“I thought I was sorted — turns out I had no idea what I was paying for.”

That’s what one self-employed client told us when we sat down to look over the life insurance he’d taken out directly with Legal & General last year.

On paper, it looked like he’d done the right thing. He had just over £465,000 of life cover and a smaller policy with critical illness cover worth £35,000, both set to run until he was 71. He was paying £46.50 a month.

But when we asked him why those amounts were chosen, or why the policy ran until his early 70s, he shrugged. “I don’t know, I just picked something that sounded about right.”
He’s not alone. A lot of people take out life insurance direct with big providers, tick a few boxes online, and assume they’re covered. But they rarely get advice about what they actually need, and what they’re paying for.

In this case, not only was the cover mismatched, but we also found we could get him the exact same policies for £40 a month instead of £46.50. That’s an easy win, but it was just the start.
Once we had a proper conversation about his situation, it became clear his biggest risk wasn’t just about life cover. He’s self-employed and the sole earner while his partner trains to be a midwife. If he couldn’t work, the household would be in real trouble, but he didn’t have any income protection in place.

“I know I should have it,” he said, “but I just assumed I wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

We reworked the plan from scratch, keeping the monthly cost manageable while making sure his income and their home, would still be protected if he became ill or injured and couldn’t work.

Here’s what we arranged instead, all within that same £40 a month budget:

• Life insurance to cover the mortgage
• A lump sum that would cover one year’s salary if he died or was diagnosed with a serious illness
• Income protection that would pay out monthly for up to two years if he was unable to work, tailored to reflect the lower cost of age-based pricing

Now he’s not just ticking a box — he’s properly covered. And it didn’t cost him any more than what he was already paying for the wrong thing.

“We just wanted to make sure the kids would be OK if something happened to us.”

That was the starting point for this couple. They weren’t really sure how much life cover they had or why the figure had been chosen. They’d taken out £300,000 each with AIG, paying just over £43 a month between them. It felt like the right thing to do at the time.

But when we looked into it properly, it turned out the policies didn’t really reflect their actual needs. The intention was clear, protect the family if either of them died — but the setup didn’t tie in with their mortgage, household bills, or how life would actually play out if the worst happened.

We had a proper chat and looked at how the money would actually be used, not just what sounded like a big enough number.

Here’s what we switched it to:
• Life cover that would pay off the mortgage in full – £137,256, fixed for 30 years
• A second policy that would pay out £1,500 every month for 30 years, giving their family a steady income to cover all other bills

Monthly cost? £41.92. So slightly cheaper than what they were already paying.

Now, on paper, the lump sums look smaller. But in reality, if one of them died tomorrow, the mortgage would be cleared and their family would receive a guaranteed £18,000 a year for the next 30 years. That’s £677,256 in total. Far more than what they had before.

Yes, the monthly income would stay the same over time while the cost of living goes up, but that was a conscious choice. The couple wanted the bulk of the protection while their children are young and most financially dependent. Once the kids are grown up and the mortgage has been chipped away, the need for cover naturally reduces.

It’s not always about spending more or chasing bigger numbers. Sometimes it’s just about asking the right questions and building something that actually fits real life.

Small tweaks. Big difference.

Want to see what that might look like for you? Just shout.

“We’ve got some cover, but it probably wouldn’t be enough if something serious happened.”

That was the feeling this couple had when they got in touch. They’d already taken a joint policy that would clear their mortgage and pay out a lump sum if either of them was diagnosed with a serious illness. The critical illness cover matched their salaries at the time, around £33,400 and they were paying £85 a month for it.

But life had moved on.

Both of their incomes had gone up, the mortgage was still sitting at £66,000, and they’d started to question whether the policy would really do enough if one of them became seriously ill.

They didn’t want to rip it all up and start again, and they weren’t looking to spend a fortune. They just wanted to know what a more suitable setup might look like.

Here’s what we did:
• Arranged individual policies instead of a joint one, each covering the full mortgage amount and each with their own critical illness cover
• Increased the payout for critical illness to match their current needs
• Used two different providers, which means if they were both diagnosed with a serious illness separately, both policies would pay out
• It also means the children’s critical illness benefit is doubled — something most people don’t even realise is possible

The new policies run for 10 years and offer significantly more protection during the time they’re likely to need it most. For the first 6 years, while their youngest child is still dependent and the mortgage is higher, they’ve got double the cover compared to what they had before.

Cost? £101 a month. Around £16 more than they were already paying, but the difference in what it covers is huge.

Sometimes it’s not about starting from scratch. It’s about upgrading what you’ve got to match the life you’re living now.

Want to see if your cover still fits your life? Let’s have a chat.

“I just want to make sure my mortgage is paid off if anything happens.”

That was the only reason this client had life insurance in place. No kids, no partner — she just wanted to make sure her property would pass to her parents debt-free if the worst happened.
She’d arranged cover herself: £256,000 of increasing life insurance, costing £11.57 a month.

Not bad on the surface — but when we looked at what she actually needed, there was a smarter way to do it.

For a similar monthly cost, we managed to:
• Set up life insurance to cover the mortgage directly, using a decreasing policy that reduces in line with her repayments
• Add income protection that would cover her essential bills for up to two years if she couldn’t work due to illness or injury

Total cost? £11.45 a month.

So not only is she still ticking the box of leaving her home mortgage-free to her parents if she dies, she’s now also got something in place that protects her while she’s alive.

It’s not just about what happens when you’re gone. It’s about how you’d cope if life throws something at you while you’re still here.

Got cover in place but not sure if it still fits your life? Let’s talk it through. You might be surprised what’s possible.

“I’ve already got sick pay through work, so I didn’t think I needed anything else.”

That was Christopher’s view when it came to income protection. His employer offers a decent group policy, if he’s off work long-term, he gets 66% of his gross salary paid after six months, for up to five years. It also lines up with his sick pay, so on the surface, it looked like a solid setup.

And it is. But we asked the next question, what about the missing third of your income?

Because 66% is great compared to most, but it’s still a drop if you’re used to taking home your full salary. Mortgage, bills, food, kids, life, they don’t drop to 66% just because your income does.

So we looked into something a bit more niche: a personal income protection policy that tops up his workplace benefit. A few insurers allow this, even if you already have cover through work, and we found a couple who were happy to offer it.

We set up a personal policy to fill in that shortfall — giving him the maximum top-up allowed on top of his employer benefit if he ends up off work.

Because most of the heavy lifting is already done by his workplace cover, the cost of this policy was minimal but the difference it could make to his monthly income is massive.