Category : Articles

ACC discounts to be discontinued

ACC discounts to be discontinued

From 1 April 2017, ACC are to discontinue their Workplace Safety Management Practice (WSMP), Workplace Safety Discount (WSD) and other workplace incentive products. ACC’s future focus will be on developing a new approach to helping New Zealand businesses create healthy and safe workplaces.

Why are they discontinuing WSMP and WSD?
The health and safety landscape has changed, with the new Health and Safety at Work Act and changes to ACC legislation. ACC’s review of incentive products found that they don’t significantly reduce injuries and injury claims. WSMP and WSD are over 16 and 10 years old respectively and is not delivering the results intended. They are administratively burdensome, inflexible and not tailored to businesses.

ACC understand that it is important that good health and safety performance is recognised through the levies that businesses pay, and are working on better ways to do that. They want to make some changes to how we encourage businesses to invest in health and safety improvements.

You can be involved in helping develop new approaches
ACC are going to work with businesses to create tailored and cost-effective options that support workplace safety, and will be seeking to engage with customers in the coming months as they design and test new interventions.

You can find out more and let them know what you think at www.shapeyouracc.co.nz/saferworkplaces

Partners Legacy Gift Plan

Partners Legacy Gift Plan

We are excited about the launch of a brand new product from Partners Life – The Partners Legacy Gift Plan – allowing you to make a meaningful contribution to your favourite charitable cause(s) when you pass away.

One of the key advantages of the Partners Legacy Gift Plan is the way it is designed and delivered, in conjunction with Perpetual Guardian, to give you control and certainty over your legacy. Included is a record of your wishes, held by Perpetual Guardian, which outlines your choice of charitable causes to benefit from the policy proceeds. The policy is uniquely designed to pay the amount you select directly to Perpetual Guardian’s charitable foundation in the event of your death, bypassing your Estate and guaranteeing that the claim proceeds will be delivered to the charitable cause of your choice.

A unique product that we think is very innovative.

Protecting Your Children – Kids Cover

Protecting Your Children – Kids Cover

As parents, we all want to protect our children as best we can. While there are many families who take out private health insurance for their children, the majority don’t think beyond that when it comes to insurance.

We understand that no one likes the thought of insuring their children, however our little ones can be affected by a terminal illness or serious accident. Imagine the financial burden this could have on a family – expensive medical treatments, costly medical equipment and the possibility of unpaid leave from work to care for the child.

Parents (or Grandparents and caregivers) can choose to take out insurance to provide the financial support in the event something unforeseen happens.

With premiums from as little as $4.00 per month the question you need to ask yourself is can you afford not to protect your children?

Outlined below are examples of the type of trauma and terminal illness cover available for children.

Trauma Cover
Trauma cover pays a lump sum if your child is affected by a serious illness or injury that is listed.

Policy benefits:

  • Cover amounts from $10,000
  • Your child will have the benefit of a new policy option when they turn 21 – so they can transfer their cover to an adult policy without the need for health assessment.

Terminal Illness Cover
Terminal Illness Cover provides a lump sum upon diagnosis of a terminal illness or a non-survivable accident.

Policy Benefits:

  • Protection up to a maximum of $500,000
  • Conversion to Life Cover for children between the ages of 10 and 19 to convert some or all of their Terminal Illness Cover to Life Cover without any further health assessment (certain conditions apply)
  • Automatic Funeral Support Benefit, which is payable in addition to the Terminal Illness Cover.

To get further information on insurance for children, please call us on 412 6363 or email info@rsl.net.nz

Protect the Key People in your Business

Protect the Key People in your Business

Key Person Insurance is an important part of business insurance. It provides protection in the event a business owner or key person within the business suffers from an illness or injury which prevents them from working,

Key Person Cover will pay a business an agreed monthly benefit for a set period to compensate for losses the business may incur, allowing the business time to recover and put in place appropriate measure to ensure it keeps running

How do you determine if you need Key Person Cover?
Look at your business and determine who is irreplaceable in the short-term. In many small to medium sized businesses, it is often one or two people who are the key revenue generators and if they are absent the business could cease to exist.

If you operate as a sole trader or the company employs just you, Key Person Cover can still be a very good alternative to mortgage and income protection.

How much Key Person Insurance do you need?
This is dependent on the business. You need to consider how much money the business would need to survive until it could replace the key person and enable the business to get back on track.

Some startling facts*:

  • In 2008, it was estimated that 1880 business ceased operation, partly due to the owner or a key staff member not been able to work
  • 4 out of 10 males and 6 our of 10 females are likely to be off work for 20-90 days due to an illness or accident before they reach 65
  • 35% of people injured take longer than 3 months to return to work

To get further information on Key Person Insurance and advice on what would be most suited to your business, please call us on 412 6363 or email info@rsl.net.nz

• Facts from OnePath

New Service – Generate KiwiSaver Scheme

New Service – Generate KiwiSaver Scheme

We’re delighted to be working with our preferred KiwiSaver Provider, Generate.

