What are the chances?

You don’t need protection, do you? You’re still young, you’ve never had any drastic health concerns and you don’t even smoke – why would you bother putting money aside each month for something so overwhelmingly unlikely? Well, your optimism may be misplaced. The odds of you needing some form of cover during your working life may well shock you.

So, you’re in your 30’s and you’ve never had any serious problems with your health. Is it really worth paying out in case something was to happen to you? Well, the short answer is yes. Even for someone who has shown no previous signs of illness or injury, the chances of being unable to work for a prolonged period of time are still high.

Could it really happen to you?

For the most part, first-time home buyers are couples in their early 30’s, and the odds for either one having their income affected through illness, injury or death are surprisingly high. As an example, a couple who are both aged 30 have a 68% chance of being unable to work for two months or more. The same couple would be at a 34% risk of either of them suffering a serious illness and a 12% risk of either of them dying. The overall chances of any of the above happening to a couple are 76% - a frighteningly high possibility. Perhaps the scariest part is that these statistics are based off non-smokers and that the likelihood for any of these eventualities becoming reality for smokers is even higher.

Is it worth it?

Cost wise, it is impossible to offer an exact figure as there are simply too many variables. Having said that, it can be accurately assumed that for a couple in their early 30’s, it would cost less than a monthly takeaway to generously cover both individuals if anything were to happen until the day they retire. It may be surprising to know that most people are more likely to insure their pets than they are themselves. Obviously, the desire to ensure your pets are covered is an understandable one, but it is inconceivable that being able to cover vet bills is more important than avoiding severe financial difficulty for yourself or your loved ones if the worst were to happen. Critical illness cover, income protection and life insurance offer a blanket of security for anyone that has these policies, so that they can live their lives safe in the knowledge that if anything were to affect their ability to earn a living, they and their families would be supported. Of course, it could be that you never take advantage of any policy if you’re lucky – but it could be adequately argued that the sense of security that comes with these policies alone is worth the relatively small monthly fee.

If you’d like to discuss the options available to you, contact your adviser today.