by Rachel Lane

Critical illness insurance:

Critical illness insurance will cover you in the event of a serious illness such as cancer, coronary artery by-pass surgery, heart attack, kidney failure, major organ transplant, multiple sclerosis and stroke. Additional conditions covered by this insurance can include aorta graft surgery, benign brain tumour, blindness, coma, deafness, heart valve replacement or repair, loss of limbs, loss of speech, motor neurone disease, paralysis/paraplegia, Parkinson’s disease, terminal illness and third degree burns. Not all insurance companies will necessarily cover all of these illnesses, whilst some insurance companies will cover more; it is always worth reading the terms and conditions before you sign anything.

Critical illness insurance policies typically offer a tax-free lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of the above illnesses and meet the conditions outlined in the policy contract. The lump sum is most often used to cover the remainder of the mortgage, although can be spent on home alterations or medical care etc.

Life insurance:

Life insurance is usually taken out if your family or partner is financially dependent on your income. Life insurance can also be purchased as life assurance and in this form, can offer a method of protection cover and savings. However, most people simply use it as a form of financial protection for their mortgage and therefore their family. There are three main types of life insurance: term insurance, whole life insurance and endowment insurance. More information can be found on these forms of life insurance on the Association of British Insurers’ website, listed in the resources section of this article.

Mortgage life insurance:

Mortgage life insurance is essentially the same as a decreasing (lump-sum) term life insurance policy and is designed to pay out a lump sum upon the death of the policy holder, should it occur during the term of the mortgage. The size of the lump sum will decrease over the term of the life insurance policy, in the line with the outstanding mortgage repayments. E.g. As you pay off your mortgage, the amount of cover will decrease as the need is less significant.