The Practical Protection Podcast

Epizode

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  Income Protection Claim - Parkinsons 10.09.2026 27min

  Hi everybody, I am back from the summer holidays and feeling quite sad to have finished my first ever cruise. I was a bit paranoid as I have always been quick to feel motion sickness, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was ok, albeit with some pretty strong anti-sickness medication!In this episode I am speaking with Andi, who was diagnosed with Parkinsons. She shares how the condition has altered her life and the impact that having income protection has had over the past couple of years.The key takeaways:Andi shares the different symptoms that she started to experience when she was diagnosed with Parkinsons, things that are not what many would typically expect of the condition and that some of her symptoms were masked by HRT and attributed to menopauseAndi talks about how she has adapted her life over time, to be able to carry on cycling, supporting Parkinsons UK and volunteering, whilst managing how her symptoms and tiredness changes each dayAndi discusses how having an income protection policy enabled her to carry on working to some degree for as long as possible, and come to terms with the “bereavement” of her life pre ParkinsonsWe are getting back into the swing of things after the summer holidays and the kids going back to school, so keep an eye out for new episodes coming out for the rest of the year. I’m planning on a good mix of underwriting insights and industry commentary, so hopefully a nice range of CPD for you.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Dementia 23.07.2026 33min

  Hi, everybody, Alan is back with me and we are discussing arranging protection insurance for someone living with dementia. The very first thing that you need to do, in my opinion, is to consider the person as vulnerable, with partners and children being classed as potentially vulnerable. The next step is to check with your compliance and any other oversight, to determine what you are and are not allowed to advise on in this situation.Dementia will at some stage have a huge impact on a person and their loved ones and it’s important that you are keenly aware of the need to safeguard this person. Even if a lasting power of attorney is in place so that others can act on their behalf, you need to always go back to basics - what is the insurable need here?The key takeaways:1 in 3 people will experience dementiaThere can potentially be underwritten life insurance options, but you are likely to see a term cap of 5 yearsMost life insurance options will either exclude pre-existing conditions for the length of the policy, or for an initial moratorium periodI am now taking a break for summer of 2026. Three boys, 7 weeks of school holidays, wish me luck! I will see you in September.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  THE Best Insurer 09.07.2026 1h 5min

  Hi, everybody, I changed my mind and I’ve not done a medical deep dive and instead focused upon who is the ultimate insurer. Sadly, there isn’t one. Our lives would be so much easier if there was…In this episode I have discussed the things that different insurers offer, that stand out to me. So this is my opinion, based upon my experience of when a client has explained their circumstances and I have gone ‘ooooh, Insurer X will be perfect’. I’m not going into underwriting or every single thing that makes an insurer unique, it’s just an overview of key parts of their products and services that make them a good choice for your client.The key takeaways:Key titbits of 19 insurers offering protection insurance in the UKThere are a lot of insurers and most of them have developed at least one unique product, or service, to support a client nicheInsights into different life insurance, critical illness and income protection productsAlan will be back with me next time for a deep dive into a medical condition and how it’s underwritten for protection insurance. I keep saying that he will and then I get excited by another idea and put him off! We are always happy to take your suggestions on what to cover so please feel free to fire over any areas that you would like us to go into.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Think Outside the Box 25.06.2026 50min

  Hi, everybody, instead of doing a health deep dive, Alan had the great idea of doing an episode on being imaginative with client recommendations. There are lots of ways to build protection recommendations, a lot of the time it’s straightforward, but sometimes getting creative is necessary. I would like to make sure I’m clear that being creative must still be compliance approved!In this episode I am giving you insights into the following areas and some examples of the insurances that are set up this way.The key takeaways:Decreasing term insurance vs family income benefitWays to address delays with GPs and medicalsSplitting critical illness across multiple providersJoint Life Second Death vs Single Life policiesLife of another cover for non-UK residentsLayering income protection policiesInsurance solutions for gift planningAlan will be back with me next time for a deep dive into a medical condition and how it’s underwritten for protection insurance. We are always happy to take your suggestions on what to cover so please feel free to fire over any areas that you would like us to go into.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Underdisclosure 11.06.2026 50min

