Preparing for the life events, out of your control

 

Joel and Anna’s story is one which reminds you how life can take an unexpected turn, completely out of our control. You can be young, fit, healthy, have the world at your feet and then life throws you a curve ball leaving you thinking “I just never expected something like this to happen to me”. 

This was the case for Joel and Anna. After years of wanting to purchase their own home, the time finally came when they were able to do so. With the help of guarantors and their mortgage broker, Craig, their dream came to fruition. Then, a couple of months later, Anna fell pregnant with their little girl, Harper. 

Living in beautiful Sandy Beach in Coffs Harbour, on the north coast of New South Wales, Anna and Joel were living on cloud 9. Loving their new family life, Anna and Joel put a lot of emphasis on being healthy, fit parents and spending time outdoors. 

When Anna found out she was expecting their second child, they could not believe how lucky they were. 

“We really relished how well things were going – then, when Joel got sick, it all fell apart”.

Joel was 24 years old when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Anna, 15 weeks pregnant at the time, was in a midwife appointment when Joel took himself to the doctors. Both thinking it would be nothing, never had expected how quickly their lives would change. 

“We just kept thinking, how does this happen? Joel was so young and healthy. It was such a massive shock and a massive adjustment in our lives”. 

Joel was worried about having to receive chemotherapy because of the time off work and the loss of wages. Not having a lot of sick leave available, the financial stress began to set in. At 15 weeks pregnant, Anna had to begin working a second job during Joel’s treatment, but it was still not enough to meet their mortgage repayments and their living expenses. 

Feeling stripped of their financial freedom and stressed about needing to rely on their families, Joel and Anna began to worry about how this would impact their guarantors. When their family friend of ten years, and their mortgage broker Craig received the news about Joel’s diagnosis, he was quick to remind them about the mortgage protection policy they had taken out when they purchased their home.

Craig contacted Joel and Anna and emailed the documents to them that day to start the claims process. Feeling unsure as to whether the claim would even be approved, they were blown away at how easy and fast the process was. 

“The claim was processed, and we received the funds and we just couldn’t believe the burden it lifted from our shoulders. It meant we were able to focus on more important things, like Joel’s treatment and raising our daughter”.

Mortgage protection enabled Anna and Joel to continue with their lives, took the financial stress away and gave them back their financial independence. 

“The scary thought was, we were considering cancelling the plan. We had it for two years and were thinking, when are we going to need this? We feel so lucky to have kept the policy in place. You just don’t think something like this is going to happen to a young family – but it did. If we had cancelled the policy, we would have been in a lot of trouble financially. 

The Mortgage Broker Difference

For Anna and Joel, it was an important decision to go with a mortgage broker they trusted. For a major financial step, they wanted to work with someone who had their best interests in mind.

Mortgage broker from Coffs Harbour, Craig, has been in the industry for over 14 years. For Craig, mortgage protection is a very important part of his process.

“Mortgage protection is really important, not just for first home buyers but where there is a major milestone in your life – especially when you’re taking out a large debt. It’s a fundamental change in your financial situation and it’s the time when you should be reassessing your cover”.

When Craig went through the mortgage process with Anna and Joel and brought up mortgage protection, it was Joel who thought it was something he wanted to do in case something ever happened to him, he wanted to know Anna and his daughter were able to keep their home, their safe place.

Now, having witnessed someone close to him going through the claims process, Craig is even more adamant about mortgage protection:

“Hearing about Joel and knowing they had put the policy in place was the best feeling in the world. I’ve had many clients take out mortgage protection, but it wasn’t until I saw the pain and stress Anna and Joel were feeling and then seeing the benefit and relief which came from the claim being paid out, that it really brought it home about how important this is”. 

No Regrets

Anna says they have absolutely no regrets about anything:
“We have insurance for our cars, our home and contents, why would we not insure ourselves? Even though we thought nothing could happen to us as a young family, we have no regrets about taking out the policy, because look what happened”. 

Joel has since received the all – clear and he and Anna are back enjoying their life in Sandy Beach. They recently welcomed a healthy baby boy into their family and could not be happier. 

Talk to your mortgage broker today about mortgage protection. It’s how your mortgage broker prepares you for life’s unexpected events. 

 

 

About Emma Flanagan

Emma is the Senior Marketing and Communications executive at ALI Group. After completing a Bachelor of Communication with a Major in Journalism, Emma spent a couple of years living, travelling and working abroad before making her way home to Australia. Now, with firm roots back in her home town of the Central Coast in NSW, her and her husband just bought their very first home with the help of their mortgage broker. Now, Emma is here to help FHBs just like her by providing informative and educational content and to keep them abreast of what’s what when it comes to buying, refinancing and protecting themselves and their family from financial hardship. 

 

 

 

Loan Protection Plan is jointly issued by Hannover Life Re of Australasia Ltd ABN 37 062 395 484 (Death, Terminal Illness, Living and Accidental Injury Benefits) and QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited ABN 78 003 191 035 AFSL 239545 (Involuntary Unemployment Benefit). It is distributed by Australian Life Insurance Distribution Pty Ltd ABN 31 103 157 811 AFSL 226403 (ALI). ALI receives commission for each policy sold. Any advice provided is of a general nature only and does not take into consideration your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement (available at www.aligroup.com.au) when deciding if this product is appropriate for you. © ALI Group 2019.