The Practical Protection Podcast

Kathryn Knowles

When you set out to get things like life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection, many people do not think that they are going to hit any snags along the way. But! Insurance is a world of risk and there are times that a persons circumstances will make insurers sit back and have an extra think about offering the insurance. Why?! This podcast is designed to answer that why. Kathryn Knowles is joined by guests to bring a clear and open chat about how insurance works. Kathryn brings her experience as a "quirky" life and the voice of the consumer to the discussion. She does this alongside her work as a specialist adviser, who is known for insuring the uninsurable.

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  1. Joint Life Second Death vs Single Life Insurance

    EPISODE 1

    Joint Life Second Death vs Single Life Insurance

    Hi everyone, we are back after the lovely summer of 2025. One thing I love about the insurance world is how you can never know everything, there is always so much more to understand and consider. I have a few episodes coming up that have been in the background of my mind for a while. I like to make sure that I have seen things from all angles before I bring it to you. For the first episode of Season 11 I am taking you some things to consider for joint life second death versus single life cover. You might be thinking, hang on what is Kathryn on about, those types of policies are for different things. It is a unique set of circumstances that I am talking through, but still very important to know. When I was recording this I realised that what I’m covering is really quite technical and I jump about a bit, between different areas. I’m sorry! There was no way to easily avoid it.  The key takeaways: Joint life second death policies with a notional decline, cost the same as a single life policyPros and cons of a single life policy being arranged instead of JLSDA case study example of costing for a JLSD policy and JLSD with a notional decline I’ve also got some exciting news for the podcast, exciting to me anyway. My eldest son Theodore turns 14 soon and is going to start working for me. So all things podcast related including your CPD certificates will soon be done by him. Next time Alan will be back with me and we will be chatting through arranging protection insurance when you have coeliac disease. There has been some changes when it comes to underwriting that we will be going through. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.

    21 min
  2. Coeliac Disease

    EPISODE 2

    Coeliac Disease

    Hi everyone, Alan is back with me and this time we are focusing on coeliac disease. A lot of people think of gluten when they hear coeliac disease and have a feeling that all it means is don’t eat bread, pasta, etc. But, it can be much more than that when it comes to underwriting. A lot of the time coeliac disease is not a concern to insurers looking at life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection. However there are quite a few things you should check with your client about the condition, before you assume that their insurance applications will be accepted at standard terms. The key takeaways: Approximately 1 in every 100 people are coeliac and it is estimated that around 500,000 people are undiagnosed in the UKWhilst it is not common, coeliac disease can increase the risk of other medical conditions such as bowel cancerThree case studies of arranging protection insurance for people living with coeliac disease Next time I am going to be focusing upon critical illness cover being written into Trust. There are some specific technicalities at the point of the claim that are worth knowing, so that you can properly advise your clients about placing the cover into Trust or not. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.

    25 min
  3. Critical Illness Cover in Trust

    EPISODE 3

    Critical Illness Cover in Trust

    Hi everyone, I am taking another focus on Trusts this week. This time I am looking specifically at critical illness cover, as there are some potential issues that could be faced for vulnerable clients, including people who are experiencing economic abuse. There is a huge drive in our industry to place policies into Trust. It’s the kind of thing where I might potentially do a compliance fail with my team if a policy hasn’t been put in Trust where there’s a really simple online system to do so. (I know, I’m a battle-axe!) But, they are really so important and there are not many occasions when a Trust isn’t relevant or easy to do. However, there’s an emerging problem with critical illness policies placed into Trust. The key takeaways: To make a claim on a critical illness policy, all trustees must sign the claim formA critical illness policy placed within a Trust could be a vehicle for an abusive Trustee to prevent a client from receiving vital financial supportInsurers are aware of this issue, but there are no ways to improve the process, with current Trust formats Next time, Alan will be back with me and we are going to be going through protection insurance options for people living with cystic fibrosis. If you have tried to get cover for clients in the past with cystic fibrosis, you’ve probably seen how difficult it can be. We’re going to be taking you through the different options that you can consider. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.

    21 min
  4. Cystic Fibrosis

    EPISODE 4

    Cystic Fibrosis

    Hi everyone, Alan is joining me again to give us all insights into arranging protection insurance for someone living with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a condition that can be difficult to insure for life insurance. Historically, the life expectancy of a person living with cystic fibrosis has been much lower than average, which means that insurers see it as quite a high risk for a claim. The good news is that modern medicine has now significantly improved the outlook and half of people living with CF are now likely to live to at least the age of 56. Unfortunately standard routes for personal critical illness cover and income protection are not currently available. The absolutely best way to be covered by these insurances is through group cover through an employer, but even then there can still be some technicalities that can cause an issue at point of claim. The key takeaways: Approximately 11,000 are affected by cystic fibrosis in the UK and 1 in 25 people carry the gene without knowing itThe median age for people living with cystic fibrosis that died in 2022, was the age of 33.Three case studies of arranging life insurance for people living with cystic fibrosis. Next time I am going to be talking about the FCA’s recent protection insurance paper and my interpretation of what this means for our industry going forward. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors NextGen Planners.

