Holley Protect

10/10/2019

Can't remember what that premium is?

We've all done it, looked at our bank statement and gone what the hell is that coming out every month.

I’ve even done it for a policy that I've written myself for myself and just forgotten about it!

This has come about as I’ve had several clients tell me they have old insurances that they can’t remember what it is or what it’s for (no, not ones I did for them 😀).

So I asked them to email me the details so I could take a look and advise whether it’s worth keeping.

What was surprising was how often it turned out to be a policy they no longer needed (i.e. for a mortgage they no longer have) or wasn't suitable anymore (they’ve changed profession since).

I even had a couple of clients that were paying twice for the same cover (because the naming was different, it was easy to think it was for different things).

In one case it was a simple matter that they could just get a much improved critical illness plan (they've moved on a long way, especially in the last 2 years).

But like most of us, they were initially reluctant to cancel it just in case it’s something important.

So I thought here’s an idea, if you have an existing insurance policy and aren’t sure if you still need it/it’s still suitable/or it’s any good; email me the details and I will look at it for you.

I will do my best to tell you exactly what it is, compare it against the best current plans or whether it’s still suitable for you.

17/09/2019

Why so serious Bertie?

22/07/2019

Losing my voice on a talk.

A client recently asked if I would be willing to do a group presentation on insurance.

As she works in a corporate field in London, I assumed it would be to her work colleagues and said ‘of course'....
..and It transpired that it was actually a talk to a community based in Croydon. A local pastor has been organising guest speakers in different fields to give advice to the new communities that are unfamiliar with how it works in the UK.

So what I had said yes to was to do a talk to 50 people (I have a fear of public speaking), for 30 minutes, 120 miles away from where I live, on a Sunday and to people that might have no interest in insurance at all.

Yet somehow I felt strongly that I should do it anyway even though every doubt was suggesting I cancel.

The day before I was due to go, I was telling my barber about a talk I was due to give. He asked what I had planned, and I said I hadn't planned anything. He thought I was mad and perhaps he was right, but I wanted it to come across natural and go with instinct.

On the day of the event, I could feel the nerves creeping up as I begun the 2 hour drive to Croydon. Twice I checked my emails in the hope that the event was cancelled!

As I pulled into the car park the only thought running through my mind was ‘what the hell are you doing’. 'You’re terrified of public speaking and you haven’t even written down any notes of what to say'.

I was immediately greeted by the Pastor, Anthony, who introduced himself and showed me to the hall where everyone was waiting. I couldn’t have hoped for a nicer group of people and immediately made me feel welcome.

My client who arranged the introduction was there with a cheeky grin. I think she found it very amusing that I was so terrified of speaking to such a friendly community.

Anthony asked if I would like something to eat, but with all the adrenaline running through me, I couldn’t manage any food at all.

My time came and I begun by telling everyone my story, how I started in one of the largest corporate insurers in the UK and how I became their best adviser.

I also explained why I left to start my own company with the view to offering a better service and what they should look out for when buying insurance.

Half way through my talk, my voice suddenly disappeared! I couldn’t believe it, I would try and talk but there was no volume to my voice. I thought to myself that intuition has brought me here and yet my body has decided to have the day off.

Fortunately and after being given a bottle of water, my voice returned just loud enough to finish the talk.

What surprised me the most was the amount of really good questions I was asked. Questions such as what happens if your insurer goes bust, whats the difference between mortgage and family cover and where’s the best place to buy insurance.

The last one is perhaps the hardest question of all to answer. I would always start by saying to use a whole of market broker that is authorised to give advice (because they then accept the liability, not you). Whole of market meaning they will do all the comparing and leg work for you. But ultimately it comes down to using someone you trust, can get on with and doesn’t pressurise you.

I stayed for another hour or so to speak with people afterwards that had more questions, but still couldn’t eat anything from feeling sick with anxiety.

I’ll be honest and say that my nervousness showed and my talk could have been a lot more polished. But I’m very proud that I did it and found I enjoyed it immensely.

Another surprise for me was how engaged and interested they were. My biggest fear that talking about insurance would just be too boring wasn’t true. I think they liked that they got to hear it from the inside, how it really works and without any motivation to be lead into a product.

Would I do it again? I can’t believe I’m going to say this but absolutely yes!

The above photo was taken in agreement that if I did the talk, I could have a selfie with everyone. It will serve as a useful reminder the next time I'm scared to do anything.

12/12/2018

I've been downgraded to puppy carer again this week. Got leg cramp as he doesn't want to sleep on the floor as he prefers my lap. Postman was confused as to what he was asking if Bertie is a cat or a squirrel 😂

04/12/2018

Got a new work mascot! Well, just for today 😍

27/11/2018

Came across these stats from Vitality by chance and makes interesting reading.

I don't know if they come across very well in the image below, but basically Life Insurance claims don't really take off till over the age of 60.

Yet illness claims start increasing significantly over age 30 and peak between age 40-49.

For me it just highlights how much more likely it is to need illness coverage over life only during our working lives.

14/11/2018

Letting a 10 year old loose with a snow can. Interesting results 😁

25/10/2018

Time of year when Vitality launch their annual member rewards.

