Blog
Welcome to our Special Interest Finance Blog
It can be hard to identify who you are and where you want to go if you don't have the right wording to know what's even possible. This is why a lot of good financial advice looks like education.
Life insurances, Income Protection, and Estate Planning is all design to support what's important to you and safeguard whoever is family to you. It's an important part of modern life, love and business. Be sure to receive the information and guidance you need to make an educated decision. Browse through our Blog, our 100+ FAQs or contact us for a confidential chat.
Taking PrEP to look after yourself and your mates
Looking after yourself and your mates is one of the key motivators behind people learning more about whether taking PrEP medication is right for them and their situation.
Taking care of the riskier parts of life (and work)
While most occupations have some low-level risk involved (ranging from papercuts to tripping over computer cables, to working with power tools or falling down mine shafts) some occupations have additional exposure risks to needlestick and sharps injuries - and if that's your occupation, you need to know about your PrEP and Income Protection insurance options.
- 🩸 Clinical, PrEP & Blood-Borne Risk Underwriting
Do I need life insurance if I'm Single and LGBTQIA+?
The answer is probably Yes, and here's why
Many LGBTQIA+ singles are taking control of their own lives and getting their Life Insurance sorted sooner than many of their straight allies, who traditionally risk leaving such important decisions until they’re married with children.
And that’s because LGBTQIA+ folk often face more unique challenges than our straight friends.
Many LGBTQIA+ people understand the importance of having their own Income Protection insurance in place because it helps protect their ability to continue to earn an income, to live, to love (and to party). However many LGBTQIA+ people have additional Life Insurance needs and challenges.
- 🌈 Pride, Legacy & Relationship Advocacy
What's the plan for your Pets, if you're no longer here?
One of the more endearing traits of humanity is our ability to love who we love and our powerful drive to provide for those that we do.
While love knows no gender, it's also a fact our affections regularly cross the species barrier with Australians having one of the largest Pet ownership rates in the world, with three in five Australian households - or 5.9 million - having a Pet.
- Today 61% of Australian households have a Pet
- Dogs are the most popular Pet, with 37% of households owning a dog
- Cats are the second most popular Pet, with 31% of households owning a cat
- 👶 Modern Family, IVF & Surrogacy Frameworks
If you're parenting solo, it’s twice as important to plan
We all know too well that raising a child in a two-parent household is tough - but raising a child solo is a whole different ball game!
And it's a responsibility more and more Australian parents are taking on.
- 👶 Modern Family, IVF & Surrogacy Frameworks
Life Insurances are important financial tools that help us manage the ups and downs of life, love and business. It's an easy way to safeguard our unpredictable futures, just in case.
But delaying important decisions and continually 'waiting for a convenient time' to get these important parts of life in place - is a risk as we all over time can become uninsurable for a variety of reasons.
But some health conditions can be unexpected, unpredictable and then uninsurable - and that can create a significant equally unexpected problem for many people.
- 🛡️ Uninsurability Containment & Asset Insulation
To all our Clients, Friends & Supporters - have a fabulous time at the Sydney 2022 Mardi Gras celebrating you!
- Unusual Risks Insured is committed to serving the LGBTQIA+ Community and its Allies, we stand by our friends and Community and we're here for you, all year round (not just for Mardi Gras ;) )
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
The complexity that can be IVF and Surrogacy Agreements.
When working through any complex process, getting the timing right is often the key to success.
And that's never more true than for folks using IVF treatments as part of Growing Families.
- 👶 Modern Family, IVF & Surrogacy Frameworks
This question has always intrigued me because it sounds similar to the equally difficult-to-answer question, ‘how long is a piece of string?’
I suppose the answer is, ‘as long as it needs to be and as much as you need to have’.
But that's probably not going to move the answer along much, so here is a good place to start your thinking.
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
Co Parents need life insurance and this is why
While you might not be together romantically, raising children together leaves Co Parents financially connected in many ways — whether you want to acknowledge that or not.
Remind me again what is Co Parenting?
The term Co Parenting was traditionally only used to describe a situation where a parent had split from their previous partner following a separation or divorce, but who were still actively involved in the lives of their shared children.
- 👶 Modern Family, IVF & Surrogacy Frameworks
COVID-19 & Life Insurances FAQs
Our top frequently asked questions by clients about life insurance policies and COVID-19 and vaccinations
Australia is now in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With rolling lockdowns and much general uncertainty ahead, as we race towards the nation's next mass vaccination target, it's only natural people are looking for certainty and asking important questions about 'whether COVID-19 affects their life insurance policies in any way?'
Well we have some good news to share.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received about life insurances and COVID-19 and COVID-19 Vaccinations.
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
An interesting question we're often asked is,
'Who are the most uninsured people in the community?'
The answer might surprise (and sadden) you.
