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70% of people don’t know how they can protect their income
A global survey conducted by Zurich financial services found that 7 out of 10 people in the survey did not know how they could protect their income. Out of those respondents, 44% had already suffered a loss of income due to accident or illness.
Income protection comes is a policy that offers you up to 75% of your salary should you become ill, sustain an injury that prevents you from working, or become redundant. It helps maintain the lifestyle you had while you were working instead of suffering a loss of income because of unforeseeable events.
The survey by Zurich further showed that 1 in 5 people of the working population could survive less than a month without their income, which is more reason why you need adequate cover.
Australians remain underinsured
When it comes to taking care of factors that will affect our families and lives we tend to underinsure which is costing us in more ways than one. Data by Lifewise showed that 45% of Australians are underinsured by USD 728 million when it comes to income protection.
Furthermore, the survey by Zurich showed that despite the fact that 44% of Australians have experienced a loss of income due to sickness or accident only 27% had protected their income. Having adequate insurance can protect you from these curveballs that life throws at you.
Relying on your superannuation can have its shortfalls
Having a ‘we will be alright’ attitude is something that won’t work when it comes to protecting your income. With 95% of Australians lacking adequate income protection cover it’s important that you don’t be comfortable with a cover that you don’t fully understand.
Having income protection through your superannuation has helped many who have a tight budget, but still want to provide for their families. However, these policies generally have a limited benefit period and ill-defined policy definitions.
Superannuation’s offer a default policy that won’t be tailored towards your specific circumstance and the stage of life you are at. This can cause you to become underinsured.
Shop and compare for policies
Settling for the first policy that you come across will be doing yourself a huge injustice. If you are worried about the footwork that you need to do, you can use comparison sites that will give you quotes that match your needs. The important thing is that you shop around and compare before settling.
For peace of mind that you are adequately insured you can speak to an insurer who will help provide a quote that suits the stage of life that you and your circumstances. See if the features apply to what you are looking for and ask questions regarding the benefit period which is usually 2 to 5 years. The age limit of taking out an income protection policy is usually around 60 or 65.
Understand that not all insurance policies are created the same, but to get a clearer understanding you can enlist the help of a professional who will help you find you the best cover for your buck.
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This guide provides general information and does not consider your individual needs, finances or objectives. We do not make any recommendation or suggestion about which product is best for you based on your specific situation and we do not compare all companies in the market, or all products offered by all companies. It’s always important to consider whether professional financial, legal or taxation advice is appropriate for you before choosing or purchasing a financial product.
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Savvy does not compare all life insurance policies or providers currently operating in the market. Any advice presented above or on other pages is general in nature and doesn’t consider your personal or business objectives, needs or finances. It’s always important to consider whether advice is suitable for you before purchasing an insurance policy.
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