Choosing an advisor to size your cover without overselling you

Getting life and disability cover right is about matching the amount you need to what you can actually sustain and what will protect the people who depend on you. An advisor who sizes your cover properly does something most people don't: they resist the urge to sell you more than necessary, and instead help you build a plan that won't strain your cash flow or leave you gaps in five years' time.

There's a real tension in this market. Commissions are often higher on bigger policies, which means an advisor who wants to maximise short-term earnings will tend to over-recommend. A genuinely good hire moves past that conflict. They focus on your actual situation—your income, your dependants, your debt, your existing assets—and then work backwards to a figure that makes sense. That clarity is rare enough to be worth specifically hunting for.

Does the advisor ask about what you already have?

This is the single quickest filter. Before they suggest any cover, a competent advisor will dig into your existing insurance, any group cover through your employer, any inheritance you expect, and any savings. They need to know what's already protecting you so they don't recommend doubling up or leaving you with orphaned policies that no longer fit.

Listen for how they frame this conversation. If they're asking these questions to build a picture, they're doing their job. If they're asking quickly and moving straight to the sell, or if they seem to glaze over what you already have, that's a warning. Overlapping cover is a cost trap, and a thorough advisor won't let you walk into it.

How do they explain the shortfall or surplus?

After sizing your needs, an advisor should be able to walk you through their logic in plain language. Why this amount and not half or double? What assumptions are they making about your retirement age, your dependants' costs, your partner's income? If their answer is vague or built on numbers that don't stack up to your life, push back.

The best advisors will also say when you're close to the edge—when a small change in circumstances (a raise, a child moving out, a side income) shifts what cover makes sense. They'll flag that explicitly rather than pretend their number is carved in stone. That honesty matters because cover needs do shift, and an advisor who sets you up to revisit the question in a few years is saving you money down the line.

What's their approach to multiple insurers?

You want an advisor with access to a genuine range of insurers rather than a small stable. The reason isn't about getting the absolute cheapest premium—it's about whether they're choosing the product that fits your situation or the one that earns them the most, or the only one they know well.

One practical check: ask whether they'll write you a quote from at least two or three different insurers for comparison. If they can, and they're willing to do that without pushback, they're likely working from a broad panel. If they push back or say one insurer is uniquely suited to you, ask why. Sometimes there's a genuine reason. Often it's inertia or preference dressed up as expertise.

How do they handle ongoing review?

Your circumstances change. In five years you might have paid down debt, increased your income, or have a child less dependent on your income. An advisor who sizes your cover well will also build in a review rhythm—usually annual or whenever something significant shifts.

Ask upfront what that looks like and whether they charge for it. Some advisors include annual check-ins as part of their service; others may charge a small fee or expect you to reach out. The important thing is that they're not leaving you to guess whether your cover still fits, and they're not positioning every review as an upselling moment.

When you're comparing candidates, you're really asking: who will push me to think clearly about my situation, resist the temptation to oversell, and then stay accountable to that decision? On Strove, you can read advisor profiles and reviews before you talk to anyone—use that to spot who talks about fit and sustainability rather than just features and premiums.