Shows
The Practical Protection PodcastChronic Fatigue SyndromeHi everyone, we have Alan Knowles back with us and we are taking a look at how living with chronic fatigue syndrome can influence your options for life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection. Chronic fatigue syndrome or ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) is a long term condition that can cause significant tiredness, pain, brain fog, sensitivity to light and many other things. Approximately 1.3m people are living with the condition in the UK and it can alter your options for insurance, especially critical illness cover and income protection.The key takeaways:Most critical illness p...2025-05-1530 min
The Practical Protection PodcastCigarettes and AlcoholHi everyone, we have Alan Knowles back with us and we are taking a look at how lifestyles can affect options and pricing of life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection. Being a smoker usually doubles your premiums for protection insurance, as the stats show that you are far more likely to make a claim on the insurances. Not only this, but being a smoker can lead to your applications being declined depending upon your medical history.Alcohol can also have quite an influence on options for insurance. If you’d had a few intense drinking se...2025-05-0138 min
The Practical Protection PodcastSimplified Income ProtectionHi everyone, we are having a theme of income protection related podcast episodes this season. I’m loving it! I personally feel that income protection is probably the most essential protection insurance product for working people. Income protection is available with many insurers and there are lots of quirks and different options. One of which is simplified income protection. This product type is available with British Friendly and Shepherd’s Friendly, and it has the potential to open up income protection to people who can’t get income protection through fully medically underwritten routes.The key tak...2025-03-0620 min
The Practical Protection PodcastSocial Media Influencers and Income ProtectionHi everyone, we have our latest episode with our new regular contributor Alan Knowles giving you his insights from underwriting and advising. We are seeing more and more enquiries from social media influencers wanting to protect their income. It is really interesting with social media influencers as they are tending to reach out for support with their insurances, from the mindset that they need income protection. For a lot of people income protection is often thought of after life insurance and critical illness cover, so it’s great to see this difference starting to emerge.The...2025-02-2023 min
The Practical Protection PodcastType 1 Diabetes and Income ProtectionHi everyone, we have Sue Kissane (Underwriting Manager) and Caroline Hume (Key Account Manager) from Cirencester Friendly are joining me to discuss income protection and type 1 diabetes. We are talking about underwriting and claims, so that you can get a good idea how type 1 diabetes can be considered by insurers.There are approximately 350k people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the UK. It is a condition that results in the body not producing any insulin, leading to a build up of sugar in the blood, that can cause long-term complications in the eyes, heart, kidneys, liver and...2025-02-0638 min
The Practical Protection PodcastCrohns and ColitisHi everyone, we are back with Season 10 and a new regular guest, the one and only Alan Knowles. Many of you will know Alan from different industry initiatives and he is joining us to give insights into underwriting for your clients. We are kicking things off with a look at inflammatory bowel disease, specifically Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis, which are believed to affect well over 1m in the UK. Depending upon your clients specific circumstances you can see a range of outcomes including standard terms, premium loadings, exclusions, postpones and declines.The key takeaways:T...2025-01-3023 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMoney and Mental HealthHi everyone, in our latest episode I have Conor D’Arcy Head of Research and Policy at the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute joining me. They have recently published a report about their findings into how insurance and mental health are mixing together.Titled the ‘Written Off? report the institute have highlighted where things are not necessarily working well for consumers that are wanting to get insurance, when they have a mental health condition.The key takeaways:They found that someone with mental health can potentially pay up to 27x the base premium for...2023-03-0928 minThe Practical Protection PodcastFamily Medical HistoryHi everyone, we have Matt Rann back with us for the first time in Season 7 and we are focusing upon family medical history and how this can impact insurance applications. There are lots of things to know in terms of what you need to tell insurers about your family medical history and what you don’t need to tell them too.We are taking a look at the most common medical conditions that can lead to a rating or exclusion if someone has a relative that has a condition that the insurer asks about. When we say fam...2023-03-021h 03
The Practical Protection PodcastUpdates to HIV UnderwritingHi everyone, we have a brilliant inbetweenysode for you with some updates to insurance options for people living with HIV. It has been a long time coming but the past 3 years have seen big steps being made to improve options for protection insurance for people that have a diagnosis of HIV.The key takeaways:There are sometimes options for standard rates for life insurance, for people living with HIV.Personal critical illness cover and income protection for people living with HIV is here!Group insurance can often offer valuable protection insurance without the need...2023-02-2321 min
The Practical Protection PodcastComparing Critical Illness CoverHi everyone, we are back a little later than usual with the second episode of Season 7. Don’t worry I’m going to make up for it with an inbetweenysode soon. We have Paul Roberts from CIEXpert joining us on this episode to talk about critical illness cover and how it has changed since it became available in the UK 40 years ago.We are talking about the numbers race with insurers competing to have the highest number of conditions offered, partial payments, children’s cover and the big risks that can come from replacing an existing critical illnes...2023-02-1637 min
The Practical Protection PodcastThe Tables Are TurnedHi everyone, it’s the start of Season 7 and we have an episode different to any other we have done so far. Setul Mehta is taking over as guest host and it is myself and Roy that are in the spotlight, being quizzed about our take on insurance advice and the way the industry is working.We are talking about objection handling, decline conversations, vulnerable clients, stepping outside of comfort zones and more. The key takeaways:Building confidence in advising on protection insurance.Ways to change your communications to support people with protected characteristics.Our...2023-01-191h 09
The Practical Protection PodcastCritical Illness Cover MasterclassHi everyone, we are kicking off the New Year with a masterclass in advising in critical illness cover. Alan Knowles from Cura Financial Services is joining us to take us through some case studies of arranging critical illness cover for people with disclosures that can lead to exclusions and premium increases on critical illness cover.The key takeaways:A case study of arranging critical illness cover for someone living with multiple sclerosis.A case study of arranging critical illness cover for someone having experienced a strong mental health history.A case study of helping...2023-01-0541 min
