If the last year has taught us anything, its expect the unexpected. Or even better, prepare for it. How long could you survive without your income? Three months? Two? One? Recent surveys show most Kiwis have less than $500 in savings , but they dont do anything to protect their most valuable asset – their incomes.

For some reason protecting this asset with income protection insurance is something that most Kiwis never think about. Thats despite the fact that many have insurance to protect other, less vital, assets.

Maybe its because Kiwis think that if anything happens, ACC will provide cover. Unfortunately ACC only pays out if you have had an accident. That means it wont help if you get cancer or degenerative health issues, which could stop you from working temporarily or permanently.

Health and disability allowances are paid by the government, but they are means tested, which means if your partner works you could be out of luck. And as weve seen in 2020, life is full of surprises and most people cant last long without money coming in the door.

The numbers: 🤨 how does income protection compare with life insurance?

To test the numbers when it comes to these two forms of cover, lets look at 2 examples. They show differences in age and income levels significantly influence both payouts and premiums.

👉 Ryan, a 40 year old, non-smoker in a professional occupation.

He has an income of $100,000 and a mortgage of $600,000. He would spend about $50[1] per month for life cover, which would pay out $600,000 in the event of his death. Income Protection Premium is more expensive at about $85[2] per month, but the total payout should Ryan suffer an accident or illness and be unlikely to return to work is far higher at over $2.7 million[3] (75% of income payable to 65). The numbers make it clear that income protection offers much more financial benefit.

Its a slightly different picture for women.

👉 Anna is a 30 year old professional, non-smoking woman.

She has an income of $100,000 and a mortgage of $600,000. Her life cover premium of $600,000 is $32.73 per month. Her Income Protection Premium for a benefit of $75,000pa (75% of $100,000 payable to the age of 65) is $93.09 per month.

This is a higher per month premium payment, but the benefit payout is also much higher. Her total income protection benefit if claimed today would be $3,612,725[1]. This is significantly higher than both the life cover payout and the payout of income protection that we saw Ryan receive.

If Annas earnings increased to $150,000 by 45, before she decided to take out income protection, she would be paying a premium of $288.92 per month to receive $112,500 pa (75% of income) in the event of an accident or illness that prevented her from working.

Her total benefit payout to age 65 would be $2,994,792. $600,000 life cover for the same client would cost $63.65 per month.

🤔 The final word – what the examples teach us.

Although its more expensive than life cover, income protection also offers far more financial benefit if it pays out.

Income protection allows you to protect your other key assets by maintaining a source of income if you cannot continue to work.

Adjustments to your settings can significantly impact both payouts and premiums, so talk to a financial advisor that specialises in insurance for ideas on how you can fit income protection into your budget – you wont regret it.

[1] Life Cover Premium of $600,000 = $51.73pm

[2] Income Protection Premium for benefit of $75,000pa (75% of $100,000*) payable to age 65 = $86.51pm. The maximum insurable amount is 75% of annual income. As per AIA quote software, based on Indemnity Value Income Cover with a 13 week stand down and benefit payable to age 65.

[3] Total Income Protection Benefit if claimed today = $2,715,695.

[4] This is based on Indemnity Value Income Cover with a 13 week stand down and benefit payable to age 65.

Ten years ago when I was working in corporate insurance, there were people in the insurance advisory space that operated in their own best interests, rather than those of their clients. That meant instead of finding the best cover for a particular client based on their needs, they could have been driven by the incentives offered by insurance companies.

Seeing this firsthand was the catalyst that led me to start my own business providing financial advice that was truly unbiased and specific to my clients needs.

Law changes you need to be aware of this year

Now thankfully, a lot has changed. New legislation came into force this year that means anyone who gives regulated financial advice must, hold, or operate under, a Financial Advice Provider (FAP) licence.

It takes time and effort to gain this licence (I achieved the qualification after four years of part time study).

As well as being qualified, all providers of financial advice must now follow a Code of Conduct that includes a proviso placing the interests of their clients first. This common sense legislative change means people can have much more confidence when they go to advisers to discuss things like insurance, mortgages and investments.

As a Financial Adviser that specialises in insurance, its great to see this change in law and the up-skilling and increased professionalism in our industry that has accompanied it.

Despite better consumer protections in law, its still important to think carefully about the people you choose to get advice from, especially when it comes to vital financial issues. So, when youre considering an adviser, I recommend asking these three questions:

How long have they been around? The new financial advice regime that came into force on Monday 15 March 2021 was designed to bring more transparency to our industry. That meant along with being registered on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR), advisers must now disclose important information to clients to ensure they can make informed decisions. Included in this is disclosing any conflicts of interest, commissions advisers are paid, and limits on the companies or products they advise on. For example, Im able to give advice on insurance, but not mortgages or investments. Do some research on your adviser before you consider using them. Find out what their expertise is and exactly what financial information they can provide to you.

What is their reputation like in the industry? Background, experience and reputation are vital areas to investigate when you are considering engaging an adviser. Do an internet search on them, looking at things like LinkedIn to see if their public profile matches what they say about themselves on their website. Spend some time researching whether they have a positive reputation and can give you advice on a range of financial entities that they have preexisting relationships with.

What is your rapport with them? It sounds obvious right? But personal rapport is a key part of developing a strong relationship with an adviser. If a person is going to be your trusted adviser, you need to think about whether you are comfortable discussing personal matters with them. If you feel like they dont have your best interests at heart, or arent available in the way you would like, its best to move on.

The changes we have seen to the financial service providers industry this year are, in my view, long overdue. They will help ensure the public can receive good financial advice, and the bad behaviour we saw in the old days is significantly reduced. If you want to talk about any of the issues raised in this article, just connect with me on 021 650 082. Corey Rix Financial Adviser aka Lifestyle Protector