  Hi, everybody, it’s the start of Season 12 and I’m focusing on underdisclosure in protection insurance. Also known as misrepresentation or non-disclosure, this is a situation that everyone wants to avoid. Underdisclosure might not change the terms of insurance, but, it can lead to prices or sum assureds changing, and in the worst case a policy being cancelled from inception.The key takeaways:Non-disclosure is seen as innocent, negligent or deliberateIt can be tricky sometimes to remember everything in your medical history that the insurer wants to know, so accessing your medical records before applying for cover can be a big helpExamples of insurance questions in protection insurance where we see underdisclosureAlan will be back with me next time for a deep dive into a medical condition and how it’s underwritten for protection insurance. We are always happy to take your suggestions on what to cover so please feel free to fire over any areas that you would like us to go into.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Overdisclosure 28.05.2026 34min

  Hi, everybody, we are on the last episode of Season 11 and I’m focusing on overdisclosure. There is a lot of discussion in our industry about underdisclosure or non-disclosure, but not a lot of focus is put on the times when people tell insurers too much.It is essential that you answer insurance applications truthfully and to the best of your knowledge, but you don’t need to volunteer information that the insurer doesn’t ask for. It’s one of the reasons why people can be a bit nervous about iGPRs as it does give the insurer a lot more information than they are generally asking for. Insurers are meant to ignore information that is not relevant to the questions that they ask, but that isn’t always the case.The key takeaways:The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 means that consumers need to be careful to not misrepresent themselves to insurers, but also explicitly states that consumers do not need to volunteer information to insurers that isn’t asked forInsurance for commercial customers works differently as they do not have the protection of CIDRA 2012Examples of insurance questions in protection insurance that can lead to both over and underdisclosureDo you have anything that you want me to cover in Season 12? I will be back soon with deep dives into underwriting and industry insights. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Fatty Liver Disease 14.05.2026 31min

  Hi, everybody, we have Alan back for the first time in a while and he is chatting to us about fatty liver disease. The options for life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection can vary quite a bit, depending upon the cause of the fatty liver and the stage that it is at. The good news is that the liver has a brilliant capacity to heal itself, so there can often be options for insurance.Alcohol consumption will be a key factor in the options for your clients. Where the fatty liver disease is caused by alcohol consumption, it’s very likely that mainstream providers in the UK will not offer insurance if the person is still drinking. You can develop a fatty liver for different reasons and in these cases you don’t necessarily have to be teetotal, but underwriters will be cautious if alcohol is still had regularly or at a higher level.The key takeaways:It is estimated that at least 1 in 5 people have fatty liver disease and that 31 people pass each day in the UK, due to liver diseaseThe questions you need to ask clients to be able to do underwriting researchTwo case studies of arranging life insurance for people with fatty liver diseaseThank you for listening, it’s nice to be getting back to normal with the podcast and other areas. I am not completely sure what I am going to cover in the next episode, I shall see what takes my fancy in the next two weeks!Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  The Value of Lasting Power of Attorneys 30.04.2026 42min

  Hi, everybody, it's been a while. I’ve been away from the podcast for a bit as my mum died in February. It has not been an easy time and I have tried to carry on as usual, as much as possible, but I think we can call agree that the podcast was an area that could take a pause.I’m starting to get back into the swing of things and it feels right that the first episode of the podcast is focused upon Lasting Powers of Attorney. I am not an expert in this area, but I am sharing what my personal experience was of having these in place for both of my parents, when tragedy struck.The key takeaways:A health LPA was invaluable when my mum was in critical condition, but there are limits to use for my dad who has Parkinsons and Dementia and is still deemed to have capacityA financial LPA was invaluable for both of my parents and has, in our situation, been easier to enforce than the health LPAHaving the LPAs in place meant that I could quickly take over my parent’s affairs and whilst going through one of the most horrible experiences of my life, I could make sure that my mum passed in a comfortable environment and ensure my dad received the care that he needs. They helped an unbearable situation, to be a bit more bearable.This episode is my personal story, it is not advice. However, I do wholeheartedly advocate that everyone at least consider the merits of putting LPAs in place.Next time Alan will be back with me and we will be covering how fatty liver disease and protection insurance work.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  FCA Protection Market Study 19.02.2026 39min