The Practical Protection PodcastNot Just the MoneyHi everyone, we are talking about value added benefits that often come with protection insurance policies. Be it access to remote GPs, second medical opinion services, mental health support or more, these extras can make an insurer really standout as a good place for your clients.In this episode we are looking at how value added benefits work during a policy, at the point of a claim and after. Are they the new area of competition for insurers? What’s the reason behind offering them? Within the industry we can clearly see the positives of value adds, bu...2022-12-0853 min
The Smart Divorce PodcastAre you financially protected post divorce? - Kathryn KnowlesSend us a textTamsin speaks to financial protection specialist, Kathryn Knowles. They discuss the financial protection options, how and why to review your protection post divorce and how to financially protect you and your family. I'm a founder of Cura Financial Services an insurance broker, and Advice for Advisers: training advisers in protection insurance.I have worked in the insurance industry since 2010 and have had a real mixture of roles. I have been involved in compliance, administration, advising, training, marketing, website design and possibly more that I’m forgetting to mention.I...2022-12-0244 min
The Practical Protection PodcastThe State of MortgagesHi everyone, we are talking about what is happening in the mortgage world right now, trying to make sense of things in this ever changing economy in the UK. If like me you are aware of mortgages and know advisers in this space, you might see lots of different messages on social media. Some say things are going to be a disaster, others are saying that what we are seeing is just a blip and it will all sort itself out soon.In this episode we have Martin Stewart joining us from London Money, one of the...2022-11-2454 min
The Practical Protection PodcastHigh Net Worth InsuranceS6 Ep 6 - High Net WorthHi everyone, we are back with Matt Rann and talking about high net worth protection insurance applications. We are talking about what makes a case considered to be high net worth and how advisers and underwriters might classify these differently. We are having a chat about joint life second death insurance, gift planning and what a retrocessionaire is.The key takeaways:High net worth clients do not always mean high net worth policies.Most insurers have large case teams that typically handle policies with value over £1m. ...2022-11-171h 02
The Practical Protection PodcastAMI Protection ViewpointHi everyone, we have our first ever second IBTS of the podcast in one season and with very good reason! We have just seen the launch of the AMI Protection Viewpoint report of 2022 and in this episode we have Senior Policy Adviser, Stacy Penn, with us to talk through the findings of this report.We are talking about adapting approaches in your sales techniques to bring protection right The key takeaways:Consumer Duty requirements are not about reinventing the wheel, it’s making sure that we are empowering customers to make the right decisions.Adv...2022-11-1030 min
The Practical Protection PodcastTrustsHi everyone, we have Ruth Gilbert with us in the latest episode of the podcast and we are talking about Trusts. Trusts are a key part of a protection insurance recommendation and there’s a lot to know. There are different types, what do you do with the gifting of a terminal illness payout, how do things change when the policies are being used for IHT and gift planning.We talk about who can be trustees on a policy and the difficulties that can happen if the wrong person is picked. Traditionally Trusts have been positioned as be...2022-11-0352 min
The Practical Protection PodcastHigh CholesterolHi everyone, we are back with Matt Rann talking about high cholesterol and how it can influence insurance applications. Last year the NHS shared that 6 out of 10 adults have high cholesterol and the scary thing is that many people are completely unaware of it. High cholesterol often comes hand in hand with other conditions and it is picked up, but there are no specific symptoms of high cholesterol which can mean that a lot of damage can be done before someone realises that they have it.The key takeaways:High cholesterol is linked to a...2022-10-2041 min
The Practical Protection PodcastConsumer DutyHi everyone, we have Alain Desmier from Contact State with us in the latest practical protection podcast. Alain is sharing his insights into consumer consent, data and the thing we are hearing about a lot at the moment, the FCA Consumer Duty Principle.Alain takes us through his time working in lead generation and his new focus of improving industry standards when it comes to consumer data and consent. He has some pretty shocking statistics to share about how much cold calling happens in the UK and we talk about how this often targets the vulnerable and...2022-10-0653 min
The Practical Protection PodcastInbetweenysode - Employee WellbeingHi everyone, we have an inbetweenysode for you with Sue Clarkson, MD of Coach House Communications. She has been doing research for Legal & General’s Group Protection arm, to analyse how much small to medium enterprises are engaging, or want to engage, with employee wellbeing practices.We are talking about culture, storytelling and many other aspects of communication, with Sue sharing her new podcast series of 6 episodes to give you insights in this area. They’re about 15 minutes long and involve interviews with SME owners, a charity and more. Plus there is a ‘Better Wellbeing Competition’ with Legal & Ge...2022-09-2926 min
The Practical Protection PodcastOrgan donationHi everyone, it feels great to be getting back into the swing of things with the podcast. The summer break was lovely and essential so that you didn’t hear the screaming banshee noises from my three kids in the background, but it’s nice to be getting back to normal.In our latest podcast Matt Rann has joined me to talk about organ donations. With Organ donation week we felt that it was a good idea to have a focus upon how giving or receiving an organ donation can influence a protection insurance application. We are talki...2022-09-2257 min
The Practical Protection PodcastGrowing the Protection MarketHi everyone, we are on season 6 of the Practical Protection Podcast after a lovely break for the summer of 2022. We are feeling lovely and refreshed, ready for more industry insights and underwriting for you. We have Tom Baigrie from LifeSearch with us for this first episode talking about the campaigning that he has done over the past 20 years, to improve consumer outcomes. Tom takes us through some of the most recent projects he is taking on including his passion to embed mystery shoppers into the analysis of broker firms and his thoughts on protection insurance and the u...2022-09-0847 min
The Practical Protection PodcastThe Kids Are AlrightHi everyone, we are on the final episode of Season 5 of the podcast. We are going to be taking a break over summer as we all have little kids that we are going to manically trying to wrangle during the summer holidays. We will be back in September with Season 6.We have some super fun guests on our podcast episode today. Grace, Theodore, Sophia, Alexander, Kaydee, Kara and Zachary. The Cura Kids! It always stands out to me that the average reading age in the UK is that of a 9 year old. So does what we say...2022-07-2112 min
The Practical Protection PodcastSchizophreniaHi everyone, we are getting towards the end of Season 5 of the Practical Protection Podcast. In our penultimate episode we are focusing on schizophrenia and how it is often a misunderstood condition. There is a bit of a debate over the statistics, as you will hear me and Matt go through.The condition can be linked to genetics, but it can also be the result of experiencing a traumatic event. It is mostly diagnosed within cities and in some ethnic minorities too. Experiencing schizophrenia is not having multiple personalities and you might find that some people feel...2022-07-0750 min
