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Workers Compensation will cover you for some things, but have you also considered Income Protection to ensure you are covered when you need it most?   Whether you're a white-collar worker hammering away at your keyboard from 9 to 5, or a tradie getting your hands dirty day-in and day-out, you run the risk of getting sick or injured at work.  That's why every Australian workplace has health and safety obligations: they must provide safe work premises, assess risk and have workers compensation insurance.  What workers compensation covers. As outlined on Fair Work Ombudsman , workers compensation may be paid out if you are injured at work or if you become sick due to your work.  Payments could cover your wages while you can't work, your medical expenses, rehabilitation costs or a lump sum payment if you become permanently disabled or pass away.  It's also important to note that in order to receive workers compensation you must prove that your in...

According to the ATO, there are almost twice as many active life insurance policies than there are working-aged Australians, but that does not mean Australians are adequately insured.  We look at how many Australians have life insurance, the reasons for under-insurance and explore what adequate insurance looks like.  At a glance There are almost 22 million active life insurance policies in Australia, a recent federal parliamentary report found . Y et there are just 12.5 million working-aged Australians (aged 15-64), according to figures published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Based on the numbers, it would seem Australians were more than adequately insured.  Only half of Australians hold life insurance However, as part of commissioned research in 2015, respondents told TAL that despite the significant number of active life insurance policies, only 52% of them hold some form of life insurance. The study also found only 30%-37% o...

Even if you exercise a few times a week, sleep well, and eat healthily, it doesn’t mean you don’t need a health check. Despite our best intentions, things don’t always go to plan – like an unexpected health issue or emergency.   Whether you’re single or have a family, if you want to live a long and healthy life, the important thing to take care of is you. If something were to happen, it should be dealt with quickly and properly to avoid unnecessary extended time off which could affect your personal and professional life, and overall quality of life.  If you’re in your 30s or 40s, some health checks to consider include blood pressure, cholesterol, testicle checks (men), breast self-checks (women), Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment, mammogram (women) and Cardiovascular Risk Assessment.  If you’re in your 50s or 60s, you’ll need to do the same checks as in your 40s, plus a bowel cancer screening, prostate cancer screening (men), Osteoporosis Risk Assessment, as we...

Working in the resources industry can be tough.  Remote locations, long hours and time away from family and friends can take its toll. The experience can of course be rewarding, particularly when it comes to income and the ability to plan for the future. However, it’s easy to become distracted especially when it comes to investing. Whether it be buying your first home, or in investment property, starting a share portfolio or investing your super, we are all at the mercy of the markets.  Property markets  down south are enduring a bit of a downturn at the moment, interest rates are low so money in the bank isn’t earning much and share markets around the world have been up and down. The fact is, markets are unpredictable. Just look at commodities.  Some of the biggest companies in the world have trouble predicting coal, iron ore and oil prices. Trying to predict the ups and downs is often impossible. The key is to remove emotion from your decisi...

Odds are it’s been a while since you looked over your health insurance cover. It’s understandable - there are over 40,000 products in the market and premiums regularly go up. It can seem confusing and expensive, but there are still plenty of reasons to review it more regularly. First, reviewing your cover ensures you’re paying for the right things. Like your finances, your health changes as life changes and your health insurance should reflect it. If you review your health cover every year, you’ll have a greater understanding of its benefits, as well as making sure it’s keeping up with your changing needs. In addition to ensuring you’ve got the right cover for your situation, reviewing your cover may also save you money by making sure you’re only paying for what’s important to you. And it’s a valuable exercise to review your Health and suite of Life Insurance Products all together. If you do decide to switch, find an option that gives you confidence that you’re covered ...

Most of us are starting to think about getting back into work mode – or perhaps you are back at work already. Don’t worry, this is not going to be one of those “let’s look back over the last 12 months” chats where we remember which celebrities are no longer or who won major sporting events. What should you expect from the next 12 months? Well, nobody knows.  However, there is one certainty.  Markets will go up and markets will go down.   Consider this.  The Australian equities market is still approximately 18% below where it was 11 years ago so there’s plenty of upside just to get back to where it was.  In terms of your superannuation, you need to consider your time horizon, i.e . how long will it be invested for before you can access it. For a 35-year-old, they face another 30 years before they can access their super at age 65. Not only that, once they do retire at 65, they’re not going to take their super and spend it in one go....