This year it's with the Apple Watch Series 4.

Achieve more than 12,500 steps a day and Vitality will co-fund your Apple Watch.

They've also partnered with Amazon Prime to pay for your membership for achieving your monthly step target.

More info welcome - Min premiums and T&Cs apply.

18/10/2018

Just don't mention the 'D' word!

I’ve been thinking of writing this article for a while now, but often stop because I don’t want to offend anyone.

Yet I believe it should be spoken about because it affects how those in my industry advise you.

It’s all based on one common objection as to why most people don’t have adequate protection in place. Can you guess what it is?

Yep, it’s ‘it will never happen to me’.

This one objection effects how most advisers in my line of work approach clients, and not in a good way.

I believe it’s because most don’t want to speak about the elephant in the room and risk offending anyone by addressing the ‘it will never happen to me’.

Now I’m going to say it and I’ll be honest here and say I’m nervous about writing it. But we’re all grown ups here and I’m just going to come out with it...you’re going to get sick and die.

It feels almost offensive to even say that and yet it’s not a grandiose statement, it’s not even being negative, it’s just a fact.

No person who has ever lived or who will live, will escape this fate. Of the 7 billion people living on the planet, all will get sick and pass away including me and you. No-one knows when it will happen to them, only that it will.

The problem I believe is our unhealthy attitude to death, we just don’t want to talk about it (particularly in western cultures. Most eastern cultures have a far healthy attitude to death).

But because of our ignorance on the subject, it’s almost created a delusionary attitude where most people just can’t see themselves ever getting ill and dying. Think about it and be honest here, do you believe it will happen to you?

We now have mortgage and protection advisers too scared to confront the subject properly. Perhaps they don’t want to upset anyone, be in any form of confrontational situation or perhaps they also don’t see it happening to them either.

Think I’m making this up? Consider this, 50% of people with a mortgage in the UK have no Life Cover in place at all - that’s 5.5 million people with a mortgage and no coverage. For Illness cover it’s even worse with only 11% of the country having some form of income protection (and that includes provisions through employers).

I think it highly unlikely that half the population with a mortgage decided not to protect it. It's likely that in some of those cases, the adviser who set it up their mortgage just didn't even have the conversation or glossed over it too flippantly.

Of course there will also be those people who have been offered protection insurance and turned it down because they just don't see it ever happening to them.

I’ll admit that when I first started at the age of 25, I never really expected to see any claims. But 14 years on, I’ve had 6 claims that I know of in the last 5 months. And in most cases, those that have claimed always wished they had more.

So think about it properly and ask yourself honestly, if something happened to you in this very moment now, have you got enough provisions in place to make sure financially all are okay? Is there enough to cover the mortgage, your bills, your kids activities, the lifestyle that you provide or someone else provides for?

I’ll go first and say that I believe I have. I have enough life cover to pay off the mortgage and leave extra for my wife to live comfortably until my youngest leaves school. I have enough critical illness should I get Cancer or something equally serious to clear my mortgage and provide myself with a monthly income for as long as needed.

I don’t say this to brag but to illustrate that I truly get it - and I really should seeing the role I am in. With all the claims I’ve seen and been a part of, you really shouldn’t expect anything less from me.

Also it doesn't mean that what I have in place is also what you should have as no two situations are exactly the same.

There will always be those who are willing to take the risk and have no coverage - and I understand this.

But I do think it’s our duty of care to educate our clients on the realities of the pitfalls. You still might take the risk, and that’s perfectly fine because you’ve been told how it is and decided it’s not for you.

And not because your mortgage or protection adviser was too ignorant or scared to even mention it, leaving you vulnerable without even knowing that you are.

I would be interested in your feedback on this, your experiences, your expectations and own beliefs around this. Also what’s stopped you, is it because you don’t think it will happen to you, because no-one has ever offered it to you, or another reason altogether?

03/10/2018

Healing Cancer World Summit

I've been a subscriber to hayhouse for a number of years and received an email about the latest in Cancer research, healing techniques from some of the best in the industry.

The program is free between the 17th-23rd of October and includes...

- A simple 3-minute Tapping exercise that will instantly melt your stress levels.
- Tips for finding the right medical team for you through research, interviews with doctors and tuning into your priorities.
- The power of radical acceptance to release emotional barriers and help you be more at home with yourself.
- Which foods promote cancer and which protect you from it, and how you can eat to reduce inflammation.
- How chronic stress can make cancer more aggressive, plus a simple exercise to help you reduce panic when it arises.
- The real environmental risk factors we can minimise to improve our chances of remission.

Might be worth sharing if you know of anyone that could benefit from this.

A Whole Person, Integrative Approach to Prevention and Recovery

01/10/2018

Feedback on this is most welcome...

I've updated our online 'Price Calculator' that allows you to play with quotations for Life and Critical Illness.

As far as I can find, this is the only one that allows you to play without inputting your personal details (so no unwanted calls).

Am I mad sharing this? Good Idea, Bad idea? Interested to hear your thoughts!

Want an idea of rough costs before deciding to speak with us? Use these links below and have a play at ideas.