The Practical Protection PodcastReinsuranceHi everyone, we have a brand new podcast episode where I am speaking to Tim Smith of Hannover Re about reinsurance and how it mixes with the wider insurance sector. As a protection insurance adviser I found it really weird to suddenly realise that there is an insurer that backs the insurers that I arrange policies with. Granted this was quite a while ago now, but it was a little bit after I started my career that this was pointed out to me. Coming from a purely protection insurance space and not being an adviser as my s...2022-06-2336 min
The Practical Protection PodcastInbetweenysode - Hannover Re UK - Mental Health WebinarTo follow.2022-06-1658 min
The Practical Protection PodcastArmed ForcesHi everyone, in the latest podcast episode I am talking about arranging protection insurance for people that are in the Armed Forces. When we think about the Armed Forces it’s probably quite clear as to the risks that insurers are worried about. The main one is of course that there is a much higher risk of dying than there is for someone that is sat at a desk all day. But it isn’t as simple as that. Yes, someone that is actively deployed to a warzone, or has high risk duties like bomb disposal, is at mo...2022-06-0921 min
The Practical Protection PodcastFinancial Vulnerability TaskforceHi everyone, today we have Keith Richards from The Financial Vulnerability Taskforce with me to talk about financial vulnerability and what we need to do as an industry to address this.The Financial Vulnerability Taskforce is a professional body that has been set up to help consumers and advisers better understand what vulnerabilities are, and the good practices that should be followed to address these concerns. They have a Charter that contains 9 statements that members are expected to actively promote and support. Many firms are unsure of how to support vulnerable clients, but they may well already...2022-05-2654 min
The Practical Protection PodcastHuntington's DiseaseHi everyone, Matt Rann is back with us this week and we are talking about Huntington’s disease. This is a genetic condition that lowers life expectancy and is often a very difficult diagnosis to come to terms with.We talk about genetic and predictive testing, what does and doesn’t need to be said to insurers, and why Huntington’s is not listed as a claimable condition in most critical illness contracts. Many people that are diagnosed with Huntington’s will unfortunately pass away within 20 years of diagnosis, and as well as this being a significant reality...2022-05-1251 min
The Practical Protection PodcastGrief ChatHi everyone, Roy McLoughlin is back, and this time we have Catherine Betley with us from Grief Chat. Grief Chat is an organisation that offers anonymous access to trained counsellors through webchat services, to help people through difficult times. Grief is a horrible thing to experience and it’s important that we are aware that there might never be acceptance of the event that has caused grief, but there can be ways to accommodate it.You might wonder why the need for dedicated grief services are needed, and it becomes much clearer when Catherine says they had ne...2022-04-2835 min
The Practical Protection PodcastDeclined Income ProtectionHi everyone, Matt is once again in the co-host seat alongside me this week and this episode is somewhat of a personal one. We discussed my health conditions and why they have stopped me from getting personal income protection. Matt provides an honest view on how an underwriter will look at each of these conditions.Since my early teens, I have been diagnosed with a number of health conditions, all of which I’m quite open about. I’ve made the decision to talk openly about them in the hope that this might challenge people's assumptions about the...2022-04-141h 19
The Practical Protection PodcastTesticular CancerHi everyone, Matt Rann is back, hosting alongside me and this time we are talking about testicular cancer. The stats show that 91% of people that are diagnosed with testicular cancer recover from the condition. It was really interesting to learn that there is no known cause of testicular cancer, but there is thought to be a link between the cancer and undescended testes.For advisers it’s important to know that speaking about testicular cancer can be an incredibly personal conversation. It could be that the client you speak with has in a sense moved on from th...2022-03-3149 min
The Practical Protection PodcastPublic RelationsHi everyone, in the latest podcast episode we have Kevin Carr from Carr Consulting joining me and Roy McLoughlin. We are talking about public relations, what it is, how it can work for you, and the benefits that you can get from raising your profile within the industry.Kevin has been a part of the finance world for many years now, first starting at Nationwide advising on mortgages, leading onto his role as an adviser at LifeSearch that quickly changed to include PR work. Kevin was drawn to PR as he found that speaking with journalists led...2022-03-1749 min
The Practical Protection PodcastEating DisordersHi everyone, Matt Rann is back with me and we are talking about eating disorders. There are quite a few conditions that fall under the umbrella of eating disorders and it’s important to know how to approach these conversations in a sensitive manner, as it will lead most insurers to start asking a lot of in-depth mental health questions.With it being Eating Disorder Awareness Week we felt that this episode was a key one to do. In fact, on Wednesday of this week I was tagged in a twitter thread of someone that was saying th...2022-03-0350 min
The Practical Protection PodcastCervical CancerHi everyone, we have had five episodes of mental health, diving into how each stage of the insurance journey can have a specific link to mental health. This isn’t just people that already have a mental health condition, but also people that are in a very vulnerable situation that might find that things are hard to cope with. Go back and check them out! In this session I am talking about cervical cancer with Matt Rann and we are discussing the common causes of this cancer, the types of questions that insurers will ask for protection ins...2022-02-2444 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMental Health in Life Insurance - WebinarHi everyone, this is the final episode of the Mental Health in Life Insurance week, a recording of the webinar held by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. In this webinar Kathryn, Lisa Balboa (Hannover Re) and Fraser Ballantine (Zurich), all came together to talk with colleagues about mental health and insurance. The session was hosted by John Brazier from Cover magazine and attendees included reinsurers, insurers and charity members.We explore everything from application questions, granular modelling, risk analysis, and how all of this can come across and feel to someone that is living w...2022-02-1759 min
The Practical Protection PodcastClaims and SupportHi everyone, this is the fourth episode of our Mental Health in Life Insurance week. So far this week we have gone through why someone may need or want insurance, how they can get it, the things that lead insurers to make decisions over what can be available to someone, and we are now at the point where everything comes together for the whole point of this: the claim.In this episode we talk about what happens in terms of support for people living with a mental health condition when they make a claim on insurance, and...2022-02-0335 min
The Practical Protection PodcastAccess To InsuranceHi everyone, this is the third episode of our Mental Health in Life Insurance week. We have quite an unusual episode today, in that we have an adviser, actuary and underwriter all sat together to talk about insurance. It’s not often that you get such a broad insight of the industry all in one place.We are talking about how insurers decide who can have what insurance and what price it will be. Actuaries take a look at huge amounts of general population data and analyse this to help them determine what might happen to these pe...2022-02-0250 min
