How much can I borrow

No one likes paying for insurance until they actually need to claim on it. It almost feels like you can get away with not having any, but life happens, and not having insurance can be a huge burden on your family if something happens to you, your income or your home itself. Let’s have a look at the options:

Buying your first home is a huge milestone, and you want to make sure that your investment is protected. This kind of insurance protects you if damage comes to your property, caused by fire or other unexpected events. It ensures that you can have your home rebuilt or repaired if the worst happens.

• Don’t underinsure – When investing in House Insurance, you must make sure that your insurance covers the full rebuild cost of your home. If you don’t, and the worst happens, you may not be able to afford to have your home repaired even after making a claim.
• Shop around – There are many house insurance providers who offer many different pros and cons, so make that you find the perfect one for your particular needs and budget.
• Don’t wait to get insurance – As soon as you can, you should ensure your home as a disaster can strike at any time, not only when it is convenient for you.

Not strictly to do with owning a home, but a useful option to look after your family and help with the mortgage if you are ever diagnosed with a terminal illness or die suddenly within the period set out by the policy. The terms and amounts are determined by which policy you take out with your provider so can decide how much your family can be paid to secure their futures if something ever happened to you.

As a general rule, the higher the excess, the lower the premiums when it comes to insurance. If you want/need to reduce your premium payments then choosing a high excess is a way to do it. Do remember though, that the excess you choose is the lump-sum amount that you have to be able to afford when it comes to making a claim.

If you become ill or injured, and are no longer able to work for an amount of time, Income Protection Insurance provides monthly payouts so that your bills, mortgage or rent are paid for. You can focus on getting better and not stress about how you will maintain your lifestyle financially. Depending on which provider you go with, there are many options to choose from to assist you financially during your recovery. These can include

• Reimbursement for additional childcare
• Cover suspension if you go on parental leave or unpaid leave
• Access to partial payments once you return to work
• Additional lump sum if an illness or injury leaves you permanently disabled
• Waiver of wait period if your disability returns within 6-12 months of going off claim
• A lump-sum payment towards modifying your home or buying specialised equipment to aid your recovery or accommodate a disability
• A Bed Confinement Benefit if you are forced into full-time care in a bed for more than 3 days during the waiting period.

Vocational assistance if you are unable to return to your previous line of work Different providers offer different benefits and different levels of support, some are more tailored to those who have dependents living with them so if that is a worry of yours, make sure you choose a provider that includes cover for your children’s’ expenses as well as your own.

Some Income Protection Insurance plans can have an optional Redundancy Benefit added on as well for extra peace of mind, so that if you are made redundant after you have had your cover for more than 6 months – you will be eligible for that Redundancy Benefit to be paid to you for a set amount of time so that you have time to secure new income.

This kind of insurance is an optional income protection add-on, which becomes useful in the event that you are made involuntarily redundant from your employment. It is used to make sure your bills, rent or mortgage continues getting paid for a period of time to give you the extra help you need while searching for new income.

Generally, Redundancy Insurance covers a maximum payment of $5,000 per month over a 6 month period, just enough time to secure new employment. There can be a misconception that Redundancy Insurance is automatically included in Income Protection Insurance, it is a separate insurance policy that must be added on to your plan – so make sure you know the full inclusive details before signing on the dotted line.

Things to be aware of with this kind of insurance

• Restructuring within your business organisation – It can be very hard to get paid out on a claim if your organisation has been ‘restructuring’ within the 6 months prior to you taking out a redundancy insurance policy. Read the small print carefully of your
  policy, and be wary of restructuring within a business as it is very common and can make your policy null and void when it comes to claiming.
• The 30 day wait period – Your policy may not kick in until the waiting period is over, which means you can’t get a payment made to you until 30 days after your redundancy is made effective. Be aware of what that may mean financially for you.

TPD Insurance is an optional add-on that is made available in conjunction with many plans across many providers. This particular insurance covers payments for a person who, as a result of illness or injury, suffers one of the following

• Loss of independent existence
• Loss of sight or limbs.
• Permanently unable to work

In the event that you become permanently disabled and unable to work, or partially disabled and unable to work, a non-taxable lump sum fee would be paid out to ease any financial strain as a result of these conditions. This cover is designed to be paid out if you are unable to work in your own occupation, not just any occupation that you may be able to perform.

People often consider permanent disability more horrific than death itself, as you may not be able to earn your own income and are still alive, which obviously means you still have financial outgoings in the way of food, housing, clothing, heating and medical bills. It is an extremely expensive and stressful way to live, and that is why TPD insurance exists. The age range for this benefit is between 16 and 55 (60 for certain occupations). Check with your insurance provider about the details of their particular TPD insurance terms and conditions.