Some watching may have noticed that updates here have been a bit sparse. There are some good reasons.

Some of them are claims, and there are lots of claims. Two years ago, we managed about 85 claims for the year, mostly medical claims.

2022 that ticked up markedly with Covid and the Public Health system struggling.

We have recently seen a number of changes with bank life insurers and we now have both BNZ and Westpac life insurance administered by traditional life insurance providers. Meaning that if you have life trauma or disability products from your bank, it's time to have a closer look as it may be that we can improve what you have or reduce your premiums in ways not previously considered.

How did you get here?

We have all had ‘The would you like fries with that approach’. You are standing at the teller at the bank doing your banking and they start asking you a bunch of questions. You are here now; we can do other things for you, nice and easy. Do you have life insurance; can we help you with your mortgage? Can we invest your money or look after your Kiwisaver? Or some other variation on this.

My question is why would you take advice for your insurance or investments standing at a teller at the bank? Would you take advice for chest pains from your local cafe owner? My point is they are chalk and cheese, banking and insurance.

Look before you leap. Aussie shopkeepers and Kiwi small business owners. Terms often used by people looking at our respective markets when looking at the predominant structures for trade and commerce.

Probably not too far wrong, New Zealand has one of the highest per capita self-employed rates in the world. Which is why I am focussing this posting on those of you who are employed rather than self-employed. Because employed Kiwis often have a change in situation and end up self-employed.

Interest rates have risen, and they are all biting. Is this a problem? It depends on your perspective.

If you are a homeowner, then yes, it will have a direct impact: Your mortgage payments will rise. Again, is this a problem?

If you bought your home some time ago when rates were higher and have not borrowed more, it is probably not a problem. You have been enjoying significantly cheaper money than you anticipated. Additionally, you have possibly paid back more principal than you normally would have, and you are now in a better position.

Medical insurance is a changing landscape, not only with policy terms and conditions but with the providers now. 

10 years ago, we had 10 different medical providers; we now have 6 and likely that there will be more mergers in the market.

Medical insurance is a product that typically is not reinsured, so the money for claims, operating the insurer, marketing & sales all come out of the same pot.

 Something we get asked about from time to time.

From what we have seen and heard it's needed, as the treatment for your beloved pet is often more expensive than your own medical treatments.

We have access to assist with the PetCover range of products, and our clients have had a good experience with them so far. At the same time, we're not specialists in the area, and seeking additional information and experience with your vet is a good place to start.

A good question and one that is often misunderstood when it comes to income protection.

It’s also been coming up in conversations more recently, suggesting there’s some job security sentiment developing.

In New Zealand, there are five situations that impact your ability to earn an income.

It's well known that gender identity issues have fallen under the scope of mental health. The recent media activity around the subject has brought it into mainstream awareness.

From 1 January 2020, the WHO updated their ICD (International Classification of Disease) to version 11 and put it online with exciting changes.

Babies have been the key subject at home in the last few weeks with a new addition. A previous comment about medical insurance has got me thinking.

Those things around Babies and New Family members you need to be aware of that can trigger a need to have a chat with us.

I've spent 24 years in financial services, during which time I've worked on a significant number of difficult income protection claims. I still don't understand why the indemnity-first approach for income protection still prevails with the majority of advisers in today's environment.

Well, I do. It's not the client-first approach we'd all like to expect. Advisers have to do less and get paid more, but that's another story.

 Congratulations on your choice to move to New Zealand!

We may just about be the farthest country from just about anywhere on the planet, but it is the best country in the world.

If you have just stepped off the boat or you have been here for a while, you are probably in for a bit of culture shock. While things here often look the same as home, they are just a bit different.

Level premiums are an interesting one, as every situation is different.

Level term has had some additional noise recently, with new financial advice rules raising awareness of the way advice in this area is delivered. 

So when do you need it?

In basic terms, income protection insurance in New Zealand replaces a percentage of your income when you cannot work in your own occupation due to medical or injury reasons. 

It is designed to provide 75-80% of your in-hand earnings when you are disabled at claim time.

Most policies today have a range of options and different flavours. Fundamentally, there are two types: those you pay tax on at claim time and those you do not. 

Continuing the discussion around diabetes I started in this article about the reality people with T1D Diabetes (T1D) deal with and what the associated costs are like.

Some of this will cross over for context, but not enough. If you don't know the detail you may want to read this first.

Having been an adviser for 10 years and in the industry for over 20, it's not often I come across things with insurance that I haven't seen before.

And while diabetes in the insurance realm is nothing new, it has typically focused on the top-level diagnosis for underwriting rather than the reality people are going through.