The Practical Protection PodcastRoutes to InsuranceHi everyone, this is the second episode of our Mental Health in Life Insurance week. Today is all about how people can go about getting insurance. We are taking a look at advised and non-advised routes, as well as comparison sites. It’s important to understand that no matter what we might think is the best route for someone, each of these routes can offer something different that may be what is a helpful first step to getting insurance.We are talking to Phil Jeynes from Reassured, Alan Knowles from Cura Financial Services and Neal Cross from Mo...2022-02-0136 min
The Practical Protection PodcastNeeding InsuranceHi everyone, this is the first episode of our Mental Health in Life Insurance week. This week we are taking a deep dive into how mental health and insurance mix, why someone might need insurance, how they can get it, why insurers make certain decisions and what happens if you need to make a claim.We have a lot of industry experts joining us this week and we start today with Lynn Beattie aka Mrs Mummypenny. Lynn is a finance expert and is always looking for the best ways to manage money, to protect her financial future...2022-01-3134 min
The Practical Protection PodcastThe Year AheadHi everyone, this is the first episode of season 5 and we have special guest, Peter Hamilton. Peter is joining us to talk about the different roles that he has within our industry and beyond, to improve access to insurance and the reputation of the insurance world.The key takeaways:We can make real positive change by ensuring that reinsurers, insurers, trade bodies and advisers are involved in working parties together.There is growth in clients wanting to understand the ethical and social behaviour of providers, and we should be prepared to have this to hand.eGPRs...2022-01-2051 min
The Practical Protection PodcastThe Cost of InsuranceHi everyone, this is the last episode of season 4 and of 2021. In this episode it is just me and I am answering a listener's question. Setul Metha contacted me a little while ago and asked if there was a chance that I could show how much age affects insurance premiums. Challenge accepted!Now, I know that listening to me talking about lots of numbers and premium pricing, is maybe not everyone’s cup of tea. I’ve hopefully kept it nice and interesting for you. We will also be putting out a blog with tables that clearly show...2021-12-1645 min
The Practical Protection PodcastAlcoholHi everyone, we have Matt Rann back this week and we are talking about alcohol. With the run up to Christmas a bit of extra tipple is often on the cards, and whilst it takes quite a few units before insurers start to wonder about your liver, it can be quite easy to have a bit more than we expect at this time of year.This podcast is definitely not about telling you how much you should drink or advocating that you go teetotal. I didn’t drink for about 8 years with having my kids and breastfeeding, an...2021-11-1850 min
Mrs Mummypenny Talks PodcastPROTECTION WITH KATHRYN KNOWLES - MRS MUMMYPENNY TALKS S4 Ep 10Episode 10 is all about PROTECTION. I am joined by Protection Expert Kathryn Knowles, Friend and MD of Cura Insurance. https://www.curainsurance.co.uk/ -We started with a chat about Kathryn and Cura and why she does what she does. Cura are a specialist insurance broker who help people in complex situations with life insurance, income protection and critical illness. -We talk life insurance. What Is it? When and why do you need it? Affordability and Medical circumstances -We talk about the value added benefits of insurance policies, access to GPs, c...2021-11-161h 06
The Practical Protection PodcastState of the NationHi everyone, this week we have Jeff Woods from Legal & General, talking about their State of the Nation report. Jeff, Roy McLoughlin and I talk through the insights that the report gives into how small businesses are and are not engaging with protection insurance.We focus on areas of business vulnerability, the need for advice, the impact of covid and how businesses can plan for the future with things like business and group protection.The key takeaways:75% of businesses have not heard about relevant life insurance or executive income protection, and 84% would like to...2021-10-2845 min
The Practical Protection PodcastLupusHi everyone, this week I have Matt Rann back with me and we are talking about lupus. This is an autoimmune condition that can potentially have an influence on protection insurance applications. We are talking about Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Discoid Lupus (DLE) and Drug-induced lupus (DILE).Lupus is a condition that usually affects women far more than men, with women nine times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition. Symptoms can involve fatigue, a skin rash, hair loss, and much more including difficulties with the kidneys.The key takeaways:Roughly 1 in every 1000...2021-10-2149 min
The Practical Protection PodcastIntergenerational Wealth PlanningHi everyone, this week we have Andy Woollon from Zurich joining us to talk about intergenerational wealth planning, and how protection insurance is a fundamental part of someone’s financial plan.Following on from the recent Income Protection Task Force week, protection insurance and wealth planning feels like a natural mix. If you haven’t seen the sessions yet, check out Wealth Wednesday on YouTube, with Setul Mehta, Gemma Darcy, Victor Sacks, Mike Allison and Daniel Weaver.The key takeaways:The concept of using income protection to protect the bank of mum and dad.The...2021-10-0741 min
The Practical Protection PodcastInbetweenysode: Commission vs FeesHi everyone, I am back a little earlier than usual with an Inbetweenysode. I think most people reading this will be aware that there has been a bit of a social media kerfuffle recently. There has been a lot of debate about whether or not advisers should charge fees to their clients and if commission-based firms are transparent to clients.This episode is providing a background to these different approaches to adviser remuneration, there’s pros and cons to each, and I hope that you think it is a balanced account of what they are.Th...2021-09-2330 min
The Practical Protection PodcastBlood CancerHi everyone, we are back and talking about blood cancer. In this episode Matt explains how the different blood cancers affect the body, which has really helped me to visualise what happens when they develop.The key takeaways:There are 250,000 living with blood cancer in the UK.There are different types of blood cancer: leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN).A case study of life insurance for someone living with CLL phenotypes.We also have a brief discussion of someone’s right to forget that they have had cancer, in Fra...2021-09-161h 02
The Practical Protection PodcastSkin CancerHi everyone, we are back with an episode on skin cancer, something that we think is incredibly important to think about during these summer months. I’m sorry that the podcast is out a week later than usual, but with all of the mummy vs work juggling of the summer holidays, I needed to take a little extra time so I don’t burnout.This episode is so important and came with quite a shock to me. Matt Rann had told me that he would like to do an episode on skin cancer and I agreed that it w...2021-08-2648 min
The Practical Protection PodcastGender and Income ProtectionHi everyone, we have Jo Elphick from Legal & General joining me and Roy McLoughlin in this episode. Legal & General have been looking at how gender influences the way that people engage with group income protection insurance. The statistics are quite interesting!65% of women surveyed believe that income protection is relevant to them, versus only 35% of men that felt it is worthwhileAs we talk through the findings, Jo helps us to understand the way that women tend to see the value of income protection more than men, yet less women than men take up and...2021-08-0543 min
