Protection advice in Cardiff & South Wales

Protection insurance pays out if something happens to you while the policy is running: you die, you're diagnosed with a serious illness the policy covers, or illness or injury stops you working. The money can help your household keep paying the mortgage and the bills.

It isn't a savings plan. Most policies have no cash value, and if you never claim, you don't get your payments back.

Not everyone needs every type of cover. If nobody relies on your income, nobody else would have to pay your debts, or you have enough savings or cover through work, you may need less cover, or none. You don't legally need life insurance to get a mortgage.

As with all insurance policies, conditions and exclusions will apply.

The cost of this insurance depends on several factors, such as your age, where you live and your occupation. As a result, the cost you will pay is based on your own circumstances.

1. 1

   A free initial call

   We talk through what you want the cover to do, and whether we're likely to be able to help.

2. 2

   Understanding your situation

   We ask about your household, income, spending, mortgage and debts, any cover you already have (including through work), and your budget.

3. 3

   Research

   We compare plans from the insurers we use: what they cover, exactly when they pay out, and what they cost.

4. 4

   Our recommendation in writing

   We explain what we recommend and why, what the policy won't cover, and the choices you need to make, such as how long the cover lasts.

5. 5

   Applying

   You answer the insurer's questions about your health, lifestyle and job. The insurer may ask your GP for a report or arrange a medical.

6. 6

   Trusts

   For life cover, we'll usually recommend putting the policy in trust, and we'll help you with the insurer's trust form.

7. 7

   Reviews

   Your needs change when you move home, have children or change jobs. We can look at your cover again when they do.

You'll deal with Phillip Wakeling-Smith, our Mortgage & Protection Adviser, from the first call to the application.

There's no reliable rule of thumb based on salary. It depends on your debts, what your household spends each month, what a partner earns, and any cover you already have, including through work.

We offer products from a carefully selected number of insurers to provide a fair analysis of the market for Income Protection, Critical Illness Insurance, and Life Assurance.

We don't charge you a fee for protection advice. If you take out a policy through us, we're paid commission by the insurer.

The fee on our fees page is for arranging a mortgage. It doesn't apply to protection.

If you already have cover, we can review it with you. Often the right answer is to keep it.

Replacing a policy isn't always in your interest. You'd answer health questions again, the price would be based on your age and health now, and the new policy might not cover things your current one does. We'd only recommend replacing cover if it's clearly better for you, and we'd explain in writing what you'd give up.

If you have cover through work, such as life cover (often called death-in-service) or sick pay, we take it into account. Cover through work usually stops if you leave the job.

If an insurer has turned you down, or offered cover on terms you couldn't accept, you can still talk to us. We'll look at the options with the insurers we use, and if we can't help, we'll tell you where else to look.