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Topic · Page 3

Personal risk & life insurance

How life, trauma, income protection, TPD and mortgage cover actually work in New Zealand — what each one pays, where the wording matters, and how the pieces fit together for a household.

Who Should Own Your Life Insurance Policy in NZ? (2026 Ownership and Beneficiary Guide)

Personal Risk · 23 May 2026

Who Should Own Your Life Insurance Policy in NZ? (2026 Ownership and Beneficiary Guide)

Who legally owns a life policy decides who controls it and where the payout lands. Here is how self-ownership, cross-ownership and nominated…

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How Life Insurance Underwriting Works in NZ (2026): From Application to Decision

Personal Risk · 10 Apr 2026

How Life Insurance Underwriting Works in NZ (2026): From Application to Decision

Underwriting is how a NZ insurer decides whether to offer you cover, on what terms, and at what price. Here is what insurers ask, when they …

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Locum Cover for NZ Health and Trade Professionals: How It Works

Personal Risk · 20 Mar 2025

Locum Cover for NZ Health and Trade Professionals: How It Works

If you run a solo practice, locum cover funds a replacement so revenue keeps flowing while you recover. Here is how it works in NZ, and how …

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Will Mental Health Affect Your Life or Income Insurance Application in NZ? (2026)

Personal Risk · 6 Feb 2026

Will Mental Health Affect Your Life or Income Insurance Application in NZ? (2026)

Anxiety, depression or counselling on your record? Here is how NZ insurers underwrite a mental-health history, why severity and recency matt…

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Mortgage Repayment Cover vs Income Protection in NZ (2026): The Difference That Matters at Claim Time

Personal Risk · 27 May 2026

Mortgage Repayment Cover vs Income Protection in NZ (2026): The Difference That Matters at Claim Time

The bank's mortgage repayment cover protects the loan. Full income protection protects your income. Here is how they differ on benefit basis…

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Mortgage Repayment Insurance vs Income Protection in NZ 2026: The Difference at Claim Time

Personal Risk · 15 Nov 2025

Mortgage Repayment Insurance vs Income Protection in NZ 2026: The Difference at Claim Time

Mortgage repayment insurance and income protection both pay when you cannot work, but they are calculated differently and pay different amou…

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Income Protection for the Self-Employed New Parent in NZ: Protecting a New Baby and a New Business (2025)

Personal Risk · 16 Mar 2025

Income Protection for the Self-Employed New Parent in NZ: Protecting a New Baby and a New Business (2025)

Starting a family and a business at once stacks two financial risks on top of each other. Here is how income protection, ACC, parental leave…

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The Real Cost of a New Baby in NZ and the Cover New Parents Need

Personal Risk · 16 Aug 2025

The Real Cost of a New Baby in NZ and the Cover New Parents Need

What a new baby actually costs in the first year, how paid parental leave leaves an income gap, and the life, income and KiwiSaver moves new…

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Non-Disclosure and Life Insurance Claims in NZ (2026): What You Must Tell the Insurer

Personal Risk · 7 Jun 2026

Non-Disclosure and Life Insurance Claims in NZ (2026): What You Must Tell the Insurer

Most NZ life insurance claims are paid. The ones that aren't are usually declined for non-disclosure — something left off the application. H…

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The Non-Pharmac Drug Gap NZ 2026: How Trauma and Health Cover Fund Cancer Treatment You'd Otherwise Pay For

Personal Risk · 22 Apr 2026

The Non-Pharmac Drug Gap NZ 2026: How Trauma and Health Cover Fund Cancer Treatment You'd Otherwise Pay For

Some cancer drugs aren't Pharmac-funded, and the bill can top $100,000 a year. Here is how health plans and trauma cover fund treatment NZ w…

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Off Work Due to Illness, Not Injury: What Actually Pays Your Income in NZ (2026)

Personal Risk · 22 Apr 2026

Off Work Due to Illness, Not Injury: What Actually Pays Your Income in NZ (2026)

ACC covers accidents, not illness — yet illness causes most long-term absences. Here is how fast NZ households run out after sick leave, and…

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Pre-Existing Conditions and Life Insurance NZ (2026): Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, BMI and More

Personal Risk · 15 Feb 2026

Pre-Existing Conditions and Life Insurance NZ (2026): Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, BMI and More

Diabetes, high blood pressure or a high BMI rarely mean no cover — they usually mean a loading, an exclusion, or a different insurer. Here i…

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Protect Your New Mortgage NZ 2026: Life, Income or Mortgage Protection First?

Personal Risk · 12 May 2026

Protect Your New Mortgage NZ 2026: Life, Income or Mortgage Protection First?

Just bought your first home? Protect your income first, then your debt, then lump sums. The order of priority for a brand-new, stretched fir…

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Protecting a Mortgage on a Single Income in NZ 2026: Cover When One Earner Carries the Loan

Personal Risk · 17 Oct 2025

Protecting a Mortgage on a Single Income in NZ 2026: Cover When One Earner Carries the Loan

When one wage services the mortgage, the household has no second income to fall back on. Here is how to think about life and income cover on…

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Redundancy Cover in NZ 2026: Does It Actually Exist, and What Will It Really Pay?

Personal Risk · 13 Oct 2025

Redundancy Cover in NZ 2026: Does It Actually Exist, and What Will It Really Pay?

Standalone redundancy insurance is rare in NZ, and income protection generally excludes redundancy. Here is what redundancy cover actually p…

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Total vs Partial Disability in Income Protection NZ (2026): How Returning to Work Part-Time Pays

Personal Risk · 7 Jan 2025

Total vs Partial Disability in Income Protection NZ (2026): How Returning to Work Part-Time Pays

Total disability cover only pays when you cannot work at all. Partial (proportionate) cover pays when you ease back part-time — here is how …

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TPD Insurance in NZ (2026): Own-Occupation vs Any-Occupation and How Claims Are Decided

Personal Risk · 30 Apr 2026

TPD Insurance in NZ (2026): Own-Occupation vs Any-Occupation and How Claims Are Decided

Own-occupation vs any-occupation TPD in NZ — which definition is harder to claim under, why one costs more, how a TPD claim is actually asse…

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How to Read Your ACC Levy Invoice as a Self-Employed Kiwi (NZ)

Personal Risk · 2 Feb 2025

How to Read Your ACC Levy Invoice as a Self-Employed Kiwi (NZ)

Got an ACC invoice and not sure what half of it means? Here is a line-by-line walkthrough of the Work, Earners' and Working Safer levies, th…

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Why a Personal Risk Review Matters in NZ Right Now

Personal Risk · 12 Nov 2025

Why a Personal Risk Review Matters in NZ Right Now

With most New Zealanders still struggling with the cost of living, there will never be a better time to review your Personal Risk Covers. A …

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Why Income Insurance Matters More Than You Think

Personal Risk · 27 May 2024

Why Income Insurance Matters More Than You Think

Ask yourself a simple question: what is your biggest asset, your house or your earning potential? For most people, the house feels obvious b…

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Trauma Cover and Personal Insurance, why the numbers matter in real life

Personal Risk · 27 Mar 2024

Trauma Cover and Personal Insurance, why the numbers matter in real life

Trauma cover is designed to pay a lump sum if you suffer one of the serious medical events covered by your policy, such as cancer, a heart a…

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