Any NZ Life Insurance or NZ Health Insurance is better than none at all, but purchasing direct from your bank, direct from an insurance company, or online will often result in you ending up with a policy that does address your requirements.
Information is king! If you want value for money then you will need to have information on all the various insurance contracts in the market. A couple of ways to go about this are; 1) DIY - make it your own special project to research and decide on the most appropriate product that matches your needs; 2) Give this job to an independent insurance adviser whose job it is to compile this information for you and then present you with the best options.
There are many downsides to obtaining insurances from the bank or directly via the web, for e.g. no real choice, potentially more expensive and arguably an inferior product, lack of expertise to guide you through the claims process - this is a point worth noting as having an independent advocate to state your case at claim time may make the difference between a payment and a non-payment.
An independent adviser’s job is to find a product that exactly, or very closely, matches your requirements. They will argue your case at claim time and be there to offer impartial advice. Insurance is a minefield of jargon and technicalities and it takes many years of relevant experience to ultimately end up with the best possible solution. Whilst it may be possible (with a lot of time and effort) to play this role yourself, it will invariably end up costing you.
A quality insurance adviser will work alongside you, utilising their experience and knowledge to offer you the best possible insurance solution for your stated needs. Ultimately the choice is always yours to make but the options presented to you by a good adviser should minimise greatly the effort required by you. In the event of a claim your adviser should be your greatest advocate and will once again bring their knowledge and experience to the table.
Make sure that you ask these questions of your adviser: 1) Do they partake in any sales incentives offered by the insurance companies they promote - if they do then it may be wise to steer clear of them as they true motives might not be in your best interests; 2) Do they make a significant percentage of their remuneration on the close of the sale as opposed to it being spread evenly throughout the lifetime of the policy - if they do then they might not care about you once the initial sale has been made. The remuneration of an adviser should be geared around the best outcome for the client. An adviser who does not participate in incentive offerings and takes a smaller but evenly spread lifetime commission is arguably more closely aligned with their client’s needs.
Insurance should not be a knee-jerk decision, take your time, ask for help, and seek the services of someone you can trust.
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