What is a financial risk analysis?
Monday, 5 July 2010
What’s a financial risk analysis? Your independent financial adviser can talk you through a financial risk analysis, to help you identify where the risks are associated with your lifestyle and financial position. Read More...
Does your insurance protect you from the unexpected?
Monday, 21 June 2010
You just never know when the unexpected will strike. Dave* and Anne* had a full financial needs analysis conducted with their financial adviser at the beginning of June. The analysis highlighted that although they were doing extremely well financially, with both earning excellent salaries and their home nearly paid off, their financial plan would be derailed if they were unable to work or suffered a major event. Read More...
Making sound investment decisions
Monday, 7 June 2010
The collapse of a number of New Zealand finance companies generated a great amount of nervesness. A large number of mum and dad investers put their money with one or more of these companies that went out of business over the past 24 months. Read More...
Income Protection Insurance at a glance
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Your ability to earn an income is your most important asset – if disability prevents you from working you need to protect your earning power to meet your commitments and achieve your goals. This policy is a flexible IncomeProtection plan with a range of features and additional options to allow you to customise the product to suit your individual requirements.
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Insurance for the active
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
It's important to remember that leading an active lifestyle in later years can have excellent health benefits. However the danger is that if you suffer a traumatic condition as a result of a dangerous persuit, you may not be covered by your insurance cover. It is always wise to speak with your independent insurance advisor to check that you have the right cover for you.
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Level Term Insurance - what is it?
Friday, 23 April 2010
Imagine you could choose to fix the price you pay for petrol at $2.00 a litre for the next 30 years. It would cost you a bit more at the beginning, but eventually you should be paying less than the market rate. Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? Well, you can choose to do something similar with your insurance.
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Good insurance advice is priceless
Friday, 16 April 2010
Many people visit a financial adviser with an air of trepidation. Factors like cost of the consultation and the cost of the recommendations that will be made, make visiting a financial adviser comparable with a dental appointment. Read More...
Financial Game Plan - do you have one?
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Do you have a financial game plan? Not many professional sports teams go into a game without some sort of game plan. The game plan generally consists of ways to improve your team's advantages and decrease any disadvantages. You can do the same thing for your finances.Generally speaking the financial risks in life are.. Read More...
Claim Story: Life Care Cover
Friday, 12 February 2010
Benefits of Life Care come when needed the most. About three years ago, Lorraine* (who’s now in her mid 60s), found out she had colon cancer. Fortunately, her Life Care policy with Fidelity Life paid out a lump-sum payment as a result. Read more...
Konnect introduce new medical service
Friday, 22 January 2010
Doctors quick to take up new medical service.
Source: www.scoop.co.nz
A new New Zealand-developed service that radically saves doctors’ time in responding to insurer requests is being rapidly adopted, with more than 250 general practices signing on to use it in its first two months.
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Who needs income protection insurance?
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
The 2 most commonly asked questions about income protection are who needs it? and what does it do? To begin, one should consider the obvious which is that anyone who needs to earn an income to survive could use income protection cover to protect themselves. A key question to ask when considering whether you need it or not is...
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Trauma Cover - what is it?
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Most people would agree that heart surgeons seem to make more than the average wage. One may argue that unique and highly specialised skills should be well rewarded. However it seems that they have also thought about protecting it - and keeping wealth is an essential part of financial planning. Read more...
Before you repay the mortgage...
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
…you no doubt have probably asked yourself “Am I better to save (invest) or repay the mortgage?” The correct answer is “it depends”. The key factors are your income and debt level, amount of cash reserves, the interest rate you are getting on your investments or savings, the interest rate you are paying on your debt, and the inflation rate. Read more...
No Risk Investing
Friday, 20 November 2009
One of the greatest challenges for investors is finding investments that have a level of risk they are comfortable with. Given the choice most people seem to prefer the return OF their capital, rather than a return ON their capital. One could say they want “no risk” investments, and this presents a dilemma because there is really no such thing as a no-risk investment. Read more...
What are the odds?
Monday, 16 November 2009
Insurance is a basic component of everybody’s financial planning - even those who don’t think they are planning. But why? What’s the point? Insurance in any form is about 'risk transference'. When you consider your personal risks, what would be the personal impact of losing your assets?
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The benefits of a Will
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Where there is a Will, there is a way…of having your say. The number one objective for saving and investing is usually to ensure there is a degree of security or personal choices available later in life. Once you have what you need though, the emphasis then shifts to keeping it. Finally, thoughts turn to what to do with what’s left at the end of it all. This part of the thinking process is generally referred to as “estate planning”.
