Insurance Archives -

Working daze?

I think SARS started it all with their 21 working day turnaround times for things like “verification of supporting documents”. Or 30 working days turnaround for disputes! And they claim to be “at your service”? Unfortunately, it hasn’t taken long for some of the dinosaurs of the financial services industry to follow their example.

The great funeral-cover rip-off: Part Two

A short while back, we wrote about what we see as the iniquitous selling of funeral policies to the poor and vulnerable. It’s our view that there’s a significantly better way to do it through the use of a properly underwritten whole-of-life policy.

It’s often the little things that matter…

One of the “compulsory” forms of insurance that people with bonds have to have is Home Owners Insurance (HOI). This is insurance that covers the cost of replacing the building if it is destroyed through things like fire and floods. Usually the bank that provides the bond also very kindly arranges this insurance and the …

A gilded cage is not the answer, Liberty and Discovery

I remember, just after 9/11, listening to Clem Sunter speak about the choices that America had in response to the events that had just unfolded. Essentially, they had two choices, and the choice they made would define their future.

The great South African funeral-cover rip-off!

Can someone explain to me why funeral insurance is so expensive? It has got to be one of the biggest rip-offs and forms of institutionalised abuse of South Africans. I did some shopping around online

Simply…too expensive!

I got quite excited about the new insurance start-up, Simply, that I read about on Moneyweb recently https://www.moneyweb.co.za/mybusiness/fintech-start-up-targets-insurance-mass-market/ . Cover in the direct market and for “lower income” earners has been too expensive for too long. They also promise that the application process will be quick and simple. So welcome, Simply!

At Liberty to do what they like?

It seems that Liberty Life have decided that they can do what they like and ignore written instructions from their clients. They appear to have adopted a policy of sending policy information requested by a non-servicing advisor, on behalf of a client and with the client’s written consent, to the client and not to the …

The real advantage of knowing…

Liberty Life is currently running a radio ad about their income replacement product. Income replacement is an essential part of managing your financial risk and for any self-employed person it is almost essential cover. However, not all income replacement cover is created equal and it is essential that before you buy this kind of cover …

Stop wasting money…

If you have a bond on your property, please make sure that you are not paying the home owners’ insurance premium via your bond account. The banks are very quick to set this up for you because it is good for them as the premium will never be rejected but the reality is that you …

You should be ashamed of yourselves, Liberty Life

I just came across a client who has been sold a decreasing life annuity by someone representing Liberty Life. Yes, I know that there is no such thing (officially) as a decreasing life annuity (no one would buy it if there was) but this is effectively what a non-escalating life annuity is. You have condemned …

The Financial Coach