Protecting the plan
Financial Protection
Protection is not a product category. It is what keeps the plan you are already building from depending entirely on everything going right.
Take the 2-minute checkup
The idea
Protection protects the plan.
Every financial plan quietly assumes one thing: that income keeps arriving. Retirement contributions, mortgage payments, education savings and everyday life all sit on top of that assumption.
Protection is the part of planning that asks what happens to the rest of the plan if that assumption breaks.
The engine everything else runs on.
The people whose daily life depends on that income continuing.
Obligations that do not disappear when income does.
The contributions that stop the moment money gets tight.
Partners, loans or staff that depend on one person.
Savings that often get drained first in a crisis.
What you intended to leave behind.
Legacy & estateKnowing the answer before the question is asked.
What happens if…
Four scenarios worth thinking through once.
Job loss, disability or an unexpected leave. How long can the household run before savings or retirement accounts get used for living costs?
Beyond the loss itself, which bills, debts and goals were funded by that person's earnings?
Recovery can reduce income for months or years while costs rise at the same time.
One income, the same mortgage, and often reduced retirement benefits going forward.
High level only
Life insurance, in three sentences.
Term covers a defined period of years and is generally the simplest form. Permanent is designed to stay in force longer, subject to policy terms and funding, and certain types may build cash value. Final expense is generally a smaller permanent policy aimed at funeral and end-of-life costs.
That is deliberately brief. The deeper explanation belongs on its own page.
Income protection
Replacing income usually matters more than replacing debt.
A common instinct is to size coverage to the mortgage balance. It is a clear, satisfying number — and it usually understates the problem.
Paying off a house does not buy groceries, cover childcare, keep retirement contributions going, or fund an education goal that was still eight years away. Income does all of that. Debt is one line in a household budget; income funds every line.
Thinking in years of income rather than a lump sum often produces a very different answer to "how much?"
How much?
There is no universal number.
Anyone quoting a single multiple of salary as the right answer is skipping the part that matters. The figure depends on how these factors combine in your situation:
What would need replacing, and for how many years.
Who relies on that income and how long they will.
Obligations that would remain with the household.
Housing costs that continue regardless.
Commitments with a fixed deadline.
Assets already available to absorb part of the shortfall.
Coverage already in place, including through an employer.
How many years until the need naturally reduces.
The human side of protection
Built around what actually matters.
income they’d need to replace
what wouldn’t disappear with you
if the business depends on one person
what you want to leave behind
The right amount depends on your numbers, not a rule of thumb. Finn can point you to the conversation, not replace it.
Common mistakes
The four that come up most.
It is often a small multiple of salary and it generally ends when the job does.
The cheapest option is a good deal only if the amount and duration match the need.
A designation from a previous chapter of life can override current intentions.
Marriage, children, a new mortgage, divorce or a business change all move the number.
Questions to ask yourself
- If my income stopped tomorrow, how long could my household continue as it is?
- Is my coverage based on my actual responsibilities, or on a default employer election?
- Would my coverage follow me if I changed jobs?
- How many years of income would my family realistically need?
- Who is listed as beneficiary on each policy and account today?
- What has changed in my life since I last reviewed any of this?
Your next step
Review My Protection Gaps
Nine short questions, no account numbers, and a clearer view of what is and is not covered.