Russell Hutchinson looks at the government's proposed income insurance scheme and what it means for advisers.

If it hadn’t been for a cold call, this claimant would have received a tiny fraction of their claim.

Recently I wrote about the protection gap – for advisers, the issue isn’t that consumers are generally choosing no cover, although undoubtedly a few fish slip the net.

The protection gap is the preferred name for the difference between what a client should have and what they actually own.

In Australia, thousands of financial advisers have left the sector after new regulations have forced qualified advisers to take new exams and follow highly detailed and prescriptive requirements.

All the focus on Covid-19 has overshadowed the more mundane ways that hundreds of New Zealanders die each year.

Apparently 'hole in one' insurance is a thing. I didn’t realise until I helped sponsor an event a little while back where the organisers were offering $1 million if you hit a hole in one.

If you care about protecting policyholders, you should look at the current consultations being run by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

With a team of 10, seven full-time plus three part-time, we are now spread across our homes instead of having a nice central hub in which to gather.

Insurance is meant to indemnify – which means it is meant to make good a gap, but not create an advantage to the insured if they are paid out.

Right now there have never been fewer advisers serving so many consumers with the need for cover, or better cover, and I think the market has plenty of growth left in it.

Most of the mainstream news media delight in telling people about when an insurer declines a claim. They love it. Insurers are just moustache-twirling financial villains in their eyes.

Recently we have examined the question of vulnerable customers and the Human Rights Commission report on vulnerable people has been central to our thinking.

With the passage of the End of Life Choice Act and the referendum result a form of assisted dying is available in New Zealand.

Two claims stories caught my eye recently that illustrate a media view of insurance - with the honourable exception of this site and some other specialist industry media.