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4 days ago | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Vicky Pearce |Momodou Musa Touray
Guardian has announced it paid £21.3m in claims payouts during 2024 across 238 life, terminal illness and critical illness claims. This is an increase of 40% more paid out compared to Guardian’s figures for 2023 and is in line with the challenger brand’s rate of sales growth during its early years of trading. The claims figures relate to products which have been in the market for five or more years.
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2 weeks ago | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Momodou Musa Touray |Vicky Pearce |Lucy Brown
Scottish Widows has partnered with insurance automation specialist Sprout.ai in a pilot project aimed at speeding up claims and underwriting using artificial intelligence (AI). The trial, which incorporates natural language processing (NLP), will focus on automating key parts of the claims journey by reducing processing times and simplifying complex medical documentation.
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2 weeks ago | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Lucy Brown |Vicky Pearce |Momodou Musa Touray |Alan Lakey
Many people today enjoy higher living standards than the wartime generation, but we are also facing a global health and wellbeing crisis. Modern lifestyles have contributed to a surge in chronic diseases that are responsible for 74% of all deaths worldwide, up from 61% in the last decade, according to the World Economic Forum. But 80% of those illnesses, which include heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, can be prevented with simple changes to everyday habits.
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2 weeks ago | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Momodou Musa Touray |Ian McKenna |ian mckenna |Vicky Pearce
Unum has acquired the renewal rights for Generali UK’s Group Risk employee benefits business, expanding its footprint in the UK workplace protection market. The deal also sees Unum join the global Generali Employee Benefits (GEB) Network, following a competitive selection process. The move will enable the two organisations to jointly offer UK employee benefits solutions to multinational employers.
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2 weeks ago | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Vicky Pearce |Momodou Musa Touray |Ian McKenna |ian mckenna
Only a few years ago, this article would have read very differently. Back in 2020, simply securing professional indemnity insurance (PI) was the focus for most firms, particularly those providing DB pension transfer advice. Now, the PI landscape has shifted. The market is softer and that opens up opportunities – not only to secure comprehensive cover, but also to reduce your premium.
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2 months ago | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Brian Byrnes |Dan Cooper |Momodou Musa Touray |Vicky Pearce
The Bank of England has opted for a “wait and see approach” after holding interest rates at 4.5% today (20 March). The bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted 8 to 1 in favour of the hold, with one dissenting member preferring to cut rates by 0.25% to 4.25%. Many analysts and advisers were expecting rates to be held prior to the announcement and said it came as little surprise.
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Sep 30, 2024 | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Vicky Pearce |Trevor Greetham |Rachael Griffin
Picture the scene. Mrs Smith, a longstanding client, has just announced she’s moving to Japan. What do you do? Wish her well and wave sayonara, or continue to manage her investments? I’m sure most of you will be wondering why on earth you would give up a successful relationship – but have you considered the implications of acting for someone residing outside the UK?
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Jul 19, 2024 | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Peter Bates |Vicky Pearce |Tony Wickenden |Salome Asabre
The investment environment is changing. The post‑global financial crisis era of low rates and abundant liquidity is being replaced by one of higher rates, greater divergence of returns and more volatile markets. We believe this period of transition will continue in the second half of 2024. Challenging market conditions will require investors to be more valuation‑sensitive than in recent times, when a rising tide lifted all boats.
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Jul 17, 2024 | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Dan Cooper |Vicky Pearce
Experts across the financial services sector have spoken of their “surprise” after details of a new Pensions Bill were included in the King’s Speech today (17 July). However, measures contained in the Bill represent “business as usual” for pensions policy, according to LCP partner and former pensions minister Steve Webb. Legislation in areas such as commercial superfunds or consolidation of micro pension pots comes after years of consultation under the Conservative administration.
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Jul 12, 2024 | 
moneymarketing.co.uk | Vicky Pearce |Andy Bell
Advisers need to teach their clients about the reasons behind the relationship they have with money, Institute for Financial Wellbeing founder Chris Budd has insisted. During a keynote speech at NextGen Planners’ Elements conference today (12 July), Budd spoke about the “set point of happiness theory”. This states that everyone has a standard level of happiness. That level may vary throughout the day, but in general, people have a standard level of happiness in their mood.
