The Practical Protection Podcast

Hosted by Kathryn Knowles

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155

Latest episode

Jul 2026

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About the show

When you set out to get things like life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection, many people do not think that they are going to hit any snags along the way. But! Insurance is a world of risk and there are times that a persons circumstances will make insurers sit back and have an extra think about offering the insurance. Why?! This podcast is designed to answer that why. Kathryn Knowles is joined by guests to bring a clear and open chat about how insurance works. Kathryn brings her experience as a "quirky" life and the voice of the consumer to the discussion. She does this alongside her work as a specialist adviser, who is known for insuring the uninsurable.

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60 recent

July 23, 202633 min

Dementia

Hi, everybody, Alan is back with me and we are discussing arranging protection insurance for someone living with dementia. The very first thing that you need to do, in my opinion, is to consider the person as vulnerable, with partners and children being classed as potentially vulnerable. The next step is to check with your compliance and any other oversight, to determine what you are and are not allowed to advise on in this situation. Dementia will at some stage have a huge impact on a person and their loved ones and it’s important that you are keenly aware of the need to safeguard this person. Even if a lasting power of attorney is in place so that others can act on their behalf, you need to always go back to basics - what is the insurable need here? The key takeaways: 1 in 3 people will experience dementia There can potentially be underwritten life insurance options, but you are likely to see a term cap of 5 years Most life insurance options will either exclude pre-existing conditions for the length of the policy, or for an initial moratorium period I am now taking a break for summer of 2026. Three boys, 7 weeks of school holidays, wish me luck! I will see you in September. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

July 9, 20261 hr 5 min

THE Best Insurer

Hi, everybody, I changed my mind and I’ve not done a medical deep dive and instead focused upon who is the ultimate insurer. Sadly, there isn’t one. Our lives would be so much easier if there was… In this episode I have discussed the things that different insurers offer, that stand out to me. So this is my opinion, based upon my experience of when a client has explained their circumstances and I have gone ‘ooooh, Insurer X will be perfect’. I’m not going into underwriting or every single thing that makes an insurer unique, it’s just an overview of key parts of their products and services that make them a good choice for your client. The key takeaways: Key titbits of 19 insurers offering protection insurance in the UK There are a lot of insurers and most of them have developed at least one unique product, or service, to support a client niche Insights into different life insurance, critical illness and income protection products Alan will be back with me next time for a deep dive into a medical condition and how it’s underwritten for protection insurance. I keep saying that he will and then I get excited by another idea and put him off! We are always happy to take your suggestions on what to cover so please feel free to fire over any areas that you would like us to go into. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

June 25, 202650 min

Think Outside the Box

Hi, everybody, instead of doing a health deep dive, Alan had the great idea of doing an episode on being imaginative with client recommendations. There are lots of ways to build protection recommendations, a lot of the time it’s straightforward, but sometimes getting creative is necessary. I would like to make sure I’m clear that being creative must still be compliance approved! In this episode I am giving you insights into the following areas and some examples of the insurances that are set up this way. The key takeaways: Decreasing term insurance vs family income benefit Ways to address delays with GPs and medicals Splitting critical illness across multiple providers Joint Life Second Death vs Single Life policies Life of another cover for non-UK residents Layering income protection policies Insurance solutions for gift planning Alan will be back with me next time for a deep dive into a medical condition and how it’s underwritten for protection insurance. We are always happy to take your suggestions on what to cover so please feel free to fire over any areas that you would like us to go into. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

June 11, 202650 min

Underdisclosure

Hi, everybody, it’s the start of Season 12 and I’m focusing on underdisclosure in protection insurance. Also known as misrepresentation or non-disclosure, this is a situation that everyone wants to avoid. Underdisclosure might not change the terms of insurance, but, it can lead to prices or sum assureds changing, and in the worst case a policy being cancelled from inception. The key takeaways: Non-disclosure is seen as innocent, negligent or deliberate It can be tricky sometimes to remember everything in your medical history that the insurer wants to know, so accessing your medical records before applying for cover can be a big help Examples of insurance questions in protection insurance where we see underdisclosure Alan will be back with me next time for a deep dive into a medical condition and how it’s underwritten for protection insurance. We are always happy to take your suggestions on what to cover so please feel free to fire over any areas that you would like us to go into. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

May 28, 202634 min

Overdisclosure

Hi, everybody, we are on the last episode of Season 11 and I’m focusing on overdisclosure. There is a lot of discussion in our industry about underdisclosure or non-disclosure, but not a lot of focus is put on the times when people tell insurers too much. It is essential that you answer insurance applications truthfully and to the best of your knowledge, but you don’t need to volunteer information that the insurer doesn’t ask for. It’s one of the reasons why people can be a bit nervous about iGPRs as it does give the insurer a lot more information than they are generally asking for. Insurers are meant to ignore information that is not relevant to the questions that they ask, but that isn’t always the case. The key takeaways: The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 means that consumers need to be careful to not misrepresent themselves to insurers, but also explicitly states that consumers do not need to volunteer information to insurers that isn’t asked for Insurance for commercial customers works differently as they do not have the protection of CIDRA 2012 Examples of insurance questions in protection insurance that can lead to both over and underdisclosure Do you have anything that you want me to cover in Season 12? I will be back soon with deep dives into underwriting and industry insights. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

