The questions people ask before they are ready to ask for advice.
Plain-English guides that explain the moving parts, link to current sources and stay honest about what a general page cannot decide for you.
super
Cover in super vs your own policy: the honest comparison
Insurance through super or a policy in your own name? Neither is "better". Here's the honest side-by-side so you know which questions to ask.
explainerDid your super fund quietly switch off your insurance?
Rule changes between 2019 and 2021 switched off insurance on millions of inactive super accounts. Here's who was affected and how to check in five minutes.
explainerThe five most common myths about insurance in super
Super insurance runs on autopilot assumptions, and five of them are wrong. The myths about cover in super that catch the most Australians out.
explainerHow to find insurance in your super
Your super may include insurance. This quick walkthrough helps you find the cover, premium and terms before assuming default cover does every job.
explainerYour super fund may have just put insurance prices up. Here's how to check what you now pay
Several big super funds lifted insurance premiums in 2026. The cost comes out of your balance, so most people never notice. A five-minute check fixes that.
claims
Do life insurers actually pay out? We read APRA's numbers so you don't have to
The regulator publishes claim payout rates every year. Here's what they actually say about death, TPD, trauma and income protection claims.
explainerWhat "the fine print" actually means: five policy terms that decide claims
Waiting periods, definitions, exclusions, offsets and severity thresholds. Learn these five terms and insurance fine print stops being a mystery.
explainerWhat happens during a personal insurance claim?
A personal insurance claim involves policy wording, forms and supporting evidence. This guide explains the usual process without promising an outcome.
cross
The EOFY insurance questions everyone Googles in June
Every June the same insurance tax questions spike. The honest answers on deductions, benefits and super, plus the one habit that beats all of them.
explainerGoing out on your own: insurance questions when you leave a salary behind
Quitting a salary changes your cover in ways nobody mentions at the farewell drinks. What leaving employment can do to your insurance, and what to check first.
advisers notesWhat actually happens when you talk to an insurance adviser?
A first insurance conversation should make cover types, existing arrangements and next steps clearer. It is not a personal recommendation.
explainerPDS, TMD and FSG: which document should you read?
PDS, TMD and FSG are different documents. This guide explains what each one is for and why none replaces personal advice.
explainerInsurance jargon translated: the A–Z plain-English glossary
Twenty-something insurance terms, each translated into one to three plain sentences. Bookmark it, and the fine print stops winning.
explainerMental health and personal insurance: what's actually covered these days
How income protection, TPD and trauma cover treat mental health conditions, honestly and without sweeping claims. It comes down to the policy.
explainerNew mortgage, new baby, no plan: the cover questions that come with a big year
A mortgage and a baby change what insurance is for. The questions worth checking across life cover, TPD, trauma and income protection, in one honest read.
explainerThe four types of personal insurance, explained in plain English
Income protection, life, TPD and trauma cover have different claim triggers. This guide explains the plain-English difference and what depends on the policy.
explainerRenewal letter arrived and the price jumped. Your actual options
A premium jump feels like a decision demand. It isn't. Your three real options, understand, adjust, or talk it through, and the one move to avoid.
explainerThe 20-minute cover check-up
A cover review starts with the paperwork and what changed. This checklist helps you prepare for a useful conversation without a personal recommendation.
explainerWhy your premium creeps up every year (stepped vs level, explained)
Most insurance premiums rise annually by design, not stealth. Stepped vs level premium structures explained without the jargon or the dollar figures.
explainerThe 20-minute new-year cover check-up
A five-step January check-up for your insurance: what you hold, what it costs, what changed last year, and whether any of it needs a proper look.
explainerWhat happens if you stop paying your premiums?
Missed premiums don't end cover instantly, but the road from grace period to lapse is shorter than people think, and the way back may mean new underwriting.
life
How much life insurance do people actually take out? The method, not a magic number
There's no universal life insurance amount and anyone selling one is guessing. Here's the way of thinking people actually use to land on a figure.
explainerLife insurance when you're single with no kids: the honest answer
Maybe you don't need life cover, and an adviser should be able to say so. What actually matters when you're single, and the cover question worth asking instead.
explainerDo you need a medical exam for life insurance? What actually gets checked
Many life insurance applications involve health questions rather than an exam, but it depends. What underwriting looks at, and why honesty is the real test.
income protection
Is income protection tax deductible? Usually. Here's the catch
Income protection premiums are generally deductible outside super, but the benefits are generally taxed as income. The full picture, in plain English.
explainerIf your body is your business: the cover questions tradies keep running into
No sick leave, no desk to retreat to, one body carrying the whole income. The insurance questions tradies and self-employed workers actually face.
explainerWaiting periods explained: the sick-leave maths most people get wrong
The waiting period decides when income protection starts paying, and what you pay for the privilege. Here's how to think about it properly.
tpd
Own occupation vs any occupation: the two words that decide a TPD claim
Two nearly identical phrases, two very different claim outcomes. What own occupation and any occupation actually mean in a TPD policy.
explainerCan you claim TPD for mental health? It comes down to two definitions
Mental health conditions can be the basis of a TPD claim. What decides the outcome is the policy definition and the evidence. A steady walkthrough.
trauma
Trauma, critical illness, recovery insurance: three names, one product
Trauma, critical illness and recovery insurance are the same cover type wearing different labels. What actually matters is the list inside the policy.
explainerTrauma vs TPD: same aisle, different job
Trauma and TPD both pay lump sums, so people mix them up constantly. The claim triggers are completely different. Here's the plain-English split.