Nothing in life is more certain!

However, we wouldn't want any of our clients to worry about their health, be it treatments needed or not being able to get travel insurance.

Sometimes as people get older and Private Medical Insurance premiums inevitably go up, policies often end up being cancelled without talking to someone who can help. Often there is the option to self-insure for some treatments which are relatively cheap such as physio or mental health counselling, limiting your cover to the main life-threatening conditions that are expensive to treat. This reduces your premium but leaves you with core cover allowing you to be seen quickly if there is a serious problem.

You might decide you want to rely on the NHS and in many cases the treatment is timely and excellent. However, we know that is not always the case.

You might be in the lucky position of being wealthy enough to throw money at whatever problems occur, a fixed fee hip replacement with Bupa is approximately £10,000. Obviously prolonged treatment for cancer or heart conditions could be very costly. This could take a chunk out of your retirement savings or the inheritance you were planning on leaving.

There is a middle way alternative where you can mix and match, maybe with a larger excess on your policy. You can self-insure for less expensive procedures and consultations or use the NHS where treatment is available quickly. Then your insurance can kick in for more serious conditions.

Insurance generally can be more complicated as we progress through life. We find clients might not be able to get their usual travel insurance cover anymore and are restricted in the type of trips they can make. They might decide not to even travel abroad which is a great shame.

We work with a specialist insurer who can help us with:

• Private Medical Insurance
• Healthcare Cash Plans
• Specialist Travel Insurance
• Dental Plans

We liaise with them to source the right cover for you. This is a specialist area that Financial Planners tend not to get involved in because it can be complex and time-consuming. Our partners only work in this field and have great relationships with product providers. They can nearly always secure a better premium, even with your existing provider due to their better buying power. They can even get a quote from Lloyds of London if your holiday plans are really off-piste! Thinking of a trip with Virgin Galactic?!

We can recommend them as we have our FMB group policies with them as well as other firms we act for. They also work with individuals so we can all make use of their expertise, not just companies.

Talk to your Financial Planner at FMB if you would like us to review your healthcare policies and travel insurance.