The Practical Protection PodcastTransgenderHi everyone, I have Matt Rann back with me, fresh from his holiday in Madeira. I am a tad jealous, but I imagine many of you like me have had absolutely glorious weather this weekend, so I’m not feeling too bitter.Matt is joining me to chat about accessing insurance when someone is transgender. As with many things the insurance world has made clear growth in how it underwrites insurance applications for people that are transgender. It’s not yet perfect, but it’s much better than it was and we talk through how things have change...2021-07-2244 min
The Practical Protection PodcastObjection HandlingHi everyone, we are talking about something that strikes dread within advisers... objection handling. Ok maybe not dread for an experienced adviser who has pretty much heard it all, but for people stepping into the protection space this can be quite nerve wracking.Roy McLoughlin is back with me and we are discussing the common objections that he hears within the pensions space, and how these seem to mirror objections to protection insurance too.The key takeaways:Common objections are, “I’m too young”, “It’s too expensive”, “It won’t happen to me”.The average cost o...2021-07-0851 min
The Practical Protection PodcastInsurance UnderwritingHi everyone, we are at the start of season 4 of the podcast and we are taking a deep dive into underwriting manuals.In the first episode I have Peter Maynard with me from Select X, talking about his career in underwriting. We chat about what an underwriting manual looks like, the types of risk that they include, how underwriters use them and the role of automated underwriting.The key takeaways:Automated systems are good, but you can’t beat a human underwriter!Underwriting manuals are technical guides of how to assess risk, but there sh...2021-06-2344 min
The Practical Protection PodcastRehabilitation in PracticeHi everyone, this week I have Chrissy Clark from Health Claims Bureau with me, talking about rehabilitation services in practice.As an adviser, I know about the rehabilitation support that is on offer with group income protection, but do I really know what it is? When does it kick in? Who is actually stepping in and giving the support? What does the support look like?The key takeaways:90% of people that get support within 4 weeks of ill health, are able to return to work.People that do not get rehabilitation support within 26 weeks of...2021-06-1752 min
The Practical Protection PodcastType 1 DiabetesHi everyone, this week Matt Rann is back with me and we are talking about type 1 diabetes.We are chatting about what diabetes is and how it affects the body, the potential complications that someone can experience and the insurance underwriting terms. The key takeaways:Type 1 diabetes can affect all areas of the body and there are specific complications that can occur in the heart, eyes, feet and kidneys.The key things that underwriters need to know, to give you a potential indication of terms.A case study of arranging life insurance and income p...2021-05-2743 min
The Practical Protection PodcastGroup InsuranceHi everyone, this week we are focusing on group insurance and we have Katharine Moxham from GRiD (Group Risk Development) with us.Katharine takes us through claims statistics, how free medical underwriting works, the benefits that an employer can access through these insurances and much more. The key takeaways:Group insurers paid £100 million in claims relating to covid in 2020.How group insurance can increase access to insurance, for people living with health conditions.The benefits to both employers and employees from arranging group cover.I will be back in a couple of we...2021-05-1340 min
The Practical Protection PodcastNeurodiversityHi everyone, I have Matt Rann back with me and we are focusing upon neurodiversity. We are taking a look at accessing insurance when someone has ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and/or dyslexia.A big part of this session is focused upon adviser skills and responsibilities, to ensure that clients are supported. We also talk about potential underwriting questions and how insurers can take steps to improve their communications. The key takeaways:Statistics over how many neurodiverse people are living within the UK, it’s millions!To never make assumptions about your client based upon the...2021-04-2942 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMenopause - Breaking the TabooHi everyone, a slight change of schedule this week as we bring to you something a little different to our usual format. Last week I chaired a panel discussion with the ISC Group, focused upon 'Understanding the Menopause' along with Sian Fisher, CEO at the Chartered Institute of Insurance, Helen Dick, Senior Manager Underwriting & Claims Strategy at Scottish Widows and Christine Husbands, Managing Director at Red Arc.This podcast, recorded from the live panel discussion which was broadcast Thursday 15th April, explores how the menopause impacts a woman's work life, and how employers can ensure they are pr...2021-04-221h 00
The Practical Protection PodcastBowel CancerHi everyone, this week we are focusing on bowel cancer. This is a topic that is very close to Matt’s heart as he was diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer some years ago. Matt is sharing his experience of spotting the signs of bowel cancer, pushing for extra medical checks and the time that he learned of his diagnosis. We then talk through the treatments that he underwent and go through some medical terms, to break down some of the most common classifications for assessing cancer.The key takeaways:Bowel cancer is the fourth mos...2021-04-0151 min
The Practical Protection PodcastDon't Forget ProtectionHi everyone, this week Roy is having his first solo hosting on this podcast, interviewing Lee Robertson from Octo Members. Lee and Roy have an extensive chat about wealth management, protection insurance, signposting and more.Lee has built a platform that allows advisers, from many areas within financial services, to join together to share their knowledge. This private community is focused upon bringing together experts who can discuss best practices, that can generate respectful debate and practical tips for action.The key takeaways:Gift inter vivos and joint life second death policies can be...2021-03-1841 min
The Practical Protection PodcastEndometriosisHi everyone, this week we are back to protection insurance underwriting and the focus is upon endometriosis. This is a condition that is far more common than you think and with half of an adviser’s clients being female, one that we feel is good to know about.In most cases endometriosis will have little impact upon the options available for protection insurance, but there are key questions that you need to ask your clients, to make sure that your research covers everything. It’s also essential to make sure that you approach specific parts of your fact...2021-03-0435 min
The Practical Protection PodcastProtecting your Mortgage - Andrew MontlakeHi everyone, on this episode Andrew Montlake of Coreco, is joining us to chat about mortgages. We are talking about the need to discuss protection insurance, when a mortgage is being arranged.Andrew is the Chairman of the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) and brings a very open mind over how mortgages and protection should mix. Amongst other things, we are discussing how the current explanation and marketing of protection products isn’t always the easiest for people to understand outside of this area, and how Rishi Sunak’s furlough scheme is akin to income protection and how...2021-02-1843 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMental Health During Lockdown*** Disclaimer: In this episode we are going to be talking about mental health conditions and in particular suicidal thoughts and attempts. Please be aware that some people may find some of the content upsetting.***Hi everyone, today Matt Rann is joining the episode and we are talking about mental health. With everything that is going on in the world with the coronavirus pandemic, mental health is something that is affecting many people, including both children and adults. We are chatting about how mental health is underwritten for things like life insurance, how the insurance sector i...2021-02-0452 min
