Yet a few days ago, I was drawn to a post on LinkedIn that highlighted an altogether different approach to demonstrating the benefits of protection insurance.
It was from Emma Astley, a director of insurance broker Cover My Bubble, who is determined to spread the word about the importance of financial protection cover. It related to Neil Grimes, a 31-year-old husband and father from Lancashire, who has stage four cancer and is terminally ill. On his own admission, he will be lucky to see out 2021.
Neil has no life cover, no critical illness or income replacement cover, so the financial future for his wife Ella is somewhat bleak. There is a mortgage to pay and a young child (a four-year-old boy Owen Lee) to bring up. Neil is no longer working and the family car has already been given up because they cannot afford the finance on it.
Yet Neil is determined not to leave this world quietly. He has taken to social media to tell people not to fall into the trap that he did – that is, push away the need for protection insurance on the grounds they are too young to ever be impacted by serious illness.
I spoke to Neil at length last week. I was instantly struck by his humility. "People are quite happy to purchase insurance for their mobile phone," he said, "but not when it comes to protecting their loved ones. If between now and my death I can help persuade more people, based on my difficult financial situation, to think of the comfort blanket that protection insurance provides a family with, I will feel as if I have done some good."
"Inspirational" is the word Cover My Bubble’s Astley uses to describe Neil’s determination to raise awareness about the importance of protection cover.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it triggered a spike in sales. We live in hope.
Jeff Prestridge is personal finance editor of the Mail on Sunday
