As parents, we want to see our children grow up happy, healthy, safe, secure and successful. The thought of not being there, and the effect that would have on them, is almost too distressing to think about. However regrettably, a parent of a child under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK, that’s more than 100 children that are bereaved of a parent every day.

Life insurance is one type of protection insurance policy that’s designed to pay out a lump sum when you die – usually either to clear debts, pay off your mortgage or to provide money for your family to live off. That’s why when you’ve made the decision to put insurance in place for the sake of your loved ones, you’ll want to make sure you get it right – right?

Understanding the difference between an advised and a non-advised service could be crucial to getting it right – but this is something few people are made aware of.

So, what’s the difference?

An ‘advised’ service means that your policy will have been recommended to you by an advisor who has explained why they feel the policy is best for you, after assessing your individual demands and needs. Your needs are assessed following a series of questions (called a fact find) which is completed by a trained professional. From this, recommendations are provided based on your individual circumstances.

Using an advised broker allows you to be sure that the protection insurance you are purchasing is going to cover your concerns. It means that you’ll know that you have the right level of cover in place for your needs. Authorised brokers have a duty to listen to your needs and offer suitable options, and you’ll get a follow-up report, detailing their recommendation and why they have made the recommendation for you. You’ll have the right level of cover, you won’t be under (or over) insured and there will be no nasty surprises if a claim is made in the future.

A ‘non-advised’ service means you are given information about the policy and the price, but the information is provided for you make a decision based on what you’ve read and think you need – and because the sales agent is not trained or authorised to give advice, they cannot make a recommendation for you. Plus, although you may be provided with information, the information can be limited, and agents can struggle to answer questions that might influence a decision; they are not allowed to offer any such advice and are not trained to do so.

If you go direct to an insurer to purchase your life insurance be mindful that the sales teams could be non-advised and will only give you information about policies they sell – often you won’t even have a range of options to compare.

At Essential Insurance, we are authorised to offer an advised service and we’re regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which means we must listen to your needs and consider several options before we make any personal recommendation. Not only will we tailor your insurance to meet your needs, we are responsible for ensuring the cover is suitable and that it is also the most cost-effective for your requirements.

We will talk you through all the benefits and features and make sure you know exactly what you are buying and why. Our advised service is free to our customers and by using Essential Insurance you will not only get the most suitable policy; we will get that policy at the best possible price we can for you.

Should you wish to review your existing protection policy, or you are thinking about your protection needs, why not call us on 0800 612 8005 to start your enquiry - we will be more than happy to give you our best advice and help you to get it right.