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Incoming regulation means changes for Financial Advisers
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
People used to run a mile when I told them I sold insurance. That was 23 years ago when I was starting out in my career, and I’m pleased to say the stigma attached to the industry has changed dramatically since. While the strong Kiwi DIY mentality used to see us favour making our own financial decisions, greater complexity and choice in financial products means that more than half of us now seek out expert advice.
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Tips: What are your nails telling you?
Friday, 30 October 2009
What can you tell by looking at your nails? What do the different blemishes, marks and irregularities tell us? Your nails have a way of indicating when you have a health condition. Most of the time marks and blemishes on your nails do not mean anything, but sometimes your nails can reveal something more serious.
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Tips: Reducing the risk of stroke
Thursday, 29 October 2009
The immediate impact of strokes can be overwhelming personal catastrophe for those who suffer them. People with a stroke have to suddenly cope with physical, psychological, emotional, social and financial consequences. Usually a stroke happens because of a combination of factors.
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Managed Funds 101 - what is it?
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
While there is a wide range of investment options available, there are two main ways you can invest your money - you can invest directly (for example in shares or property) or you can invest through a managed fund. This article examines why one would choose to invest through a managed fund.
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Claim Story: Mortgage Protection Insurance
Monday, 19 October 2009
In 2005, Rebecca Smith* and her partner were excitedly building their dream property on the out skirts of Christchurch. With a substantial mortgage and limited savings, Rebecca and her partner never thought that they would be in a position where one of them would not be able to contribute to the mortgage due to illness.
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NZ Superannuation - will you have enough to live on?
Friday, 9 October 2009
Congratulations - you are going to live longer! Stats confirm that 65-year old man can now expect to live until age 81 now, and a 65-year old woman until they are aged 84. According to the Retirement Commissioner this means that people need to find the money to live on for as many as 20 years after they have finished working. Read More...
Australian Superannuation - are you entitled?
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
If you now live in New Zealand and you have worked in Australia in the past, you may have contributed to the ASG (Australian Superannuation Guarantee). About AUD$15 billion of unclaimed superannuation savings are sitting in Australian holding funds. Up to 25% of these savings could belong to New Zealanders who have returned home.
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Insurance and Investments - What do you do...
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
when it all goes wrong? A hot topic over the last few years is what are the options for a customer “when things go wrong” with investments or insurance advice. Sometimes people wish to know their options…and sometimes people are sure that their only option is to talk to “Fair Go”. The reality is...
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Business Insurance - what is it good for?
Monday, 21 September 2009
Business Insurance gives your business the best chance of survival.Small businesses or businesses with 19 staff or less make up 97 % of New Zealand enterprises and account for 30% of total employment* - making New Zealand a nation of small businesses. Those statistics show that even if you don’t work for a small business, most likely a family member or friend will.
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How to spot a good Insurance Broker
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Earlier this year the NZ Herald wrote an article on how to tell whether or not you have a good insurance adviser. Some of the advice was common sense but they did make some other very valid points. As Insurance advisers who provide excellent service and quality advice, we urge our clients to take note of the following points:
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Financial Market Overview (Sept 2009)
Monday, 14 September 2009
Stimulus from governments around the world in late 2008 and in the first six months of this year has resulted in one of the strongest comebacks in global share markets of recent years. Opinions are divided on this apparent recovery, with one camp suggesting that there was very strong evidence of a turnaround while the other camp expressed scepticism over such evidence.
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Should you keep your insurance during a recession?
Earlier this year the NBR reported that the outlook for the New Zealand life insurance market had been revised but the outlook for the overall Asia-Pacific market was negative, reflecting the increasingly challenging operating environment that has been caused by a world wide recession.
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A day's work turns into tragedy
Case Study: Many New Zealanders have jobs involving an element of risk. Occupations including building, construction, transport and farming come with some dangers, which could be anything from machinery to weather conditions. About a year ago, farmer Simon Franklin* was fatally injured in a freak accident at work on the farm. The accident involved farm machinery.
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Product Spotlight - Family Income Benefit
Would your family’s standard of living be severely at risk if your were to die or become totally and permanently disabled? Many people make provision for a lump sum benefit if such an event was to occur. However, in the long term, lump sum benefits alone may not ensure your family’s wellbeing. Find out how you can protect your family's future?
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Insurance - how do you know what's best for you?
We all have different needs when it comes to insurance and savings. For those who looking to open their first insurance policy, even knowing what insurance products are available can be a learning experience in itself. Unless you are independently wealthy, everyone should consider insurance as a way of protecting yourself and supporting those around you if in the unlikely event something should happen.
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