Life Insurance Advice
If someone would struggle financially without you, this is the cover that makes sure they don't have to.
Life insurance is the simplest promise in financial planning. If you die during the policy term, it pays out, most commonly clearing the mortgage and giving your family breathing room to grieve without financial panic.
The product is simple. Getting it right is where advice matters. The right amount, the right term, level or decreasing cover, single or joint policies, and whether it's written in trust all change what your family actually receives and when. I compare options from a wide range of providers and set the policy up properly.
What working together looks like
The right number, worked out honestly
Mortgage balance, other debts, childcare years remaining, what your family would need monthly. I work from your real numbers rather than a plucked-from-air round figure that's secretly too small or needlessly expensive.
Level vs decreasing, explained in one minute
Decreasing cover shrinks with a repayment mortgage and costs less. Level cover stays fixed and protects family beyond the mortgage. Many households sensibly use a blend, and I show you the trade-offs in plain figures.
In trust, so the money moves fast
A policy written in trust typically pays your chosen beneficiaries directly and promptly, rather than joining the queue behind probate. I sort this at setup, when it's easy.
A couple in Iwade came to me with a £220,000 repayment mortgage and two young children. They took a decreasing policy matching the mortgage, plus a slice of level cover to see the children through school if the worst happened. Written in trust, each covering the other. The premiums fit within what they'd been spending on a streaming bundle they'd forgotten to cancel. Cover amounts and premiums are always personal, but the shape of the solution is typical.
Life cover, translated
- Term
- How long the policy runs, often matched to the mortgage or until the kids are grown. Die within it and it pays. Outlive it (the goal!) and it simply ends.
- Decreasing term
- The payout reduces over time, tracking a repayment mortgage downwards. Cheaper, and right when the mortgage is the thing being protected.
- Joint life, first death
- One policy covering a couple that pays once, on the first death. Often compared against two single policies, which pay twice and can cost little more.
- Terminal illness benefit
- Most modern policies pay out early on a terminal diagnosis with less than 12 months' life expectancy. It's included as standard more often than people realise.
Asked all the time, answered honestly
How much life insurance do I need?
A useful starting point is enough to clear the mortgage and other debts, plus several years of the income your household would lose. Then it's refined by what your employer provides and what your family's outgoings really are. I do this arithmetic with you in the first conversation.
Single or joint policy for a couple?
A joint 'first death' policy pays once. Two single policies pay on each death and often cost only slightly more. Singles also survive a separation intact. There's no universal answer, which makes it a genuine advice question.
Do I need a medical to get life insurance?
Usually not. Most applications are decided on your answers to health questions, sometimes with a GP report. Being accurate and complete matters far more than being in perfect health. That's what makes claims straightforward.
I'm a smoker or have a health condition. Can I still get cover?
Almost always, though pricing varies more between insurers for you than for anyone else, which is precisely when whole-market comparison pays. Some providers are notably better on specific conditions, and I know which.
Is the payout taxed?
The lump sum itself is free of income tax. If the policy isn't in trust it can fall into your estate for inheritance tax and wait for probate, two problems that writing it in trust usually avoids. I set this up as standard practice.
Let's talk about life insurance
A free, no-obligation chat is the easiest first step. Tell me what you're hoping to do, and I'll tell you honestly how I can help.