  Hi, everyone! I have ended up out of sequence! Last time I said we would be back with an episode on fatty liver disease, but the FCA has published its Protection Market Interim Report, and I absolutely had to cover this.The good news is that the FCA thinks that the protection industry is working really well, it just needs a couple of tweaks. Overall, I am really happy with what the report says, but there are some areas I don’t agree with and you can hear my views in this episode. I am going through their review of insurance costs, claims, complaints, the role of commissions, restricted panels, loaded premiums and more.The key takeaways:Within pure protection products, income protection has the lowest value in terms of cost compared to claims success, but is still much higher than other insurancesLoaded premiums, commission and restricted panels have been analysed and shown to not show significant detriment to consumersClosing the Protection Gap remains one of the key challenges for the protection insurance industryThere are a lot of insights in the report and it is well worth a read. I’ve tried to pick out certain pages to direct you to, in case you don’t fancy the full thing, it is 47 pages.Next time Alan will be back with me and we will be covering how fatty liver disease and protection insurance work.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Vulnerable Clients 05.02.2026 43min

  Hi, everyone! As I am sure you can imagine I am always looking for ideas about what to cover in the podcast. We’ve done lots on health conditions, I’ve done deep dives into insurance products, commented on market developments, but I was absolutely shocked to realise I have not done a specific episode of vulnerable clients.Most of you probably recognise my name as a specialist protection insurance adviser and really specifically someone that helps people with higher health risks. I’ve often spoken about the needs of vulnerable clients and been involved in multiple industry events for this topic. I’ve even won an award or two.So it seems silly that I have not covered this before and I am going to make sure that I give you as many tips as I can during the episode.The key takeaways:Examples of common vulnerabilitiesGuidance on how to build a vulnerable client registerWays to support your clients and your employees/colleagues when discussing vulnerable situationsVulnerability is very subjective and it can also change over time. Sometimes people can think, well we’ve never come across this before and we will just handle it if it happens. Which you can do, but it is much easier if you have a clear structured process in place. Your clients and your colleagues will thank you for it.Next time Alan Knowles will be back with me and we will be deep diving into fatty liver disease.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Weight Loss Drugs 22.01.2026 36min

  Hi everyone, we are back and talking about the use of weight loss drugs and getting protection insurance. Millions of people in the UK are now taking drugs like mounjaro and ozempic, to help them reach a healthy weight.Health professionals and insurers have said for many years that having a higher BMI isn’t healthy and can lead to long-term health complications. Weight loss drugs are proving to be a highly effective way for people to lose weight, which is generally seen as a good thing. But, there are side effects to taking the drugs too and at the moment there is very little long-term data to know what this may mean for someone 5, 10, 15 or 20 years down the line.The key takeaways:The use of weight loss drugs is showing very positive results from short-term dataThere is not enough long-term data around the use of mounjaro, ozempic, or other weight loss drugs, for insurers to completely understand client risksTwo case studies of arranging life insurance for people who are taking or have taken mounjaroIt has been a super intense start to the year, we were caught in the snow and school snow days have certainly had an impact on my timings. At this moment I’m not sure what the next episode will be covering but make sure to tune it as I will be bringing you even more protection insurance insights.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Neurofibromatosis 11.12.2025 26min

  Hi everyone, we are talking about neurofibromatosis, a rare condition that causes tumours to develop in the body. The tumours are not usually cancerous, but it is still a condition that can lead insurers to take an extra look at the insurance application. There are three types of neurofibromatosis and each of them are reviewed by the insurers on a case by case basis, as the symptoms and affect on a person’s life can vary so greatly.The key takeaways:Neurofibromatosis can cause difficulties for the skin, nerves, heart, bone development, balance, hearing and more.Neurofibromatosis can lead to other conditions such as epilepsy, scoliosis, deafness and vision loss.Two case studies of arranging life insurance for people living with neurofibromatosis.This is our final episode of 2025 and I hope that you all have a lovely festive period and come back in 2026 feeling super refreshed and ready to learn more about protection insurance. .Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  FCA Protection Paper 27.11.2025 38min

