07/04/2026
You insure your house. Your car. Your phone.
But your income? The thing that pays for all of it?
94% of UK adults have zero income protection.
Here's why that's a problem, what it's actually costing you, and why every year you wait makes it worse 🧵
A 35-year-old earning £80k has roughly £2.4 million of future earnings ahead of them before retirement.
That's not factoring in promotions or pay rises. Just the same salary, repeated for 30 years.
Now ask yourself: how much of that is protected?
For most people, the answer is a few months of employer sick pay and a group life policy they signed up for during onboarding and haven't looked at since.
£2.4 million of earning potential. Covered by a policy they couldn't describe if you asked them.
The three things people tell themselves:
"That won't happen to me."
"My employer covers me."
"I'll sort it out when I have kids."
Each one feels rational. None of them hold up.
"That won't happen to me."
2.82 million people in the UK are economically inactive due to long-term sickness.
These numbers dont suggest rare conditions.
Things htat happen to ordinary, healthy, working professionals every year.
"My employer covers me."
Statutory Sick Pay is £116.75 per week. Some employers top it up for a few months. Full pay, then half pay, then nothing.
And the moment you leave that job, change companies, go freelance, or get made redundant?
The cover disappears entirely.
I'll sort it out when I have kids."
Two problems with this.
First, premiums rise with age. A 30-year-old non-smoker can get £300k of life cover for under £10/month.
By 40, it's £15-20. By 50, you're looking at £50+.
Every year you wait, the same protection costs more.
Second, your health can change.
Apply at 30 when you're healthy and you'll get standard rates, no exclusions.
Apply at 38 after a back injury or a period of anxiety? Higher premiums, exclusions, or a flat decline.
The best time to buy protection is when you don't need it.
You can have the best investment and tax strategy
All of it falls apart if you lose your income for 18 months and have to liquidate everything to pay the mortgage.
Protection isn't the exciting part. It's the foundation.
Where to start:
Check what your employer actually covers.
Read the details, not the summary.
Calculate the gap between what your household needs per month and what you'd actually receive if you couldn't work.
That gap is your protection need.
The average cost of closing the life insurance gap for a UK household is £11 a month.
Less than a streaming subscription.
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