Is it wise to take out multiple insurance policies?

Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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, updated on November 25th, 2021       

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You have already taken out a life insurance policy to protect your family financially when you are no longer there to do so. However, the thought of only having one cover doesn’t set easy with you and you would love to layer it with another policy. But are two or more covers better than one? Here are three things you need to know.

You can take out multiple policies

Taking out multiple policies if you already have life insurance is possible in Australia. Layering your policies can save you up to 30% or more on premiums. There are various combinations of policies that people take out to layer on top of their existing insurance policy. It is possible to add another life insurance policy from another insurer to increase the pay out towards your family. However, you need to be careful of not over insuring yourself as this can prevent your policies from fully paying you out but having some form of cover is better than none.

What other policy can you combine your life insurance with?

Some things just go better in two’s. Bundling up your policy with other life insurance covers can help your family while you are still living and once you have passed on. People usually combine their covers with income protection, Trauma cover, or TPD.

Income protection

Pays you out 75% of your income if you are forced to leave work due to falling sick or sustaining an injury.

Superannuation life insurance

Comes with cheaper premiums due to the fact that it is bought as a group cover. It comes with affordable features, but it only covers 20% of your life insurance needs. Some people choose to bundle this up with another life insurance policy from another provider.

Trauma Cover

Which is also known as Critical illness cover pays you out a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a specified medical condition. It can help you and your family cover any financial commitments and take care of your medical bills while you get better.

TPD:

If you become totally and permanently disable and you are unable to work again you would be paid a lump sum that ensures your financial stability continues.

Managing multiple policies

Having multiple policies can increase your cover and provide more financial security. However, taking out multiple covers with different insurers can be time-consuming and get difficult to manage over time. It is better to take out various policies under one insurer than to keep track of multiple policy payments with different insurers. You will also need to be financially prepared to manage these policies because defaulting on one means that you will not receive the payment that is due to you when you need it the most. Before you go and take out more than one insurance policy it is important that you speak to your current insurer. Read the fine print of your policy to see whether getting another policy will affect your current policy. Each insurer has their own rules when it comes to the eligibility and claims side of insurance.

Always find out what these are before applying. This will smoothen out the claims process so that your family can have peace of mind