>Broadly, there are five personal insurance categories or product groups. Life insurance, permanent disability, trauma, monthly paying income replacement and medical. You can listen to my podcast <a href="https://anchor.fm/dominic-bish/episodes/Episode-3---The-5-personal-insurance-product-groups-edf6n8">here</a> which explains these differences. Each product group is designed to do different things and cover different financial risks for the client.</p><p>These differences also mean that the claims requirements are different for each.</p><p><strong>Product benefits get paid differently</strong></p><p>The easiest and simplest insurance is life insurance. It is a nice marketing job to call it ‘life’, however it is an insurance that pays out on the death of the insured. Some policies will cover terminal illness, but let’s keep this straightforward. The surviving spouse or family member will make a claim to the insurance company, probably via their financial adviser. The insurance company will need the signature of the surviving policy holder(s) and proof that the insured has passed – this is normally in the form of a death certificate or other approved document from a qualified medical practitioner. A good insurance company will typically pay out within days of getting all the required documentation. A note to mention here is that insurance firms will mention a range of benefit payment period to be within 30-60 days in their policy documentation. In reality, good firms pay as quickly as possible to help the clients.</p><p>Delays can come about when there is not a clear owner of the policy. If the benefit from the life insurance is disputed as part of the deceased’s will, then the payment can be tied up in probate, as the courts decide ‘who gets paid what’.  Having a will in place helps to solve most of these issues. Having clear policy ownership across more than the insured is another good thing to do. Your insurance adviser will help guide you through the best policy ownership structure, relevant to your situation.</p><p>Monthly paying disability products (like income protection or mortgage repayment insurance) are more involved and require more information for claims. These essentially assess if you are able to work in your job, matching to the criteria of the policy wording. Throw in the ‘wait time’ that was selected by the client, which could be anywhere from 4-52 weeks, and delays can certainly appear to mount.</p><p>A trauma claim I did recently for a 55-year-old male following a heart attack saw this person paid by the insurer within 8 days of the event.</p><p><strong>When do insurance companies <em><u>not</u></em> pay? </strong></p><p>There was an article <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/122080450/sam-robertson-battled-westpac-life-for-a-year-to-honour-its-insurance-policy">in Stuff regarding Westpac</a> taking 12 months to make a determination on a client’s life policy, only to turn down the claim. The client’s lawyer got the decision overturned. This is not a typical experience for clients, though this story does highlight that not all insurance providers operate equally. The new regulations coming into effect in March 2021 require all participants in the financial services industry to act in a timely manner when interacting with clients. Taking a year to decide on a life claim obviously falls outside of “timely”.</p><p>Claims pay-outs for insurance companies are typically very high. Many firms will have claims statistics showing around 90-93% of all claims submitted are paid. Of the remaining 7-10%, 2-3% are not paid due to deliberate fraudulent activity, 2-4% are for non-disclosure of health conditions, and 2-3% do not meet the claims criteria.</p><p>One thing I say often to my clients is that it is in the interests of insurance companies to pay their clients as smoothly as possible. There are two clear reason why. The first is that if they don’t, they will soon get a bad name in the market, and people will switch their policies to providers who look after their clients. The other reason is that advisers, like me, will stop advocating for firms who treat our clients poorly. For many insurance companies, we are the front-line sales force, and their only sales channel. Our relationship is with our clients first, providers second. If our clients get treated badly, we will respond accordingly. To be fair, most of the top personal insurance companies in New Zealand work hard to ensure that all claims that can be paid, are paid. If you are unsure about the claims record of your life insurance provider, ask your adviser.</p>					</div>
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					</div>The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/how-long-before-insurance-companies-pay-up/">How Long Before Insurance Companies Pay Up?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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		<title>I use marijuana – can I get insurance?</title>
		<link>https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/i-use-marijuana-can-i-get-insurance/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Bish]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2020 15:55:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Health Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terms]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/<p>MaryJane is not everyone’s choice, but for those who partake, are they punished by the insurance companies? Not necessarily. KEY TAKEAWAYS Stigma, myth and reality What do the underwriters look at Compounding issues (mental health, DUI, other drug use) Back &#8230; <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/i-use-marijuana-can-i-get-insurance/">Read More</a></p>