The Practical Protection PodcastCovid Insights - Helen CroftHi everyone, today I have with me Helen Croft. She is the Head of Underwriting Strategy at AIG and is talking all about covid. We are chatting about why covid has meant that underwriting of insurance has had to change this past year, why covid is such a serious risk and hopes that we may start getting back to normal around Easter time.The key takeaways:Why covid is presenting as such a big riskWhat the covid mutations could meanSome potential side effects of long covidNext time, Matt Rann will be d...2021-01-2132 min
The Practical Protection PodcastNew DirectionsHi everyone, we are the start of Season 3 and there is a bit of a change happening. I have a new co-host, with Roy McLoughlin joining me regularly on the podcast so we can talk about the latest developments in protection insurance and more. Roy is bringing his knowledge of investments, pensions, protection and many other areas to the show.Matt Rann will also be a regular co-host and we will be talking about underwriting in the protection space. We will be taking different risk scenarios and chatting about potential underwriting outcomes for protection insurance, and why...2021-01-1430 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMatt Rann - 40 Years of UnderwritingHi everyone, this week I am speaking with Matt Rann, who has worked within the insurer, reinsurer and IFA community for the last 42 years. Matt is an underwriter who has seen many changes to the insurance sector, over his career.Matt is chatting about how he became an underwriter, and the rewards he has seen by using his knowledge to be an expert witness, when claims have gone wrong. The key takeaways:Matt's career in underwriting and how things have changed in the last 20 years.A summary of the roles of underwriters and actuaries, an...2020-12-1754 min
The Practical Protection PodcastAlan Knowles - A Masterclass in Income ProtectionHi everyone, this week I am speaking with Alan Knowles, husband, co director, Chair of the PDG and the 2020 winner of the Protection Review’s Protection Adviser of the Year.Alan is doing an income protection masterclass, talking about how versatile these policies are and how they can sometimes have a bad rep, for not being particularly accessible. But, Alan goes through 4 case studies that show how speaking with an adviser, can truly help people with higher risks to get income protection. The key takeaways:A case study of income protection for someone with Wolf...2020-12-1059 min
The PRO PodcastInsuring the uninsurable with Kathryn Knowles of Cura InsuranceFrom motivation to mindset, personal branding to perseverance, you will learn tried and tested ways to generate leads, increase your sales and build a strong lifestyle business. Gary Das takes you on an entrepreneurial journey of education, inspiration, and motivation to help you become a Pro of your industry! Kathryn Knowles of Cura Insurance is the guest on the Financial Pro podcast this week. Gary and Kathryn talk all things insurance sales, insurance brokerages and medical life insurance. Cura Insurance is a telephone based brokerage who are known for insuring the uninsurable. Maybe someone has...2020-12-031h 05
The Practical Protection PodcastChildhood Bereavement - Winston's WishHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Paul Moore and Di Stubbs, from Winston’s Wish. Winston’s Wish is a childhood bereavement charity and speaking with them has really opened my eyes to the amount of kids that are facing these situations every day. I needed a hug after recording this.Paul and Di talk about how Winston’s Wish was setup, the way that the charity has adapted over the years and the ways that they are able to support children in the present day. The 3 key takeaways:111 children are bereaved of a lo...2020-11-2647 min
The Practical Protection PodcastAlison Esson - Added Value ServicesHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Alison Esson, Propositions Manager from AIG.Alison is the added value services guru within the protection industry, leading much of the developments that have happened in this area. Added value services are the extras that help policyholders and their immediate family, throughout their policy. It's not just about the claim anymore!Alison is talking about her journey working at Bright Grey and now being a part of AIG, shouting the benefits of these long-term support services.The 3 key takeaways:The reasons why insurers offer...2020-11-121h 00
The Practical Protection PodcastRoss Linnett - Breaking Communication BarriersHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Ross Linnett from Recite Me.Ross has dyslexia and has developed an accessibility and language toolbar, that helps people to adapt websites to their needs. We have it integrated into our website, the Special Risks Bureau, and it is incredible.I'm chatting to Ross about why he decided to develop this software and how important it is for businesses to think about these things. We talk about what it is like when you are dyslexic and how when you are faced with insurance documentation, you sometimes avoid...2020-10-2959 min
The Practical Protection PodcastSimoney Kyriakou - I Will Find YouHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Simoney Kyriakou from Financial Adviser.Simoney is on a mission to clear up rogue lead generation firms. From the start we are clear on this, not all lead generation firms are iffy, there are many out there that are completely reputable. As with anything in life you get some good and you get some bad.I'm chatting to Simoney about the ways that some lead generation firms are behaving, that isn't seen to be the best when it comes to client services. We are talking about ways...2020-10-2258 min
The Practical Protection PodcastRichard Lemmon - Living with Parkinson's DiseaseHi everyone, this week I am chatting to my Dad!My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his early 50s and he is now 66. He is going to be chatting about how his condition started to affect his ability to work in the police force and what having his symptoms feels like.He is speaking frankly about how Parkinson's disease has at times changed his behaviour and personality, the symptoms you can have that many people don't think of and how he feels about his upcoming deep brain stimulation surgery.The 3 key...2020-10-151h 12
The Practical Protection PodcastHannah Godfrey - Women in PensionsHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Hannah Godfrey, the News Editor at Professional Adviser and Deputy Editor at Retirement Planner.Hannah is joining me today to chat about pensions, her career and the Women In Financial Advice Awards that is being held today. This is a really interesting one for me as I don't 'do' pensions.The 3 key takeaways:Pay into your pension, it's the best investment for the future.Pay as much as you can into your pension. Don't opt out and if you can, pay more.Watch out for scammers, the...2020-10-0824 min
The Practical Protection PodcastEmma Thomson - A Breast Cancer JourneyHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Emma Thomson, Product Strategist at British Friendly.Last year Emma was diagnosed with breast cancer and she is joining me on the podcast to talk about her experience of having cancer, her treatment and her tips on reviewing your protection insurances.Emma is chatting about the extra costs of cancer too, the things that people often don't talk about e.g. post-surgery bras. She also tells us how she now has 3 tattoos thanks to her treatment, something that she never expected and I think that she sounds...2020-10-0154 min
