Critical illness cover pays a one-off lump sum if you are diagnosed with a specified serious condition. Income protection pays a regular, tax-free income for any illness or injury that stops you working, for as long as needed within the policy term. They solve different problems, and many families benefit from both.

Yes. Premiums are based on your age, health and lifestyle when you apply, which is why cover is cheapest to arrange early. Existing policies keep their original premium basis, which is another reason not to cancel old cover without advice.

Often, yes. Death-in-service typically pays around four times salary, which may fall short of clearing a mortgage and supporting a family, and the cover ends when you leave the job. We treat it as part of your cover, not the whole answer.

Usually, yes. A policy in trust pays your beneficiaries directly, typically faster than probate, and the payout normally sits outside your estate for inheritance tax. It usually costs nothing to set up, and we include it in our advice as standard where appropriate.

Traditionally, assurance covered an event certain to happen (death, under a whole of life policy) while insurance covered an event that might happen (death within a set term). Today the terms are used interchangeably; what matters is choosing the right type of policy for your needs.

A common starting point is enough to clear your mortgage and debts plus a multiple of the income your family would lose, minus cover you already have such as death-in-service benefits. The right figure depends on your dependants, their ages and your existing savings, so we calculate it properly rather than guessing.