The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/i-use-marijuana-can-i-get-insurance/">I use marijuana – can I get insurance?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></description>
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				<p>MaryJane is not everyone’s choice, but for those who partake, are they punished by the insurance companies? Not necessarily.</p><h3><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS</strong></h3><ul><li>Stigma, myth and reality</li><li>What do the underwriters look at</li><li>Compounding issues (mental health, DUI, other drug use)</li><li>Back to earth… effects in the real world?</li></ul><p>Marijuana will become more topical for New Zealand as we head towards the September referendum on the legalisation of cannabis use. This article is not to help you form an opinion on that, but to view the situation from your financial risk management.</p><p>Personal insurance policies, life insurance, trauma cover and the like all get assessed on application. What does the occasional toke mean for users and their personal protection plans?</p><p>There is a perception among the general public that all and any drug use is a no-go for insurance. It is true that many narcotics are woefully harmful to the mind, body and spirit. However, as with alcohol, which as a legal intoxicant is a useful indicator, there are obviously ‘grey areas’ where insurance underwriters may be comfortable with the health risks posed by use. We know that insurance companies do not look kindly on excessive alcohol consumption or smoking (including e-cigarettes and patches in some cases). But they will still accept some level of consumption.</p><p><strong>What do the underwriters look at?</strong></p><p>The underwriters have the unenviable task of balancing the needs of the client against the potential risk to the insurer. They will look at the prospective client’s application both as individual parts (conditions) and universally (how do the various conditions relate or affect others).</p><p>There are a few basic questions that they will ask to determine the severity of the condition.</p><ul><li>What is the condition?</li><li>How long has the person had it (when was the diagnosis)?</li><li>What diagnostics and treatment were used (if any)?</li><li>Have symptoms stopped, if so for how long?</li><li>Is there any expectation, or recommendation for, future treatment and diagnostics?</li></ul><p>These questions form the basic assessment of most conditions that underwriters will address, when looking at a new application for insurance. Depending on how ‘complete’ the information supplied is, they will either decide here (say ‘yes’ or ‘no’) or request further details. The first place they go for more information is the GP’s notes for the client.</p><p>Back to our topic of marijuana use. There will be questions around how much and how often. Are other non-prescription drugs used, if so which and how often? Was the drug use due to a specific reason, such as depression?</p><p>It really is important to be honest with your adviser when you are making your application. Neither your financial adviser nor the insurance companies to whom you are applying will report you to the police for drug use. However, incomplete disclosure may have serious consequences at claim time. If you have not disclosed a known condition, your insurance company may decline your claim.</p><p>This is an important point too; what types of cover are being applied for? The underwriters have different threshold requirements for different products. For example, life insurance products do not typically attract as many questions as a monthly paying, income replacement benefit does, like income protection.</p><p><strong>Compounding issues (mental health, DUI, other drug use)</strong></p><p>As mentioned above, after each condition is assessed individually, then the applicant is viewed as a complete picture.</p><p>For example, with drug use, mental health and depression may play a factor. If so, that sets off another round of questions related to depression (how long, what treatment, date of last symptoms etc). Has there been a loss-of-driving conviction due to previous drug and alcohol use? Are there any other health factors that have been disclosed on the application that may provide a different view for the underwriter? For example, are other narcotics used recreationally? If so, then the applicant potentially has a history which could be viewed as unstable for certain insurance products.</p><p><strong>Back to earth… effects in the real world?</strong></p><p>So back to earth we gently descend. If someone is classed as a moderate recreational user (once a week for example) of marijuana, they can most likely get standard insurance cover, without extra price loading or conditions. However, as shown above, if other narcotics are (or have been) used, then that may change the decision. If there is a history of mental health problems, depression and a DUI charge, then things may get more complicated.</p><p>What this article should do is provide some reassurance that, just because someone has a condition or a makes certain life choices, that should not be excluded from cover. Insurance companies, believe or not, also live in the real world. If you can prove that you are not that risky to them, they will insure you.</p>					</div>
