Cover sized to your life, not the brochure.
Life, disability, severe illness and income protection, recommended by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals after a written review of the cover you already have.
Sixty minutes, at our cost, at our Durbanville office or online. Bring your policy schedules if you have them.
Who we usually help.
Cover conversations usually start with one of these.
- You earn well from your own skill, and your income would stop if you could not work.
- You have a bond, young children or a partner who depends on your income.
- Your cover comes mostly through work, and you are not sure what it pays or what happens if you leave.
- You hold policies bought years ago and no longer know what they cover or cost.
Four risks, four kinds of cover.
Each type of cover answers a different question. Most families need more than one, in amounts set by a written gap analysis rather than a rule of thumb.
| Personally owned cover | Life cover | Disability cover | Severe illness cover | Income protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pays out when | You die | You are permanently unable to work, as the policy defines it | You are diagnosed with a listed condition, such as cancer, a heart attack or a stroke | Illness or injury stops you from working, temporarily or permanently |
| How it pays | A lump sum to your beneficiaries or estate | A lump sum | A lump sum, often scaled by severity | A monthly income, after a waiting period |
| Tax | Premiums are not deductible. The payout is free of income tax, but counts for estate duty | Premiums are not deductible. The payout is tax-free | Premiums are not deductible. The payout is tax-free | Premiums have not been deductible since March 2015. Monthly benefits are tax-free |
| Often used for | Settling debt, estate costs and family income | Paying off debt and adapting a home or lifestyle | Treatment costs and time off during recovery | Replacing salary, especially for professionals and the self-employed |
Faith masks, Anton Smit
Professionals insure the practice, the rooms, the vehicle and the indemnity risk. The one asset that pays for all of it is usually the least carefully covered.
The Asset That Walks Into the Room, BKA Wealth Journal
Rules worth knowing.
How cover is treated, and what you are entitled to when it is sold or replaced.
- Sick leave
- Most employees get paid sick leave equal to six weeks of normal working days in each three-year cycle (30 days on a five-day week), and less in the first six months of a job. In a serious illness, it runs out quickly.
- Cover through work
- If your employer pays for group cover outside a retirement fund, the premium is added to your taxable income as a fringe benefit, and the payouts are tax-free. The cover is tied to your job, so check what happens to it if you leave.
- Policies and your estate
- Life cover on your own life counts as property in your estate for estate duty, even when a named beneficiary is paid directly. Cover left to a surviving spouse is deductible, and a named beneficiary is paid without executor’s fees.
- Changing your mind
- You can cancel a new life policy within 31 days of receiving its policy summary, provided nothing has been claimed or paid out. The refund can be reduced by the cost of the cover you already had.
- Replacing a policy
- An adviser who recommends replacing a policy must disclose the full costs and consequences: new waiting periods and exclusions, premiums based on your age and health today, and any benefits or guarantees you would lose.
- If something goes wrong
- Complaints about a life insurer go to the National Financial Ombud Scheme, which has handled them since 1 March 2024. Complaints about financial advice go to the FAIS Ombud.
Common questions.
How much life cover do I need?
Enough to settle your debts and estate costs, and to replace the income your family would lose for as long as they would need it, less what your savings, retirement funds and existing cover already provide. We calculate that gap in writing rather than using a multiple of salary.
Is the cover I have through work enough?
Often not on its own. Group cover is usually set as a multiple of salary rather than your actual needs, and it is tied to your job. If your employer pays for it outside a retirement fund, you are also taxed on the premium. We add your work and personal cover together before recommending anything.
Should I replace an old policy with a cheaper one?
Not without a careful comparison. A new policy can bring new waiting periods and exclusions, and its premium is based on your age and health today. Advisers must disclose the full costs and consequences of any replacement, and we put that comparison in writing.
Checked on 11 September 2026 against the SARS guide to fringe benefits, the SARS estate duty guide, the Department of Employment and Labour on sick leave, the Policyholder Protection Rules, ASISA and the National Financial Ombud Scheme. Budget 2026 made no changes to how these policies are taxed.
Talk your cover through with a CFP® professional.
Sixty minutes at our cost, at our Durbanville office or online. Bring your policy schedules and any cover you have through work.
[email protected] · 021 976 0738
Unit 3, Kings Landing Building, 17 King Street, Durbanville, 7550
