Save clients from 1980s retro-misery

ED STUART-BROWN, HEAD OF PROTECTION, FRIENDS PROVIDENT

ED STUART-BROWN, HEAD OF PROTECTION, FRIENDS PROVIDENT

Living on the breadline isn’t a phrase we associate with the lifestyle of most consumers today.

High performance cars are abundant on the streets, electronic gadgets fill our offices and homes and tanned bodies with gleaming white teeth grace our flat-screen televisions.

This is a far cry from the 1980s which saw the impact of mass unemployment, high inflation, inner city riots and the miners’ strike.

But this is how we like to spend our hard-earned cash today and I’m sure we’d all be reluctant to cut back on luxuries if money got tight.

Research shows that 65% of us would not be able to maintain our standard of living if we were unable to work and had to rely on state benefits. And some 81% of consumers say that they would not be able to survive on £65.45 a week.

But this is the reality since the welfare reforms of 2008 which made it harder for people to qualify for state support.

Latest statistics show that 39% of claimants are deemed fit for work, with a further 37% of claims being closed before assessments are even completed.

Clearly, there is more need than ever before for people to protect their financial security. With 73% of consumers unaware of the changes to state benefits there’s an opportunity for you to discuss the benefits of income protection.

Let’s not go back to the days of the Iron Lady. Help your clients safeguard their lifestyles and financial futures.

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