Protection Planning · Bath

Protection planning.

The right cover, sized properly, without the upsell. Life, critical illness and income protection, in plain English, for clients across Bath, Bristol and the South West. The least exciting part of a plan — and the one that matters most when it matters at all.

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the statutory sick pay a self-employed person receives if illness stops them earning. Income protection is the policy that fills that gap.
State benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance may be available, but they sit far below most working incomes.
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Protection is the part of a plan no one wants to think about. It’s also the only part that, on its worst day, does its entire job at once.

i. · What this includes

The right cover, sized properly.

Whole-of-market, with no upsell. Most clients need two or three of these, not all six.

i.

Income protection

The UK’s most under-used policy: a replacement income if illness or injury stops you working, paid until you recover or retire.

ii.

Life cover

Term and whole-of-life assurance, sized to clear the mortgage and keep your family’s life on track.

iii.

Critical illness cover

A lump sum on diagnosis of a serious condition, with severity-based options that can pay out earlier for less serious claims.

iv.

Family income benefit

Cover that pays a regular, tax-free income to your family rather than a single lump sum — often cheaper, and easier to live on.

v.

Business protection

Keyperson, shareholder and relevant life cover, so a business survives the loss of the people who run it.

vi.

Existing-cover review

A look at what you already pay for. Often the answer is to cancel and replace with better cover for less.

ii. · Who this is for

If any of these is you, it’s worth a look.

—Anyone with dependants or a mortgage
—Self-employed people with no sick pay
—Business partners and shareholders
—Recently married or starting a family
—Anyone whose income would be hard to replace
—People paying for old cover they’ve never reviewed
iii. · My approach

Cover that pays when it’s needed.

Whole-of-market access. Recommendations show why a particular insurer is right for your circumstances — never the one paying the highest commission.

The industry-wide numbers are better than most people expect. Across 2025, UK insurers paid 97.9% of individual protection claims, and £7.84 billion in total across individual and group cover — around £21.5 million a day, according to the Association of British Insurers.

The exception is worth knowing about. Income protection paid 79% of claims in the same year, well below life cover at 96.7%. That is not a reason to avoid it — it is the reason the definitions matter. Own-occupation cover, the right deferred period and an accurate application are what turn a policy into a payout.

The simplest test of a good protection plan: when something goes wrong, the family gets paid quickly, without arguments about the small print.

Everything else is detail. The job is cover that’s the right size, with the right insurer, that actually pays when it’s needed. It sits alongside the rest of the plan, not apart from it — life cover written in trust, for instance, keeps a payout outside your estate and away from inheritance tax, and cover that runs to the right age is part of retirement planning too.

— Andrew

iv. · Common questions

Protection, in plain English.

Life cover pays out if you die. Income protection pays a regular income if illness or injury stops you working. Most people have the first and not the second — yet for a working-age family, losing an income is the more likely event.
Often, yes. Employer sick pay usually runs out after a few months, and death-in-service rarely covers the whole need. The right cover fills the gap between what work provides and what your family would actually need.
Start from what would actually have to be replaced rather than a round number: the mortgage and any other debt, the years of income your household relies on, and the cost of childcare or care that a salary quietly pays for. Life cover is usually sized to clear the debt and fund the years until the children are independent. Income protection is normally capped by the insurer at a proportion of your earnings, so the real questions are how long you could manage before it starts and how long it keeps paying.
It depends on your age, health, smoker status, occupation, the income you want covered, how long you wait before it pays and how long it pays for. Choosing a longer deferred period — because you have savings or employer sick pay to bridge the gap — is usually the single biggest lever on premium. I will show you costed options side by side before you decide anything.
Usually, yes. UK insurers paid 97.9% of individual protection claims in 2025 according to the Association of British Insurers, though income protection was lower at 79%. Declined claims usually come down to the policy definitions or to something missed on the application. An honest, accurate application and the right definitions up front are exactly where advice earns its keep.
No. I size cover to your real need and no more, recommend on suitability rather than commission, and will tell you where you’re already covered or don’t need it at all.
Yes. Old policies are often overpriced, wrongly structured — not written in trust, for example — or no longer match your life. A review frequently means better cover for the same money, or less. Never cancel existing cover until the replacement is accepted and in force.

This page is general educational information about protection. It is not personal financial advice and does not take account of your individual circumstances.

Important. Protection policies typically have no cash-in value at any time; if you stop paying the premiums, cover will lapse. Terms, exclusions and definitions vary between insurers and policies, and cover is subject to acceptance and to the health and lifestyle information you provide. Claims figures quoted are industry-wide statistics published by the Association of British Insurers and are not a guarantee that any individual claim will be paid.

Andrew Daw is an Appointed Representative of Saltus Wealth Partnership Limited (FCA FRN 449607), trading as Duchy IFA. For UK residents only.

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Begin with a conversation.

A complimentary 30 minutes, by phone, video or in person in Bath. We’ll work out what would actually need replacing, and the right cover to do it — no upsell. No obligation, no pitch.

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