  Hi everyone, I have been taking at look at the recent paper from the FCA, that has been written to give an initial view of how the industry works, the players in it, potential consumers and outcomes from accessing insurance.Overall I think the paper was really well written and gave an accurate portrayal of the industry. It was clearly written and not too long, so I would recommend giving it a read if you can. I’m not a data lover, but, they did have some stats in the paper that really stood out and I think are brilliant examples of how intermediaries are in this space.The key takeaways:In 2023 individual protection insurance claims totalled £4.85 billion.97% of income protection sales are advised, we’re doing an amazing job!Key focuses of the review are going to be ensuring effective competition, addressing the protection gap for vulnerable consumers, assessing influence of distribution channels on consumer outcomes, and reviewing commission and broking practices.Next time Alan is going to be back with me and we are going to be talking about arranging protection insurance for people living with neurofibromatosis.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.
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  Cystic Fibrosis 13.11.2025 28min

  Hi everyone, Alan is joining me again to give us all insights into arranging protection insurance for someone living with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a condition that can be difficult to insure for life insurance. Historically, the life expectancy of a person living with cystic fibrosis has been much lower than average, which means that insurers see it as quite a high risk for a claim. The good news is that modern medicine has now significantly improved the outlook and half of people living with CF are now likely to live to at least the age of 56.Unfortunately standard routes for personal critical illness cover and income protection are not currently available. The absolutely best way to be covered by these insurances is through group cover through an employer, but even then there can still be some technicalities that can cause an issue at point of claim.The key takeaways:Approximately 11,000 are affected by cystic fibrosis in the UK and 1 in 25 people carry the gene without knowing itThe median age for people living with cystic fibrosis that died in 2022, was the age of 33.Three case studies of arranging life insurance for people living with cystic fibrosis.Next time I am going to be talking about the FCA’s recent protection insurance paper and my interpretation of what this means for our industry going forward.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.
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  Critical Illness Cover in Trust 23.10.2025 20min

  Hi everyone, I am taking another focus on Trusts this week. This time I am looking specifically at critical illness cover, as there are some potential issues that could be faced for vulnerable clients, including people who are experiencing economic abuse.There is a huge drive in our industry to place policies into Trust. It’s the kind of thing where I might potentially do a compliance fail with my team if a policy hasn’t been put in Trust where there’s a really simple online system to do so. (I know, I’m a battle-axe!) But, they are really so important and there are not many occasions when a Trust isn’t relevant or easy to do.However, there’s an emerging problem with critical illness policies placed into Trust.The key takeaways:To make a claim on a critical illness policy, all trustees must sign the claim formA critical illness policy placed within a Trust could be a vehicle for an abusive Trustee to prevent a client from receiving vital financial supportInsurers are aware of this issue, but there are no ways to improve the process, with current Trust formatsNext time, Alan will be back with me and we are going to be going through protection insurance options for people living with cystic fibrosis. If you have tried to get cover for clients in the past with cystic fibrosis, you’ve probably seen how difficult it can be. We’re going to be taking you through the different options that you can consider.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.
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  Coeliac Disease 09.10.2025 24min

  Hi everyone, Alan is back with me and this time we are focusing on coeliac disease. A lot of people think of gluten when they hear coeliac disease and have a feeling that all it means is don’t eat bread, pasta, etc. But, it can be much more than that when it comes to underwriting.A lot of the time coeliac disease is not a concern to insurers looking at life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection. However there are quite a few things you should check with your client about the condition, before you assume that their insurance applications will be accepted at standard terms.The key takeaways:Approximately 1 in every 100 people are coeliac and it is estimated that around 500,000 people are undiagnosed in the UKWhilst it is not common, coeliac disease can increase the risk of other medical conditions such as bowel cancerThree case studies of arranging protection insurance for people living with coeliac diseaseNext time I am going to be focusing upon critical illness cover being written into Trust. There are some specific technicalities at the point of the claim that are worth knowing, so that you can properly advise your clients about placing the cover into Trust or not.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.
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  Joint Life Second Death vs Single Life Insurance 18.09.2025 21min

