Critical illness insurance pays out when one of the specified critical illnesses occurs. For example, following a heart attack, stroke, cancer or some other specifically defined critical illness.

Cover is for a set term, which may be equal to a mortgage term, or for when children have grown up, until retirement, or until another life stage milestone is achieved. It may be worth considering having one policy for a set term to cover the mortgage and another that will provide money to help provide for your different lifestyle if a serious illness happens.

Most people choose a lump sum to be paid out. There is the option of receiving the payout as a set income over the term remaining, which is often a lower-cost option.

This is insurance that pays the hospital or doctor for your treatment. It can include treatment in a private ward or getting seen earlier in an NHS ward. Some plans allow you to claim if you are not able to be seen by the NHS within a set period. Other plans may charge a little more and don’t have any relevance to NHS waiting times.

You are either medically checked and underwritten at the outset (so you know what you’re covered for and what you won’t be). Premiums are usually reviewable annually.

This provides income where you are ill or injured, and as a result your income through employment or your normal route stops.

It is designed to replace most of your net income.

Cover lasts for either a set term in whole years, or to a given age (typically your state retirement age). The amount you pay is called the premium. It can either be guaranteed not to change, or it can be reviewable. Reviewable cover normally changes based on the claims experience of the life assurance company.

This cover will pay out if death occurs and provides an income per year for the term remaining on the policy. For example, for a 20-year term, where the claim occurred after five years, there would be 15 annual payments made in total. Payments can paid out either monthly or annually.

The payments are not normally subject to income tax but may impact some state benefits.

This is cover that pays out on death. Some plans pay upon earlier confirmation of a terminal illness where the prognosis is death within 12 months. Proceeds can pay out as a lump sum or as annual amount for the remainder of the policy term.

Cover can last for a set term called Term Assurance, or can last throughout life, called Whole of Life.

The amount of cover can remain the same or increase/decrease annually. Level term assurance stays the same throughout. Decreasing cover is sometimes used to cover a reducing debt, such as a repayment mortgage and usually assumes a given interest rate. Provided your mortgage rates don’t exceed that rate, then the cover should reduce at around the same rate as the mortgage. The amount you pay is called the premium. It can either be guaranteed not to change, or it can be reviewable.

Reviewable cover normally changes based on the claims experience of the life assurance company.

Why Protection is Important

There are events we can all face that have the potential to disrupt lives, standards of living and families. It’s a difficult issue to think about but imagine the impact on you and your family should the main earner in your household die or become seriously ill. It may not happen to you – we hope it doesn’t – but it might.

While there is no insurance that can prevent these things from happening, you can protect yourself and your family financially by making money available, should something unexpected happen.

This money can be the difference between keeping and losing your home and maintaining your family’s lifestyle.

We all have goals, dreams and ambitions for the future, for ourselves and our families, but how do we achieve them?

Professional financial planning is the process which aims to help you realise your ambitions - whatever they may be. As professional financial advisers we can help you make informed decisions about your financial future, in the short, medium and long term.

You will almost certainly have goals of one kind or another - buying a home, starting a family, living abroad, perhaps retiring, but these have financial implications and leaving it to chance isn't an option. Careful planning helps to turn your goals into reality and the sooner you start your financial planning the greater your chance of realising them.

There are so many issues to consider when planning a financial future, so we've highlighted some key stages of a financial life to guide you.

At Positive Solutions we respect your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information.

WHO ARE WE?

Positive Solutions is a trading style of Quilter Financial Planning Solutions Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Quilter Financial Planning Solutions Limited is part of Quilter Financial Planning, which is part of the Quilter Group of Companies.

For further details on the companies in our group, please visit.

This Privacy Notice explains:

• Who we are
• What personal information we collect
• How we use your personal information
• Who we share your information with and why
• How we keep your information secure
• Your rights
• How to contact us

Positive Solutions provide financial planning solutions and advice through experienced and qualified advisers based in the UK.