The Intermediary –- May 2026 - Flipbook - Page 26
P RO T E C T I O N
In focus
The next chapter
for protection
P
rotection has never
lacked importance.
Most brokers and
advisers understand
the value it can
bring, particularly
when clients are taking on major
financial commitments or building a
household. The difficulty has always
been turning that importance into
a consistent, confident and wellstructured conversation.
In many parts of the client journey,
the process is considerably clearer.
Mortgage conversations tend to
follow a defined route; the steps are
understood, the systems are familiar,
and the client can usually see how one
stage leads to the next.
Protection does not always benefit
from the same clarity. It can sit
alongside the main transaction rather
than being embedded naturally
within it. The conversation may
happen, but the depth and quality
can vary depending on time, product
knowledge and how easily the right
information can be accessed.
That is not a criticism of brokers
and advisers. It is a reflection of how
complex protection can be in practice.
Product features vary, provider
positions change, client circumstances
differ, and the explanation needs
to be simple enough for the client
to understand.
The raised standards
Consumer Duty has made this harder
to ignore. It is no longer enough
for protection to be mentioned
as a broad consideration. Clients
must understand relevant risks,
the implications of leaving those
risks unaddressed, and the options
available to them in a way that is clear
and proportionate.
This creates a higher bar for
consistency. Firms cannot rely on
good intentions alone. They need
processes, tools and records that help
demonstrate that protection was
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The Intermediary | May 2026
considered properly and explained
clearly. For brokers and advisers, that
means the quality of the conversation
maers just as much as whether the
conversation took place.
The risk is that the industry
continues to ask advisers to do more,
while the support around them
does not improve quickly enough.
Advisers are expected to keep pace
with product detail, changing client
needs, documentation standards and
commercial pressures, oen while
managing busy caseloads. If protection
is to become a more natural part of the
client journey, the workflow around it
needs to improve.
The confidence issue
The protection gap is oen discussed
as a consumer awareness problem.
That is part of the picture, but it is
not the whole picture. There is also
a confidence gap across the advice
process itself.
Clients may hesitate because
protection feels complicated,
expensive or distant from their
immediate priorities. Brokers and
advisers may hesitate because the
conversation can become detailed
quickly, particularly where there
are health, occupation, budget or
family considerations.
Good protection conversations are
rarely built on product knowledge
alone. They require context. Why
does this maer to the client? What
would happen if income stopped?
Who would be affected? Where are
the gaps? What trade-offs need to
be explained?
The adviser still has to lead that
conversation. But the industry should
be asking whether advisers have
the right tools around them to do it
efficiently and consistently.
Technology can help
Artificial intelligence (AI) is oen
discussed in exaggerated terms, but its
practical value in protection is more
AMMER MOHAMMED
is founder at Protectix
grounded. Used well, it can help
brokers and advisers manage
information, compare products more
clearly, challenge missing details,
structure research and explain
considerations in a more
consistent way.
Used poorly, it risks becoming
another layer of noise. AI should
not be used to replace judgement or
produce unsupported conclusions.
The value sits within the research
and explanation layer: helping
brokers and advisers get to clearer
information faster and spend less
time piecing together fragmented
material manually.
At Protectix, this is our core focus,
ensuring brokers can be supported by
providing a platform that enables a
clearer and more structured approach
to protection planning without
turning the process into a black box.
The purpose is not to make protection
feel automated; it is to make
protection conversations simpler.
A shared responsibility
Providers and technology firms
also have a role to play. Protection
information can be detailed,
technical and spread across multiple
sources. Some of that complexity is
unavoidable, but the way information
is accessed and applied in real client
situations can still improve.
The next chapter for protection
should be about making the subject
easier to handle, not simply being
louder in the market.
Brokers need clearer workflows and
technology that genuinely helps them
explain and deliver well-structured
protection advice in a way clients can
understand. If AI is used correctly,
with the right controls, it can and will
play a vital role in that shi. ●