  Hi everyone, we are back after the lovely summer of 2025. One thing I love about the insurance world is how you can never know everything, there is always so much more to understand and consider. I have a few episodes coming up that have been in the background of my mind for a while. I like to make sure that I have seen things from all angles before I bring it to you.For the first episode of Season 11 I am taking you some things to consider for joint life second death versus single life cover. You might be thinking, hang on what is Kathryn on about, those types of policies are for different things. It is a unique set of circumstances that I am talking through, but still very important to know.When I was recording this I realised that what I’m covering is really quite technical and I jump about a bit, between different areas. I’m sorry! There was no way to easily avoid it. The key takeaways:Joint life second death policies with a notional decline, cost the same as a single life policyPros and cons of a single life policy being arranged instead of JLSDA case study example of costing for a JLSD policy and JLSD with a notional declineI’ve also got some exciting news for the podcast, exciting to me anyway. My eldest son Theodore turns 14 soon and is going to start working for me. So all things podcast related including your CPD certificates will soon be done by him.Next time Alan will be back with me and we will be chatting through arranging protection insurance when you have coeliac disease. There has been some changes when it comes to underwriting that we will be going through.Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.
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  Bowel Cancer and Me 10.07.2025 31min

  Hi everyone, we are closing off season 10 with a very personal episode, with Phil Jeynes joining me to talk about his experience of being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Last time Kate Baldry gave us brilliant insights into bowel cancer data and how out of all the claims she had looked at, no-one had anything in their own health or family medical history, that placed them at a higher risk of developing bowel cancer. Or no specific definite patterns that are currently being seen.Phil shares with us that this was his experience too. Prior to his diagnosis Phil had none of the traditional things in his life that would make him stand out as someone that might develop bowel cancer. It was a huge shock to him and his family, and Phil talks about what it felt like to go receive his diagnosis, treatment and how he is now.The key takeaways:Even if you don’t fit the usual checklist of someone that is at risk of bowel cancer, if you experience any symptoms it’s always best to see your doctor, just in caseIt can take a while for your body to recover from bowel cancer and Phil is still working on this 2 years laterPrivate medical insurance can work alongside NHS services to get you the diagnosis and treatment you need, as soon as possibleThis is the last episode of season 10 and there will be a little break while the summer holidays are with us. Do you have anything that you would like to see covered in Season 11? Get in touch and let me know!  Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.
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  Early Onset Colo-Rectal Cancer 26.06.2025 54min

  Hi everyone, I have Kate Baldry joining me today to share her insights into early onset colo-rectal cancer, a diagnosis that is happening more and more. As a Research and Development Underwriter at Hannover Re, Kate has incredible access and insight to claims and health data. Kate has been spending time analysing the increasing rate of bowel cancer diagnoses and any trends that could be causing this.It was particularly interesting for me as Kate shares that some of the patterns that they have seen are due to people being tall, healthy BMI and having their gallbladder removed - I hit all three of these! The main takeaway that I have from our chat is that whilst these factors might contribute to bowel cancer diagnosis, at the moment it is still very much an unknown. There are a lot of theories but no definitive reason as to why bowel cancer diagnoses are increasing.The key takeaways:Early onset bowel cancer is when there is a diagnosis before the age of 50Deep dives into claims have shown that many claimants had no family history of bowel cancer or other disclosures related to digestive health The TNM score of the bowel cancer diagnosis is essential in determining what the options for protection insurance will beNext time I will be joined by Phil Jeynes, who will be sharing with us his story of a bowel cancer diagnosis and what life has been like for him since.  Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.
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  AI and Insurance 12.06.2025 42min

  Hi everyone, Lisa Balboa is back and she is sharing her insights into how AI is helping insurance across the world. I am quite a reluctant AI enthusiast as I’m always nervous it means less people involved in decisions, but Lisa brilliantly explains how AI is working alongside people to improve access to insurance and better claims experiences. With insights from Australia, China, South Africa and America, Lisa shares different approaches to insurance outside of the UK market. The key takeaways:AI can be used to proactively look through medical records of declined applications, to see if the ‘computer says no’ has been too harshAI can be develop and grow over time, so that it can make more automated decisions, freeing up underwriters to focus on the more complex cases AI can play a fundamental role in preventative healthcare by spotting early changes in health Next time I will be joined by Kate Baldry, Research and development underwriter at Hannover Re, talking about her insights into colo-rectal cancer.  Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.