    29 min
  5. FCA Protection Paper

    EPISODE 5

    FCA Protection Paper

    Hi everyone, I have been taking at look at the recent paper from the FCA, that has been written to give an initial view of how the industry works, the players in it, potential consumers and outcomes from accessing insurance. Overall I think the paper was really well written and gave an accurate portrayal of the industry. It was clearly written and not too long, so I would recommend giving it a read if you can. I’m not a data lover, but, they did have some stats in the paper that really stood out and I think are brilliant examples of how intermediaries are in this space. The key takeaways: In 2023 individual protection insurance claims totalled £4.85 billion.97% of income protection sales are advised, we’re doing an amazing job!Key focuses of the review are going to be ensuring effective competition, addressing the protection gap for vulnerable consumers, assessing influence of distribution channels on consumer outcomes, and reviewing commission and broking practices. Next time Alan is going to be back with me and we are going to be talking about arranging protection insurance for people living with neurofibromatosis. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.

    39 min
  6. Neurofibromatosis

    EPISODE 6

    Neurofibromatosis

    Hi everyone, we are talking about neurofibromatosis, a rare condition that causes tumours to develop in the body. The tumours are not usually cancerous, but it is still a condition that can lead insurers to take an extra look at the insurance application. There are three types of neurofibromatosis and each of them are reviewed by the insurers on a case by case basis, as the symptoms and affect on a person’s life can vary so greatly. The key takeaways: Neurofibromatosis can cause difficulties for the skin, nerves, heart, bone development, balance, hearing and more.Neurofibromatosis can lead to other conditions such as epilepsy, scoliosis, deafness and vision loss.Two case studies of arranging life insurance for people living with neurofibromatosis. This is our final episode of 2025 and I hope that you all have a lovely festive period and come back in 2026 feeling super refreshed and ready to learn more about protection insurance. . Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.

    27 min
  7. Weight Loss Drugs

    EPISODE 7

    Weight Loss Drugs

    Hi everyone, we are back and talking about the use of weight loss drugs and getting protection insurance. Millions of people in the UK are now taking drugs like mounjaro and ozempic, to help them reach a healthy weight. Health professionals and insurers have said for many years that having a higher BMI isn’t healthy and can lead to long-term health complications. Weight loss drugs are proving to be a highly effective way for people to lose weight, which is generally seen as a good thing. But, there are side effects to taking the drugs too and at the moment there is very little long-term data to know what this may mean for someone 5, 10, 15 or 20 years down the line. The key takeaways: The use of weight loss drugs is showing very positive results from short-term dataThere is not enough long-term data around the use of mounjaro, ozempic, or other weight loss drugs, for insurers to completely understand client risksTwo case studies of arranging life insurance for people who are taking or have taken mounjaro It has been a super intense start to the year, we were caught in the snow and school snow days have certainly had an impact on my timings. At this moment I’m not sure what the next episode will be covering but make sure to tune it as I will be bringing you even more protection insurance insights. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.

    36 min
  8. Vulnerable Clients

    EPISODE 8

    Vulnerable Clients

    Hi, everyone! As I am sure you can imagine I am always looking for ideas about what to cover in the podcast. We’ve done lots on health conditions, I’ve done deep dives into insurance products, commented on market developments, but I was absolutely shocked to realise I have not done a specific episode of vulnerable clients. Most of you probably recognise my name as a specialist protection insurance adviser and really specifically someone that helps people with higher health risks. I’ve often spoken about the needs of vulnerable clients and been involved in multiple industry events for this topic. I’ve even won an award or two. So it seems silly that I have not covered this before and I am going to make sure that I give you as many tips as I can during the episode. The key takeaways: Examples of common vulnerabilitiesGuidance on how to build a vulnerable client registerWays to support your clients and your employees/colleagues when discussing vulnerable situations Vulnerability is very subjective and it can also change over time. Sometimes people can think, well we’ve never come across this before and we will just handle it if it happens. Which you can do, but it is much easier if you have a clear structured process in place. Your clients and your colleagues will thank you for it. Next time Alan Knowles will be back with me and we will be deep diving into fatty liver disease. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.

    44 min
  9. FCA Protection Market Study

    EPISODE 9

    FCA Protection Market Study

    Hi, everyone! I have ended up out of sequence! Last time I said we would be back with an episode on fatty liver disease, but the FCA has published its Protection Market Interim Report, and I absolutely had to cover this. The good news is that the FCA thinks that the protection industry is working really well, it just needs a couple of tweaks. Overall, I am really happy with what the report says, but there are some areas I don’t agree with and you can hear my views in this episode. I am going through their review of insurance costs, claims, complaints, the role of commissions, restricted panels, loaded premiums and more. The key takeaways: Within pure protection products, income protection has the lowest value in terms of cost compared to claims success, but is still much higher than other insurancesLoaded premiums, commission and restricted panels have been analysed and shown to not show significant detriment to consumersClosing the Protection Gap remains one of the key challenges for the protection insurance industry There are a lot of insights in the report and it is well worth a read. I’ve tried to pick out certain pages to direct you to, in case you don’t fancy the full thing, it is 47 pages. Next time Alan will be back with me and we will be covering how fatty liver disease and protection insurance work. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors PlannerX.

    40 min
See All Season 11 (9)

About

When you set out to get things like life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection, many people do not think that they are going to hit any snags along the way. But! Insurance is a world of risk and there are times that a persons circumstances will make insurers sit back and have an extra think about offering the insurance. Why?! This podcast is designed to answer that why. Kathryn Knowles is joined by guests to bring a clear and open chat about how insurance works. Kathryn brings her experience as a "quirky" life and the voice of the consumer to the discussion. She does this alongside her work as a specialist adviser, who is known for insuring the uninsurable.

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