Helping you keep your finances healthy!

You’ve got travel insurance, car insurance and contents cover – heck, even the goldfish is probably insured. So do you really need to buy life insurance as well? And if so, how do you know which is the right type for you?

Have you got life insurance?
 
If not you’re in the majority, according to new research that says a whopping 54% of UK adults don’t have protection in case they die.
 
We take a good look at what the point of having life insurance is – and how it works. And we also give you the lowdown on who needs it, who doesn’t and how to make sure you’re not spending more than you need to…

There’s a lot of scary figures around, suggesting that we’re heading for a double-dip recession in the housing market. But what do they really mean, and should we be worried? Or is it time to take a breath, have another look at the numbers and relax.

We take a look at the figures behind the headlines.

Life insurance is confusing, isn’t it? Not as straightforward as car or home insurance, it seems to come in more varieties and be all a bit bamboozling.
 
Now there’s an ASDA Over 50s life insurance advert on the TV, which promises you’ll “never pay more for cover than it’ll pay out, so I’ll never be out of pocket”. I’m not over 50 but I must say, the thought had never occurred to me. Is it possible to lose money on life insurance?
 
A friend of mine certainly thinks so. He’s convinced he’s lost money on life insurance and has now decided not to have any at all (a positive decision, not the usual apathy).
 
Then again, how many other ways are there to pay off your mortgage in one go, and get tens of thousands in a cash windfall? Surely it’s not always a waste of money?

Does your life today compare well with 40 years ago?
 
Do you think our parents and grandparents had it easier when it comes to housing, spending and quality of life? Or are we now reaping the benefit of four decades of social change?
 
The Office of National Statistics has just published its Social Trends 40 report, detailing how life in the UK has changed from 1970 to 2010. We’re more educated, longer-lived and more widely travelled, that’s for sure. But are we healthier, wealthier or happier? The report reveals some interesting, even if predictable, findings…

Do women undervalue the contribution they make to the household – or what it would cost to replace that work if they were critically ill or died? According to new research from insurance company Axa, the answer is yes. It found women were now more likely to be responsible for paying their family’s mortgage and bills, following a recession in which government figures show more men than women were made redundant…