New Zealand owned and operated, Generate are specialists in their field, focusing solely on retirement savings. They were awarded Investment Provider of the year in 2015 and were the number one performing KiwiSaver Fund in the Growth Category for 2014 and 2015.

To learn more about KiwiSaver and the Generate KiwiSaver Scheme, please contact us or alternatively visit the Generate website

The fight against rising medical costs

The fight against rising medical costs

Insurers are fighting a losing battle when it comes to making a profit on medical insurance. This is reflective in the increased premiums year on year, making access to private healthcare increasingly difficult for many New Zealanders.

One insurer is addressing escalating medical costs by setting up an Affiliated Provider Network within New Zealand in order to minimise the impact on premiums.

This is a programme whereby they have pre-negotiated price agreements in place with medical providers to ensure no one is charging exorbitant prices. By joining this network, medical providers contribute to a simpler and more sustainable arrangement and in turn will be reflective in premiums.

We at Risk Solutions support this imitative and find it encouraging to see insurers actively trying to make premiums more affordable.

For further information on this programme or for health insurance in general, please contact us 412 6363 or email info@rsl.net.nz

Protect What Is Yours

Protect What Is Yours

As your family life cycle changes, so do your risks.

Many insurers now offer a Special Events Increase Benefit which is a key feature in ensuring that your cover has the capacity to grow with you.

It is important that your cover meets your current needs. If your circumstances change, please remember to contact us. You may need to increase your cover sum insured. This can often be arranged without further assessment (up to certain limits).

Examples of changes to your circumstances include:
• Marriage or civil union
• Divorce or legal separation
• Taking on full time care of a dependent / relative
• The birth or legal adoption of a child
• Increasing an existing residential mortgage
• Purchasing a new home
• Purchasing a new residential investment property
• Purchasing a holiday home
• Purchasing a bare block of land zoned as residential
• The commencement of a first course of full-time Tertiary Education by a dependent child of the life assured
• An increase in annual salary

Level Cover or Yearly Renewable or Both?

Level Cover or Yearly Renewable or Both?

During your life, your commitments and responsibilities will change. Therefore, it is important to ensure your Life, Trauma or Disability cover is flexible enough to accommodate these changes, yet provides some certainty.

With a Level Term policy, premiums will be more expensive to begin with, in time though you will enjoy an affordable premium that allows you to continue to afford your cover for when you need it most.

Most people’s needs increase through their 30s and 40s, with family and other commitments and then start to decrease as debts are paid off and family responsibilities lessen. This is important to consider when taking out any insurance policy.

Having a portion of Level Term cover can help keep the cost affordable for your long-term needs, such as providing for funeral cover or to provide a bequest. A combination of Level Term and Yearly Renewable Term can help provide flexibility and certainty.

With the right structure you can enjoy the best of both worlds. – Affordable premiums now and later on in life.

We are on hand to review your policies and can compare term premiums for all durations.

New Income Protection product on the market

New Income Protection product on the market

As premiums increase, insurance companies are continually looking at new and innovative products to bring to market. One recent addition is a new income protection product called “Workability” from Asteron Life.

Workability cover is a more affordable type of income protection insurance and is designed to help clients get back into the workforce if they sustain a serious illness or injury that is not already covered by ACC.

Workability Cover can also pay you a regular monthly benefit until you’re able to get back to work.

Key benefits:
•   Can cover up to 75% of income (following a waiting period)
•   Is around 25% cheaper than general income protection products prodcts
•   Provides support when ACC doesn’t

For more information and to see if Workability Cover is right for you, please give us a call on 09 412 6363 or email info@rsl.net.nz

 

Claims Assistance – We’re here to help!

Claims Assistance – We’re here to help!

At Risk Solutions we are all about Claims!

Claims really are the main reason we exist – the Insurances we advise on and place for our clients are really only the tools to facilitate potential future claims, therefore It is important to us that our clients receive the very best service when making a claim and we will do all we can to help in these situations.

When you’re making a claim it often means you are going through a difficult period and may need help. We are here to assist at every step of the claim process.

Here’s how we can help…

    • Provide the initial claim forms and information around what may be needed
    • Assist in gathering any other documentation that you may need
    • Submit all documentation to the Insurer on your behalf
    • Follow up with the Insurer regarding progress of claims
    • Liaise with the Insurer and translate any information or requirements for you
    • If the claim is accepted we ensure the correct amount is paid and into the correct account
    • Pursue review procedures for claims that are declined
    • If the review procedures fail then we can assist with alternative review measures

     

  • As you can see there are quite a few areas that we can assist in when it comes to claiming on your Insurance cover so please do let us know if you have any questions regarding a claim or potential claims…… we are here to help.