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					</div>The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/i-use-marijuana-can-i-get-insurance/">I use marijuana – can I get insurance?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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		<title>What Is The Best Age To Get Life Insurance?</title>
		<link>https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/what-is-the-best-age-to-get-life-insurance/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Bish]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2020 18:08:21 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Life Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Total & Permanent Disability (TPD)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trauma Cover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cover the debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[level premium]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mortgage insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage repayment insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trauma insurance]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/<p>The younger the better. Simple answer. You don’t need to read anything else. Ok, so you’re still reading. Life insurance is all about managing risk. What is risk? Roll a dice. You have 1 in 6 chances of getting a &#8230; <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/what-is-the-best-age-to-get-life-insurance/">Read More</a></p>
The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/what-is-the-best-age-to-get-life-insurance/">What Is The Best Age To Get Life Insurance?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></description>
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				<p>The younger the better. Simple answer. You don’t need to read anything else.</p><p>Ok, so you’re still reading. Life insurance is all about managing risk. What is risk? Roll a dice. You have 1 in 6 chances of getting a 6, or you have 16.6% chance of getting a 6. You have a 20% chance of getting cancer because you live on planet Earth. That means, if you are in a room with 10 people, you know statistically that two of you will get cancer. You just don’t know which 2. That is the risk. More importantly, you don’t know <em>when</em> two of you will get cancer. Don’t make the assumption that only old people get cancer (to continue using this example), Starship hospital in Auckland is full of children who are battling cancer.</p><h3><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS</strong></h3><ul><li>If others depend on your income then you need life insurance</li><li>If you have debt – then you need life insurance.</li><li>The sooner you purchase life insurance, the better – pre-existing conditions</li><li>The sooner you purchase life insurance, the cheaper the cost</li></ul><p>Many of you reading this will have a job. Many of us contribute to a household in some way and are responsible for someone else. The money you earn goes to pay for rent, mortgage, food, clothing, cars, school trips, Spotify, Sky Sports, after-school activities, grandma’s groceries, paying off the credit card… Yup, we earn money and the money goes away.</p><p>What would happen if you died? That income would stop. That is why you have life insurance. It providers a lump sum to the people you care about. Even if that is only equivalent to a few years of your income, they are a few years where your family can grieve and learn to live and support themselves without you being around.</p><p><strong>If you have debt</strong></p><p>This is an easy one. Do you want your debt to become your family’s burden just because you went and got yourself killed falling off a ladder? That 10-year-old BMW you like so much, that you’re paying $500 a month for, might be ok while you’re working. But once you’re dead and the income stops, can your family support that?</p><p>What about the mortgage? Let’s say your repayments are $2200 a month. If that debt has been paid off by a life insurance policy, your family don’t need to find an extra $2200 to survive. Suddenly their lives (financially at least) may be a little easier because you took out a policy.</p><p><strong>Pre-existing health conditions?</strong></p><p>The longer you live, the higher the chance of something going wrong with you (remember the dice at the start?) If you get life insurance while you are fit and young, any new conditions will be covered (as long as you stay with the same insurer).</p><p><strong>The cost goes up the older you get</strong></p><p>Death and taxes, the 2 certainties in life. Insurance premiums rising is another. However, it is possible to fix your premium in the same way you might fix your mortgage payments. There are some fish-hooks to be mindful of, and not all policies are the same. But if you start when you are young, you can save thousands of dollars on your premiums. Yes, thousands! For example, a 30-year-old male non-smoker could save over $14,000 on a $200,000 policy by the time he is 65.  That type of saving is worth a look.</p><p>The correct time to get life insurance will change from person to person, depending on the circumstances. Basically, you need life insurance if other people depend on your income, or if you have debt that will carry on after your death. After all, you don&#8217;t want to leave them without money to live on&#8230; or up the creek because of your car loan.</p>					</div>