Young male P plate drivers? Young Tradies? Army Reserve personnel? Single mothers? No.
The Australian LGBTQIA+ Community is one of the most underinsured and underserved markets with financial services.
This of course then leaves them and their families at greater vulnerability than their straight counterparts.
- 🌈 Pride, Legacy & Relationship Advocacy
Many LGBTQIA+ Australians have Super account balances receiving at least 10% of their wages annually.
As most super funds have Life Insurance attached to their member's account in some way, this ever-increasing pool of wealth is hard to ignore.
So if you're an LGBTQIA+ Australian with a Superannuation account, the next logical question is;
'Who's your Super Beneficiary?'
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
Managing diabetes can be a challenge: getting life insurance at the same time can feel overwhelming
Diabetes is Australia's fastest growing chronic health condition with 280 Australians developing this condition every day. (That's one person every five minutes)
People living with a pre-existing health condition like diabetes, statistically speaking have a higher risk of needing to make a claim on their personal insurance policy.
Add to this constantly changing assessment standards for getting insurance cover, and finding a life insurance specialist who understand your situation can feel near impossible.
Welcome to Unusual Risks Insured - we get it.
- 🍏 Metabolic & Chronic Health Protection
Straight and living with HIV? It's becoming more common than you'd think
The typical straight guy (or girl) next door who is just living with a chronic health condition called HIV, is increasing
HIV is not a top-of-mind conversation starter for most straight guys and girls so many straight people believe HIV is not a health issue for the straight community, but they would be very mistaken.
- In Western Australia during 2020, more straight men were diagnosed with HIV than gay men.
- Despite new HIV numbers declining nationally for more than a decade, the number of straight men contracting the sexually transmitted HIV virus is on the rise.
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
Happy Mardi Gras!
To all our clients, friends and supporters - have a fabulous time celebrating you!
We're committed to serving the LGBTI Community and its Allies, and we're here for you, all year round. Happy Mardi Gras!
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
Intersex Remembrance Day
'Pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Girls are princesses and boys are pirates. Girls like only boys and boys don’t kiss other boys... — These are just a few restrictive ideas of gender and gender identity that have seen many queer people marginalised and scrutinised for centuries'.
(National Geographic Magazine - Jan 2017 issue)
If there is anything we know, it's that life is not black and white - and not everyone is neatly defined by an Acronym LGBTI.
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
Life is complicated.
Getting on with life is even more complicated; so it's important to talk about what matters most and know where we stand.
- In 2019, around 3.4 million Australians reported using an illicit (recreational) drug in the last 12 months.1
So how does having a history of personal drug use affect your ability to create a safety net for yourself and your family?
Here's what you need to know ahead of time when you're needing to get your life insurances sorted.
- 🛡️ Uninsurability Containment & Asset Insulation
Living with depression or an anxiety disorder doesn't need to stop you from getting your life insurances sorted.
Thankfully, good mental health is now becoming part of the regular conversations for many Australians.
Here are some tips to help navigate the application process.
- About 3 million Australians are living with a form of anxiety or depression (Beyond Blue 2020) and at least 45 per cent of Australians will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives. (SANE, 2019)
- However, studies have also found that LGBTIQ people face up to twice as much abuse or violence than our heterosexual counterparts and that this prejudice and discrimination adds an additional layer of risk factors that can lead to depression and anxiety.
- Research and real life experiences have found that LGBTIQ people have an increased risk of depression and anxiety, substance abuse, self-harming and suicidal thoughts.
- 🍏 Metabolic & Chronic Health Protection
Be careful what you Google for, when searching for simple answers to complex questions like; Can people with HIV or other complex health conditions can still qualify for life insurance?
Google Search is part of our modern-day lives.
Who hasn’t made a quick Search for the bio of an actor, the secret to a killer Bearnaise sauce or asked, ‘Is there a sequel to Game of Thrones?’
Search is also a growing part of our personal health management. People's tendencies for a late-night search session with Dr Google self-diagnosing potential medical conditions —by searching for symptoms —are known to trigger many an anxious night of misinformation and questionable comparisons.
The reality is many of our late-night search results usually add to our anxiety and uncertainty.
The new skill of knowing ‘when to consult a professional’ is becoming the new 21th Century survival skill to learn.
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
Flatmates, friends or de facto partners - how do you tell them apart
When it comes to romance and relationships, the emotional decision about who you think is your partner, may be very different to the legal decision about who is legally considered your de facto partner.
The questions about who may be a boyfriend or girlfriend or partner and who is a de facto become important distinctions when it comes to Superannuation payouts, Life Insurance nominations and Family Law claims on your finances, investments and property interests.
As Marriage Equality became law in Australia on 9th December 2017, *yay*, who is a married partner is now straightforward. Who is a de facto partner, is not always so straightforward especially for many in the LGBTQI Community.
- 💬 Life, Law & Community Insights
