Ok the title sounds harsh, doesn’t it? Let me explain what I mean.

Recently a lovely chap came in from Royal London Insurances to give what I thought was another sales pitch. But, in reality his story was a reality of what could happen should your family not be protected.

Rob came from a widow’s family.

His dad died suddenly at the age of 44, leaving my mum to bring up five children, he was just five years old at the time. His dad also left his mum something else – a huge financial nightmare.

Despite living very comfortably on his income when he was alive, after he died and his income was gone, his mum soon realised she had serious money problems.

The only life cover his parents had between them was enough to pay off the mortgage, that was it.

His mum’s only income was from the State and her only asset was the house as they hadn’t managed to save much and kids can’t eat bricks!

So began a rapid financial decline which continued well into his mum’s retirement; which was the last thing his dad would have wanted for them.

Rob’s mum had to sell the family home within a few years of his dad’s death and his childhood was characterised by her constant struggle for money.

Family holidays, private education, keeping up with our friends’ lifestyles – all of these things were impossible.

Why did this happen? It’s simple; nobody ever told his parents they needed to protect more than just the mortgage. They hadn’t considered what the financial consequences would be if one of them died too soon.

But it could have been worse. What would their life had been like if his dad hadn’t died that day? What if he’d been in an accident, or had a stroke and was left paralysed? What would life have looked like for them then?

They had not taken out critical illness cover or income protection. At least they had enough money from the life cover to pay the mortgage when his dad died. So, harsh though it may sound, from a purely financial perspective, he was ‘Better off dead’.

In a nutshell, the presentation left me with the urge to make sure my family is protected by ensuring I had the right cover in place to secure their lifestyle should the worst happen to me.

If you don’t have any cover or maybe want to improve it call our protection team on: 01925 906210.

Kristian Derrick – MD