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					</div>The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/what-is-the-best-age-to-get-life-insurance/">What Is The Best Age To Get Life Insurance?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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		<title>“Pre-Conditioned”?</title>
		<link>https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/pre-conditioned/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Bish]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2020 17:35:12 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Offer of terms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pre-existing conditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[underwriters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Underwriting]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/?p=575</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/<p>“Pre-Conditioned”? We human beings have a remarkable tendency to put up barriers, to create insurmountable challenges to a situation, and to assemble facts to support our position. It’s fear, usually. So we’ll believe statements like, “oh, there’s no way I’ll &#8230; <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/pre-conditioned/">Read More</a></p>
The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/pre-conditioned/">“Pre-Conditioned”?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></description>
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				<h4>“Pre-Conditioned”?</h4><p>We human beings have a remarkable tendency to put up barriers, to create insurmountable challenges to a situation, and to assemble facts to support our position. It’s fear, usually. So we’ll believe statements like, “oh, there’s <em>no way</em> I’ll get health insurance with my old rugby injuries,” or, “the insurance companies will run a mile from my case, why would I even consider it?”. Etc.</p><p>The good news is, in the kindest way, you may be wrong. OK, sure, as Billy Joel once said – “you may be right”. But isn’t it worth finding out first?</p><h3>Don’t Exclude Me!</h3><p>No one likes to be excluded, yet that seems to be the perception of how insurance companies run their health policies. As always, such perceptions can be based in experience, or, at least, anecdote. I spoke with a person recently who had an exclusion put in her policy for diabetes…only, she doesn’t have diabetes. Huh? Exactly! Her GP has categorised her as <em>pre­-</em>diabetic, her sugar levels may be elevated above normal, but, well, isn’t that a bit harsh?</p><p>Maybe. Is it the end of the road for her? No.</p><p>The good news is that not all insurance companies view the same conditions in the same way. Company A may exclude something that Company B welcomes. We welcome the apparent inconsistency, and advise you seek an adviser. Our knowledge of the way insurers operate, if you‘ll excuse the health-related pun, is critical – we don’t just advise on costs, or even just on products: we have an innate understanding of how different companies frame their policies, and we can use that to your advantage.</p><p><em> </em><em>But you need someone who is independent.</em> Our research is broader, so our advice more-encompassing, and of greater use to you, especially if you do have a pre-existing condition.</p><h3>The Front Foot</h3><p>The best approach, always, is to be upfront about any health matter <em>before</em> we start finding health insurance packages. Firstly, what you might think could be an issue may not be one at all. Often something you had 20 years ago is totally irrelevant today. Or, while you may have a condition, your medication has stabilised it for years. But we can’t get the best outcome unless you give us the full picture.</p><h3>What Will Happen?</h3><p>Once we have a full picture, we can do our research, which we twin with experience of working with people just like you – we may well have dealt with a health issue similar to yours before and so have an instant and good understanding of the potential outcome. Whatever the case, once we have all the info, we put together, with your help, an application. And then the underwriters do <em>their</em> job.</p><p>Possible outcomes?</p><ol><li>Your application is accepted as standard</li><li>Or you are denied cover.</li><li>Or, you receive a policy with standard pricing, covering all conditions, but with an exclusion on the specific condition you mentioned in your application (and, sometimes, related conditions)</li><li>You get cover, but your premium is increased to offset the “risk” you pose to the insurer</li></ol><p> </p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>No one’s out to get you! In fact, despite what you may have heard, the insurers want to give you cover <em>if they reasonably can.</em> They simply need to assess the risk involved that corresponds to the condition you present with. That’s their job.</p><p>And helping you through that process to a good outcome, is ours. We’d be happy to walk you through the process. You’ll likely find you’re in much better shape than you thought!</p>					</div>
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					</div>The post <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com/pre-conditioned/">“Pre-Conditioned”?</a> first appeared on <a href="https://bolsterriskmanagement.com">Bolster Risk Management - Simplifying financial risk, insurance and investments for you.</a>.]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
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