Ask people what their most valuable asset is and they will likely tell you it is their home. And should you probe further you will find they probably have their home well insured. Great! Chances are they will have life insurance too. And they definitely have car insurance!
The problem is that your house is not your most valuable asset.
So what is?
You are. Or, more accurately, your ability to earn is. What you will earn in the course of your working life will far exceed the value of your home. It is your income that pays the mortgage that keeps you in the home you love. And it also keeps you living in the manner to which you have become accustomed.
We notice and remember big dramatic events such as house fires or death of spouse and dutifully do our best to protect ourselves and those we love in such circumstances. However long term illness or disability can be less visible and, even when we know someone going through this, we may not think of the long term financial consequences.
This infographic starkly shows why it is time for New Zealanders to shift their understanding of risk management and insurance.
Insurance advice nz
So what sort of events can impact your ability to earn an income? It could be something small – for someone in a highly skilled job using their hands, such as a surgeon or dentist, a simple kitchen knife accident could be enough to stop them doing the job they are trained for.
Or it could be something big, like a heart attack or cancer. For people under the age of 65 these are the most common illnesses that impact their ability to earn an income. Surprisingly the average age for cancer diagnoses in New Zealand is 41, with one in three of us having some form of cancer before we are 65.
The treatment for cancer, and the after effects, can keep you from the workforce for long enough that the lack of income will become a worry. Long enough to lose your home in fact. Which is the last thing you need in an already stressful situation.
While you might be able to get three month mortgage repayment holiday from your bank, treatment and recovery can take a lot longer. And you need to take into consideration any other debt you may be paying off as well as your day to day utilities and living expenses.
If you’re thinking that this is pretty sobering stuff, the good news is that it’s really easy to protect yourself. Talk to one of our brokers today about your insurance policies, to make sure you have safeguarded your most valuable asset – your ability to earn an income.
