IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME AND YOU SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT YOUR FAMILY'S FUTURE

It's that time of year again when parents are having to get the schoolbooks, uniforms and sportsgear, organising the school-runs and childcare, and trying to juggle a thousand other things whilst holding down jobs. At least when the first few weeks are over it all settles down and life continues on in its hurly-burly way. Which is why I'm always urging parents who don't have the cover or haven't thought about it, that this is the time to start seriously thinking about serious illness cover and life cover – ideally 

After all, god forbid, if something did happen to you that meant you were out of work for a sustained period or if you died, the reality is that childminding and the school-going costs for your kids has to be paid somehow.

For the price of an Americano each week you would have life cover which would involve the payment of a lump sum to your estate in the event that you die. That's right, from as little as just €10 per month your family would receive a one-off payment if you died. So why don't more people see it as a necessity? We have no problem paying for other more expensive incidentals (you've got gadget insurance right?) and yet life cover is regarded as something 'farther down the road'.

It's the same with serious illness cover. Whilst it is more expensive (you are after all more at risk to get a serious illness than die) the benefits of its insurance are well worth considering. This is especially true if you're self-employed. With serious illness cover, you get a once off lump sum paid once you are diagnosed and typically the illnesses covered include the more common ones such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. 

And just to have you more informed, consider these statistics:

So while you're busy getting school uniforms and books ready for the coming year, it's worth also stepping back and considering what your family would do if anything happened to you or your spouse.

On a side-note, I want to mention a great, family fun day out to be had at the Curragh Racecourse this Sunday (24th Aug). It's the Jog for Jockeys event where I'll be joining many others running in aid of the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund. 

Having grown up in Kildare, horse-racing is in my blood. I was a former amateur jockey and these days, riding a horse out on a Saturday afternoon for a few hours is how I get away from it all. So if you can help out for the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund just visit jogforjockeys.ie and hopefully I'll see you there on Sunday!