The Intermediary –- May 2026 - Flipbook - Page 12
"I should have taken out a protection plan"
“Products that allow clients to adapt cover over
time can make protection feel less rigid and
more realistic.
“Options such as reviewable cover levels, added
benefits, income-focused protection, or policies
that can be adjusted as circumstances change can
help clients avoid an all-or-nothing decision.”
Education and engagement
risk profiles, which could particularly benefit
younger, healthier clients.”
Bridging the generation gap requires more
than product innovation – it demands a cultural
shift. Advisers must listen to younger clients,
communicate differently, and educate earlier.
Lakey says: “Tone matters. Younger clients can
Technology is not just changing how clients
spot sales talk a mile away, so authenticity and
access information, but how advisers work.
honesty are vital.”
Digital pre-assessment tools, online calculators,
and interactive comparison platforms are making
While these products may not speak to
younger clients as urgently as they do older
protection advice more accessible and efficient.
cohorts, this does not mean they are apathetic.
Lakey says: “CIExpert’s tools allow advisers
Mohammed says: “The industry must be careful
to see, at a glance, where policies are stronger
not to assume younger clients are disengaged.
or weaker, and to articulate those differences
Many are financially aware. They simply expect
in plain English. For younger clients, this is
the conversation to be clear, efficient and
particularly important.
connected to real life.”
“They are often time-poor and sceptical of
anything that looks like ‘small print’.
"If an adviser can show, visually and succinctly,
why a particular contract is more robust or
This is not just at the feet of advisers. Lakey
feels that the process should start earlier:
“Financial education should not begin at the
point of product sale. There is a strong case for
better suited to their circumstances, that builds
more collaboration with schools, universities,
trust and helps them feel informed rather
employers and community groups to introduce
than overwhelmed.”
Schofield suggests integration with budgeting
basic concepts of risk, insurance and longterm planning. The aim is not to sell policies
and banking apps as a way of reaching younger
to teenagers, but to normalise the idea that
generations on the platforms that already form
protecting your income and health is part of
part of their daily routine.
responsible adulthood.”
He says: “We’re likely to see protection linked
more closely with budgeting and banking apps,
10
“As data and technology improve, products may
become more tailored to individual lifestyles and
Ethical responsibility
so clients can see their cover alongside their
In a market that has become increasingly focused
everyday finances.
on the obligation to do well by clients, not least
The Intermediary | May 2026
