Answers to your life, health and income cover questions.

A common starting point is enough to clear the mortgage, replace 5–10 years of income, and fund known future costs like children's education. Your Marble Life adviser will run the numbers with you rather than relying on a rule of thumb.

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Stepped premiums start lower and rise each year with age. Level premiums are higher at the start but hold steady, so the total cost is usually lower if you keep the cover long-term. Which is right depends on how long you'll hold the policy and your cashflow.

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Not always. Most applications are underwritten from a health and lifestyle questionnaire. A medical, blood test or GP report is only requested when the sum insured is large or a specific answer needs clarifying.

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Standard exclusions include suicide inside the first 13 months, and anything you didn't disclose at application. Beyond that, life cover pays out on death from any cause – illness, accident, natural causes.

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Yes. Life cover is often held for shareholder buy-out, key person or debt-protection purposes. Ownership and beneficiary structure matters for tax and estate outcomes – we'll set it up properly.

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Private hospital treatment – surgery, specialist consultations, diagnostics like MRI and CT, and often non-Pharmac cancer drugs depending on the plan. It doesn't replace GP visits or ACC-covered accidents.

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Any condition you had signs, symptoms or treatment for before applying is typically excluded – either permanently or for a stand-down period. Full, accurate disclosure at application avoids claim surprises later.

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Most modern plans include a non-Pharmac drug benefit (often $200k–$500k+). It's one of the most valuable parts of health cover in NZ and worth checking on any existing policy.

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Trauma (critical illness) pays a lump sum on diagnosis of a listed serious condition – cancer, heart attack, stroke and 40+ others. Health insurance pays medical providers; trauma pays you, to use however you need.

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Enough to cover 12–24 months of income and out-of-pocket costs while you focus on recovery. For many families that lands between $100k and $250k, but it depends on debt, savings and dependents.

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When illness or injury means you're permanently unable to work – either in your own occupation or any occupation you're suited to, depending on the definition. It's a lump sum, usually claimed after 3–6 months of continuous disablement.

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They do different jobs. Income protection replaces monthly income; TPD pays a lump sum for permanent, life-changing disability – to clear debt, modify a home, or fund long-term care.

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Typically up to 75% of pre-tax earnings, sometimes 55% on an agreed-value basis. Insurers cap it below 100% so there's still a reason to return to work.

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The wait period is how long you're off work before payments start (commonly 4, 8, 13 or 26 weeks). The benefit period is how long payments continue – through to age 65/70 is the full-term structure we'd steer towards, with shorter 5 or 2-year terms available mainly to bring the premium down.

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No. ACC only covers accidents, and only pays 80% of pre-injury earnings. Income protection covers illness (the majority of long-term claims) and can top up ACC where needed.

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Mortgage protection is a simpler, cheaper form of income cover – benefits are capped to your mortgage repayment amount rather than a percentage of income. Faster to underwrite, lighter on features.

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Life cover pays on death or terminal illness. Mortgage protection keeps repayments going if you can't work due to illness or injury – a different risk. Many households hold both.

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Employees choose 3%, 4%, 6%, 8% or 10% of gross pay. To capture the full Government contribution ($521.43/year), you need to contribute at least $1,042.86 across the KiwiSaver year (1 July–30 June).

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It's about how much of the fund is invested in shares vs bonds and cash. Growth funds have more shares – higher long-term returns, bigger short-term swings. Conservative funds are the opposite. Time horizon and how you feel about drops in balance drive the right pick.

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Yes, after 3 years of membership you can withdraw most of your balance (leaving $1,000) toward a first home purchase. You may also qualify for the First Home Grant depending on income and property price caps.

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At age 65, or earlier for a first-home purchase, significant financial hardship, serious illness, or permanent emigration. Otherwise it stays locked in until retirement.

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Yes – we give independent, fee-based KiwiSaver advice on fund selection, contribution rate and provider fit. We don't run a KiwiSaver scheme ourselves, so the advice isn't tied to a product.

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