Opinion: Asking the right questions
According to Dun & Bradstreet, 45% of working New Zealanders could last only a month on their savings. I immediately thought that's a great answer - now what's the right question?
Thursday, July 23rd 2009, 10:43AM
by Russell Hutchinson
One that connects this with an insurable risk, of course. So ask a potential client: "If you were disabled tomorrow, how long would your savings last?" Too often we hear budget-based objections to insurance - when in fact insurance and savings are both on the same side.
Even for people that do have significant savings, they are usually earmarked for something else - that savings goal can often be seen as a competitor to a budget for insurance - but it should be seen as an ally.
"How much of your savings and investments would be left after a disability lasting six months?"
Quantifying the savings rate also provides valuable clues to the level of cover required - and it's an easy shortcut to the outcome of a detailed budget.
So, "How much do you save each month?" becomes a tool which tells you about how much cover they may need - and for most people we already know they save very little; they need every scrap of insurance they can get.
Credit restrictions are strangling budgets everywhere - but they also mean that whenever disaster strikes it cannot be ‘put on the house'. Knowing that we now ask a question which connects it to an insurable risk, "How much extra could you borrow if you were unable to work and needed cash to fill a gap in the family budget?"
Whatever the dismal statistical answer, there is sure to be a good question behind it that underlines the need for comprehensive personal insurance.
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