The Practical Protection PodcastVicky Churcher - Living with a Heart ConditionHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Vicky Churcher, Intermediary Director of AIG.Vicky is joining me to chat about her health, claiming on her insurance and how the additional services offered by Best Doctors have been phenomenal for both her and her family.In 2018 Vicky had a major heart attack, which was a huge shock given her being a regular runner, a vegetarian for most of her life and generally someone that didn't have any of the usual risks that lead to a heart attack.In this episode we focus upon...2020-09-1745 min
The Practical Protection PodcastAlan Knowles - A Masterclass in High Risk Life InsuranceHi everyone, this week I am chatting to Alan Knowles, Managing Director of Cura, known for his work as a speciality insurance adviser. Alan is also the Chair of the PDG, founding member of the Access to Insurance working group and recently appointed as an executive for the Income Protection Task Force. As a side note he is also my husband and I promise that we kept our banter to a minimum!In this episode we focus upon providing case studies where Alan has arranged life insurance for people that are considered to be a higher risk.2020-09-031h 01
The Practical Protection PodcastLindsay Mason - A Claims JourneyHi everyone, it's episode 5 of season 2, and this week I am speaking with Lindsay Mason, my colleague at Cura, who has been through some significant events this year.Please note that this episode could be quite emotional for some people to hear. We are talking about deaths caused by cancer, heart attack and coronavirus, and the feelings and difficulties that a family member can face when these things happen.Lindsay will talk through how this year has been and how it can feel when you are faced with so many significant events in such a s...2020-08-2038 min
The Practical Protection PodcastSue Kinsella - RedArc NursesHi Everyone,It's episode 4 of season 2 and today is all about RedArc Nurses. I have Sue Kinsella with me, who is talking about her experiences working at RedArc and what it is that these nurses do.My 3 key takeaways,1. Things to do and things not to do when someone talks to you about their health.2. What to do if you are speaking with someone and you become concerned about the safety of their mental health.3. The different services that RedArc can offer include second medical opinion services, explanations of...2020-08-0630 min
The Practical Protection PodcastLeo Miles - Cancer & InsuranceHi Everyone,We are onto episode 3 of season 2 and this time I have Leo Miles with me.Leo works for Macmillan Cancer Support and spends her time fighting for equality for people that have had or are living with cancer. Leo has been a mortgage adviser, has worked within the Financial Services Authority and is now a charity advocate.My 3 key takeaways,1. Access to insurance for people with a history of cancer has changed due to coronavirus.2. It is essential that everyone within the insurance sector adheres to the...2020-07-231h 05
The Practical Protection PodcastRoger Edwards - Trust in InsuranceHi Everyone,We are onto episode 2 of season 2 and this time I have Roger Edwards with me.Roger is an independent marketing consultant and has worked within the insurance world for many years. He is bringing his experience to help us understand how to avoid enraging customers.My 3 key takeaways,1. Trust in insurance is the basis for people engaging and not engaging with our sector.2. Roger's 3 key communication tips: assume your client knows nothing about your product/service, speak in their language and avoid jargon!3. Roger's experience...2020-07-0952 min
The Practical Protection PodcastCatherine Morgan - Understanding People's MindsetsHi Everyone,This is my first solo hosting episode, please be gentle with me!Catherine Morgan is joining me to start off this season. We are talking about people's mindsets, embedded beliefs that dictate how we feel about finances and whether we do or don't trust insurance. I came away with some personal revelations about how my money mindset has been shaped since childhood.We also chat about Catherine's experience applying for insurance having had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a recent claim on private medical insurance.Our 3 key takeaways,2020-06-2549 min
The Practical Protection PodcastRosalie Hayes - HIV and insuranceHi Everyone,In this episode we are chatting about HIV with our guest Rosalie Hayes from the National Aids Trust. Rosalie is chatting about the insurance from the viewpoint of people that are living with HIV, the barriers that have been faced, where insurance seems to be getting better and how there needs to be a clear focus on fair and reasonable terms of cover.Our 3 key takeaways,1. There are around 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK.2. The need to ensure that all insurance decisions adhere to the Equalities Act.2020-06-1146 min
The Practical Protection PodcastDiabetes and InsuranceHi Everyone,In this episode we are chatting about diabetes. We try and keep the inevitable chat over coronavirus to a minimum in these episodes, but it's well and truly everywhere throughout this one. There have been some significant links between coronavirus deaths and diabetes and this has understandably changed the way that insurers are offering cover.We chat through potential insurance terms for diabetics pre-covid, during lockdown and what we hope will happen post coronavirus.Our 3 key takeaways,1. 1 in every 15 people in the UK has diabetes.2. The importance...2020-05-2856 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMental Health: An Insurance WalkthroughHi EveryoneThis is our first podcast episode that really tries to lay bare, what can happen if you apply for insurance when you have a mental health condition.The main bits:What insurers want to know about your mental healthWhy they even askWhat happens when you apply for coverWhat are the risksWhat you can expectWe have deliberately done this episode shorter than usual, so that we focus upon the key things that you need to know and don't waffle on about a load of unnecessary bits (we're both wafflers!). 2020-05-2118 min
The Practical Protection PodcastKara Gammell - Protecting Your IncomeHi Everyone!Today we are thrilled to have Kara Gammell joining us on the podcast.Kara is an award winning financial journalist with a passion for talking about money, shown in her money saving blog 'Your Best Friends Guide to Cash' and book that you can buy here. Kara is a big advocate of income protection. In this episode she talks about her childhood living in a household where both parents were medically retired and claiming on income protection.Hearing Kara talk about how income protection supported her parents, really brings...2020-05-1440 min
The Practical Protection PodcastSteve Casey - Recovering from a StrokeHi Everyone!Today we are so pleased to have Steve Casey joining us on the podcast.Steve has worked within financial services for many years, but that is not the focus of this episode. In 2018 Steve had a stroke, completely out of the blue, in his words it came with a bang.This episode is focused upon hearing Steve's story, how it felt to have a stroke, what happened and how his recovery has been. We then venture a little bit into his experience of making a claim on his critical illness insurances...2020-04-3045 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMultiple Sclerosis and InsuranceHi Everyone!Things have been incredibly interesting in the insurance world recently (yes, we know, you can count on us to be the life and souls of a party!).In this episode we are focusing upon multiple sclerosis and how the new world of insurance, is treating applications from people living with the condition. As always Kathryn poses a few challenges to Andrew on why insurers work the way that they do.From an advisers mind "outside" of an insurer, there are some things that seem like they should be pretty easy changes...2020-04-1645 min
Advisers Assemble - Lead Generation For Financial ServicesKathryn Knowles - CuraHello, and welcome back to the lead generation for financial services podcast. This week we have Kathryn Knowles from the financial industry and current directors of Cura Financial Services.
