If in doubt, it pays to ask the question
Our story below highlights one of the most important reasons our Advisers like to talk to you regularly. Your life journey can change for so many reasons over the years, some fantastic great experiences and some experiences you would prefer to hit the delete button on - especially those that involve ill health.
Your Adviser can be that person who can be there to reassure you especially if you hold insurance policies; they often cover more situations than you think.
At Lifetime we understand the impact that these health situations can have on you both emotionally and financially. Your Adviser can be that person who can be there to reassure you especially if you hold insurance policies; they often cover more situations than you think.
We recently had one of our Advisers move from Auckland to our Blenheim office. He was contacting clients in the area for the first time to introduce himself. During one telephone conversation with a client, the lady disclosed that she sadly had cancer, so it wasn’t worth them having a review, she knew she had life cover in place but that would be for her family when she was gone. Fortunately, we asked a few more questions and quickly realised that the life cover the lady had in place also had a terminal illness benefit attached. This meant the life policy could be paid out if signed off by a medical practitioner as to life expectancy.
Documentation was prepared and submitted, to the delight of the family who were already suffering greatly with the realisation that next year was going to be a completely different picture.
They received $200,000 from the life insurance policy and now can now achieve things together on the bucket list that they hadn’t previously thought possible. The life policy also had a financial planning provision included so her family can have a full financial plan prepared to be able to map out their financial journey ahead.
Please remember if you have any doubts as to what your policies would provide for, just ask one of the team at Lifetime - we are here to help.
Maximise Your Miles: Financial Tips for Frequent Flyers
Whether you’re a young Kiwi planning your OE (overseas experience), a family about to embark on that long-awaited trip to Disneyland, or a seasoned business traveller hopping between meetings in Singapore and Sydney, the excitement of travel is unbeatable. But with every adventure comes a bit of financial planning to ensure your holiday memories aren’t clouded by an unexpected hit to the wallet.
Market & Portfolio Update - January 2026
After strong gains in 2025, the global share market (represented by the MSCI World Gross Index) took a breather in January, returning 0.1% in NZ dollar terms. While the ‘Magnificent 7’ (the seven largest US-listed companies, including Google, Microsoft & Apple) have been large drivers behind the recent gains seen from the US share market, January told a different story. There appeared to be ‘catch-up’ trade where investors moved out of concentrated tech positions and into the rest of the market, with the Russell 2000 index (a widely regarded proxy for smaller US companies) having a strong month. This was generally seen as improving confidence in the broader US economy.

