Life insurance
Peace of mind knowing that your family is protected.
It’s understandable that we would rather not think of the time when we’re no longer around. But it’s important to protect the things that really matter – like our loved ones, home and lifestyle – in case the unexpected happens.
Different types of life insurance
When it comes to your life insurance, you’ve got options.
‘Single life’ policies cover just one person. A ‘joint life’ policy covers two people, and when one person on the policy dies, the money is paid out and the policy ends. You will need to decide whether the joint policy pays out on first or second death, as this will determine when the policy ends.
Term life insurance
Protecting your family’s finances by covering living expenses or replacing lost income.
With term life insurance, you choose the amount you want to be insured for and the period for which you want cover. This is the most basic type of life insurance. If you die within the term, the policy pays out to your beneficiaries. If you don’t die during the term, the policy doesn’t pay out, and the premiums you’ve paid are not returned to you.
Whole-of-life insurance
A guaranteed tax-free payment whenever you die.
A whole-of-life insurance policy is designed to give you a specified amount of cover for the whole of your life and pays out when you die, whenever that is. Because it’s guaranteed that you’ll die at some point (and therefore that the policy will have to pay out), these policies are more expensive than term insurance policies, which only pay out if you die within a certain time frame.
Critical illness cover
A helping hand for you and your loved ones.
It’s easy to think ‘I’d cope, that’ll never happen to me’, but most of us know someone either directly or through friends and family that has been affected. Any of us can become ill at any age – and with appropriate critical illness cover in place, it could help to give some financial security at a difficult time.
Income protection insurance
How would you pay the bills if you were sick or injured and couldn’t work?
Being unable to work can quickly turn your world upside down. No one likes to think that something bad will happen to them, but if you couldn’t work due to a serious illness, how would you manage financially? Could you survive on savings or sick pay from work? If not, you may need some other way to keep paying the bills – and you might want to consider income protection insurance.
Private medical insurance
There’s nothing more important in life than your health.
Nothing is more important to you than your health and the health of your family. If you or your loved ones were to experience worrying symptoms, private medical insurance can offer reassurance and control at a difficult time.
Making a Will
Continuing your support long into the future.
We spend our lives working to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. You may have a house or flat (in the UK or overseas), shares, savings, and investments, as well as your personal possessions. All of these assets are your ‘estate’. Making a Will ensures that when you die, your estate is shared according to your wishes.
Long-term care
Financial support you need if you have to pay for care assistance for yourself or a loved one.
With the UK’s population ageing, more people will be living with long-term care needs. Oscar Wilde once said: ‘The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.’ But the good news of rising life expectancy also brings with it the challenge of how we fund our future care costs. The question is: who is responsible for looking after us if we need care in old age?
Lasting Power of Attorney
Peace of mind that there is someone you trust to look after your affairs.
A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to appoint one or more people to make decisions on your behalf during your lifetime. The people you appoint to manage your affairs are called the ‘attorneys’. An LPA is a completely separate legal document to your Will, although many people put them in place at the same time as getting their will written, as part of wanting to plan for the future.
Trusts
Protecting, preserving or ultimately distributing wealth.
As part of your Inheritance Tax planning, you may want to consider putting assets in trust – either during your lifetime or under the terms of your Will. Putting assets in trust – rather than making a direct gift to a beneficiary – can be a more flexible way of achieving your objectives.
Inheritance Tax
Passing assets efficiently to the next generation remains a primary objective for many.
There are many things to consider when looking to protect your family and your home. Protecting your estate is ultimately about securing more of your wealth for your loved ones and planning for what will happen after your death to make the lives of your loved ones much easier. It’s not nice to think about, but it means that your loved ones can carry out your wishes and be protected from Inheritance Tax.
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