They help people get the insurance that they need especially people that have high-risk jobs or people that are having a hard time to get the kind of health protection they need. They have a string of industry-trained experts dedicated to achieving the best insurance for your needs and your family.
Every week, Kathryn produces educational video to promote life protection and demonstrate how insurance and special risks work altogether. She's...2020-04-0638 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMike Adams OBE talks about Breaking BarriersHi Everyone!We are absolutely thrilled this week to be joined by our first guest, Mike Adams OBE. Mike is an incredible speaker and advocate for improving access to products and services, for people with disabilities.Mike's organisation Purple have gained significant attention in recent years with Purple Tuesday, a day where all organisations are asked to truly think about how they can improve access to their offerings.This mindset to improve accessibility, shouldn't just be one day a year, it should be embedded in a company's ethos. In this episode we talk...2020-04-0254 min
The Practical Protection PodcastMental Health and Insurance*** Disclaimer: In this episode we are going to be talking about mental health conditions and in particular suicidal thoughts and attempts. Please be aware that some people may find some of the content upsetting.***Hi Everyone,We had a really insightful time at last week's Cover Mental Health conference. It was great to hear from our peers and new friends, about how we are all taking every step that we can to support people living with mental health conditions.Kathryn is not one to shy away from saying that she has had generalised...2020-03-1958 min
The Practical Protection PodcastVaping and InsuranceHi Everyone,This is our third episode and it's all about vaping. The most interesting thing is that Kathryn and Andrew have kind of switched roles in this one. Kathryn is more cautious about the underwriting of ecig users, than Andrew is!Are you guessing who is telling the truth or lying, right?In this episode we are focusing on e-cigarettes and what you need to know, if you use these and want insurance.Our 3 key takeaways,1. 5-6% of adults in the UK vape.2. Some insurers may...2020-03-0546 min
The Practical Protection PodcastRare Diseases and InsuranceHi Everyone,We are absolutely blown away by the downloads and feedback that the podcast is getting. Thank you to everyone that has left us a review and personally reached out to us to give us your thoughts.In this episode we are focusing on rare diseases (or conditions as Kathryn prefers, she doesn't like being thought of as diseased!) and what you need to know, if you have this condition and want insurance.Our 3 key takeaways,1. 1 in every 20 people in the UK has a rare disease2. Insurers trust...2020-02-2047 min
The Practical Protection PodcastEpilepsy and InsuranceHi Everyone,This is our first official, proper, hopefully fantabulous, brand spanking new episode. Can you tell we are a bit excited?In this episode we are focusing on epilepsy and what you need to know, if you have this condition and want insurance.Our 3 key takeaways,1. There are approximately 60 different types of epileptic seizures2. Epilepsy is not often a huge red flag for insurers3. Two case study clients living with epilepsy, you might think are uninsurableDon't worry, we know insurance is boring and...2020-02-0641 minThe Practical Protection PodcastThe PPP TeaserHi Everyone!This is our podcast teaser, 'pilot', episode. We are so excited to be sharing this with you and giving you a taster of what our podcast is going to be about. You will quickly discover that Kathryn and Andrew are talking about serious topics, but not in a harrowing way. You will hear random bursts of giggles, random cut aways to side thoughts, but mainly a desire to help the protection industry evolve.We hope you like this taster and we shall see you for our official launch, at the beginning...2020-01-2313 min
Positive on PublishingDevelop Patience, Commitment and Habits with Tom Corson-KnowlesToday's guest is Tom Corson-Knowles. Tom is an entrepreneur, blogger and bestselling author of more than 20 books. He started his first business at age 13, and by the time he graduated from business school at age 22, he was earning a full-time income from his entrepreneurial endeavors. Tom is the founder of EbookPublishingSchool.com and TCK Publishing.2018-02-1448 min
Marketing and Finance (MAF) PodcastAlan and Kathryn Knowles on zombies, gnomes and quirky financial services marketing - MAF145Alan and Kathryn Knowles on zombies, gnomes and quirky financial services marketing - MAF145 This week on the show my guests are Alan and Kathryn Knowles. We talk about how they became an award-winning specialist financial adviser firm by using zombies, gnomes and advent calendars to create some quirky marketing campaigns. Welcome to episode 145 of the Marketing and Finance Podcast. We chat about: How Alan and Kathryn developed a niche focusing on people who find it difficult to get protection insurance Dealing with clients individually and taking referrals from other...2017-10-1232 min
Marketing and Finance (MAF) PodcastAlan and Kathryn Knowles on Special Risks Protection and Bold Zombie Advertising - MPAF91Alan and Kathryn Knowles on Special Risks Protection and Bold Zombie Advertising - MPAF91 In this episode I talk to Alan and Kathryn Knowles from the Special Risks Bureau. They specialise in insurance for people who have existing conditions or take part in extreme pastimes or hazardous occupations. The Financial Services industry call this “impaired lives". Alan and Kathryn have a much less gloomy term for it which we'll discover in the chat. But this small firm recently launched a bold marketing campaign for protection insurance using The Walking Dead's Zombie th...2016-06-1645 min