Interesting comments from Consumer, quite contrary to the experience we have seen.

Consumers are more likely to find their policy doesn't work as expected when they have arranged their cover directly with the insurer because the majority of consumers don't know what they don't know.

When you apply for insurance, we as your underwriter will perform a risk management assessment on you. This looks at three key factors: what your world and health look like, and the financial aspects that make up your picture. A risk management assessment is done to help us identify the most appropriate type of insurance cover for you.

While writing my last article on redundancy cover and why it should be considered, I had some additional thoughts while reading the research.  

It highlighted for the average punter, just getting on with life, that they didn't necessarily have the time, energy, or inclination, to do the research I had done. And even if they did, they may not have understood what they were seeing.

Having been around business for over 20 years working either on the coal face of businesses or managing aspects of companies, we have accumulated plenty of experience navigating the market.

One thing that is coming clear is it isn't often the quality of staff or even the stability of a business that dictates when a company might restructure and lay off a whole bunch of staff, or even just one person.

With this, we have a feel for what goes on with job ebbs and flows, and we are entering a cycle where the likelihood of disruption that forces job changes on people is higher than what we would consider normal.

In our busy lives and lifestyles, we often overlook the very valuable activity of stopping and spending some time thinking.

I've taken the opportunity recently to look back over the last three or four years of the Asset Magazine, a financial services publication here in New Zealand and it has been interestingly similar.

The couple of key things I noticed; there has been much shuffling with people moving around, and much noise about new things and change, but the reality has been very little has actually changed.

If I reflect on my early years in the industry, again the reality on the coal face with good advisers doing the right thing for clients, not much has changed there either.

The report on New Zealand Mental Health is a disappointing read. Yes, we need more funding in mental health, up there with no **** Sherlock. But the fundamental approach by those with the power to effect real change continues to ignore the suggestions from grassroots New Zealand on what is needed.

Mike King, by his own admission, is an addict and a bully, and after realising this is doing his piece to make a difference and address those things that cause many of the issues the report has determined they don't have a solution for. Mike has had some awesomely effective ideas, yet has been completely shut out of the process.

You’re looking for insurance cover, be it for your life, home, income or health. You have two choices. You can use an insurance advisor to do all the hard work for you, or you could purchase straight from the insurer's website. Which one will you pick?

Obviously, we recommend that you use an insurance advisor and today we’re explaining the five most important reasons why.

Right oh, if you are reading this from the perspective of trying to claim, we might be a bit shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. Though there may still be things we can do, so do check out our claims advocation service. Where we can we help people get the support they need from what is available.

For those who are looking for life insurance and wanting to find the best deal on life insurance, this is the starting point. Knowing what you don’t know that can hurt you.

The best deal in life insurance is a policy that responds and works when it is needed, not the premium you pay. Because paying a cheap premium doesn’t necessarily mean you have the right cover. Nor does it guarantee you put it in place correctly.

Just when you thought you'd sorted out your business insurance, someone asks if you've got small business liability insurance. Well, thanks so much for that, not! Who would have thought that besides insuring your stock and your business premises that there were further policies to consider?

The thing is, when running a small business in New Zealand, you're exposing yourself, your employees and your clients or customers to risk. The level of that risk depends on the services or products you provide, but it's still there regardless. By keeping informed about the small business liability insurance cover available, we can make informed decisions for our businesses.

Hot subject and a very emotive one. As parents, we want to do the best for our children.

We want to keep them out of harm's way, and anything that threatens a child is liable to enrage the lioness in every mother and garners an emotional visceral and sometimes violent response, also in the fathers too.

Which is part of the challenge we have with the worldview of vaccines, a bit like the flat earth, Trump, and Jacinda having a baby, everyone has a strong view from one side or the other.

Stress. We live with it and many of us can’t live without it. It has that canny ability to follow us wherever we go. Work, home or school, stress builds a kind of tower, adding one more bit on the top until it gets so high it falls over. Then when that happens, we start suffering the effects of poor physical and mental health. That’s often the time when we decide it’s time to de-stress.

Here I am 12 months down the track from Dreamworld killing 4 of its visitors and reflecting on the last 12 months.

Yes, I’m back on the Gold Coast, in a virtual rinse and repeat of last years holiday. Mr 2 3/4 is now Mr 3 3/4 and we’re here at much the same time to do much the same things.

We’re even staying in the same place, Ashmore Palms, nice, quiet, cabin based family holiday park. More in the style of a classy camping park than a Gold Coast high rise apartment. Suits us just fine.

Ratings, company ratings, like those bestowed by Standards & Poors (S&P) and Moodys, often come up in discussion between advisers and insurers.

What's interesting about this discussion is it always seems to be about this company is rated better than that company. Without swearing too much, FFS, play the ball not the player.

Insurance adviser or insurance broker, what’s in a title?

Quite a bit actually. “Are you an insurance broker?” is a very common question. Yes, sort of, is the answer.

That’s because, under the regulations we have, we’re insurance advisers, not insurance brokers.

What’s the difference?

As an adviser, there are few things more challenging than sitting across the table from someone who has just been given the news they have bowel cancer asking “So tell me how is my plan going to work?”

When it comes down to it the right policy is only half of the solution. In this situation not only did we put the plan in place, when it has come to this point we have it right, exactly how they want it.

When we say we put our clients front and centre, we mean it. After answering ‘that’ question above, not only has our client taken the time to say thank you for persevering, they took the time to write the following.