May 14, 202631 min

Fatty Liver Disease

Hi, everybody, we have Alan back for the first time in a while and he is chatting to us about fatty liver disease . The options for life insurance , critical illness cover and income protection can vary quite a bit, depending upon the cause of the fatty liver and the stage that it is at. The good news is that the liver has a brilliant capacity to heal itself, so there can often be options for insurance. Alcohol consumption will be a key factor in the options for your clients. Where the fatty liver disease is caused by alcohol consumption, it’s very likely that mainstream providers in the UK will not offer insurance if the person is still drinking. You can develop a fatty liver for different reasons and in these cases you don’t necessarily have to be teetotal, but underwriters will be cautious if alcohol is still had regularly or at a higher level. The key takeaways: It is estimated that at least 1 in 5 people have fatty liver disease and that 31 people pass each day in the UK, due to liver disease The questions you need to ask clients to be able to do underwriting research Two case studies of arranging life insurance for people with fatty liver disease Thank you for listening, it’s nice to be getting back to normal with the podcast and other areas. I am not completely sure what I am going to cover in the next episode, I shall see what takes my fancy in the next two weeks! Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

April 30, 202642 min

The Value of Lasting Power of Attorneys

Hi, everybody, it's been a while. I’ve been away from the podcast for a bit as my mum died in February. It has not been an easy time and I have tried to carry on as usual, as much as possible, but I think we can call agree that the podcast was an area that could take a pause. I’m starting to get back into the swing of things and it feels right that the first episode of the podcast is focused upon Lasting Powers of Attorney. I am not an expert in this area, but I am sharing what my personal experience was of having these in place for both of my parents, when tragedy struck. The key takeaways: A health LPA was invaluable when my mum was in critical condition, but there are limits to use for my dad who has Parkinsons and Dementia and is still deemed to have capacity A financial LPA was invaluable for both of my parents and has, in our situation, been easier to enforce than the health LPA Having the LPAs in place meant that I could quickly take over my parent’s affairs and whilst going through one of the most horrible experiences of my life, I could make sure that my mum passed in a comfortable environment and ensure my dad received the care that he needs. They helped an unbearable situation, to be a bit more bearable. This episode is my personal story, it is not advice. However, I do wholeheartedly advocate that everyone at least consider the merits of putting LPAs in place. Next time Alan will be back with me and we will be covering how fatty liver disease and protection insurance work. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

February 19, 202639 min

FCA Protection Market Study

Hi, everyone! I have ended up out of sequence! Last time I said we would be back with an episode on fatty liver disease, but the FCA has published its Protection Market Interim Report, and I absolutely had to cover this. The good news is that the FCA thinks that the protection industry is working really well, it just needs a couple of tweaks. Overall, I am really happy with what the report says, but there are some areas I don’t agree with and you can hear my views in this episode. I am going through their review of insurance costs, claims, complaints, the role of commissions, restricted panels, loaded premiums and more. The key takeaways: Within pure protection products, income protection has the lowest value in terms of cost compared to claims success, but is still much higher than other insurances Loaded premiums, commission and restricted panels have been analysed and shown to not show significant detriment to consumers Closing the Protection Gap remains one of the key challenges for the protection insurance industry There are a lot of insights in the report and it is well worth a read. I’ve tried to pick out certain pages to direct you to, in case you don’t fancy the full thing, it is 47 pages. Next time Alan will be back with me and we will be covering how fatty liver disease and protection insurance work. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

February 5, 202643 min

Vulnerable Clients

Hi, everyone! As I am sure you can imagine I am always looking for ideas about what to cover in the podcast. We’ve done lots on health conditions, I’ve done deep dives into insurance products, commented on market developments, but I was absolutely shocked to realise I have not done a specific episode of vulnerable clients. Most of you probably recognise my name as a specialist protection insurance adviser and really specifically someone that helps people with higher health risks. I’ve often spoken about the needs of vulnerable clients and been involved in multiple industry events for this topic. I’ve even won an award or two. So it seems silly that I have not covered this before and I am going to make sure that I give you as many tips as I can during the episode. The key takeaways: Examples of common vulnerabilities Guidance on how to build a vulnerable client register Ways to support your clients and your employees/colleagues when discussing vulnerable situations Vulnerability is very subjective and it can also change over time. Sometimes people can think, well we’ve never come across this before and we will just handle it if it happens. Which you can do, but it is much easier if you have a clear structured process in place. Your clients and your colleagues will thank you for it. Next time Alan Knowles will be back with me and we will be deep diving into fatty liver disease. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .

January 22, 202636 min

Weight Loss Drugs

Hi everyone, we are back and talking about the use of weight loss drugs and getting protection insurance. Millions of people in the UK are now taking drugs like mounjaro and ozempic, to help them reach a healthy weight. Health professionals and insurers have said for many years that having a higher BMI isn’t healthy and can lead to long-term health complications. Weight loss drugs are proving to be a highly effective way for people to lose weight, which is generally seen as a good thing. But, there are side effects to taking the drugs too and at the moment there is very little long-term data to know what this may mean for someone 5, 10, 15 or 20 years down the line. The key takeaways: The use of weight loss drugs is showing very positive results from short-term data There is not enough long-term data around the use of mounjaro, ozempic, or other weight loss drugs, for insurers to completely understand client risks Two case studies of arranging life insurance for people who are taking or have taken mounjaro It has been a super intense start to the year, we were caught in the snow and school snow days have certainly had an impact on my timings. At this moment I’m not sure what the next episode will be covering but make sure to tune it as I will be bringing you even more protection insurance insights. Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website , thanks to our sponsors PlannerX .