Just Covered

n this episode of Just Covered, we invite Fraser Kerr, Regional Director of Scotland for abrdn. During this insightful half-hour chat, Fraser charts his career journey, from washing dishes to his current senior financial position, reflecting on the key pearls of wisdom he now imparts as a leader to his team. His relentless focus on a people-first approach to financial planning is inspiring – seein...

In this episode of Just Covered, we meet Phil Jeynes, Director of Corporate Strategy at Reassured. Phil is a well-recognised and respected protection expert with more than 20 years’ experience. During our thoughtful chat, he reflects personally on the change he’s seen across the industry, particularly around emphasis for ongoing customer care and how training has evolved. He also talks about his h...

In this episode of Just Covered, Hazel and Wayne invite Legal & General Performance Manager, Barry Kellegher. Unlike many, Barry has a unique perspective on customer protection, having been on both sides of the fence. He talks honestly about how his personal health crisis has transformed his outlook on life, death and critical illness cover. And most importantly, he opens-up on how he now view...

In this special episode of the Just Covered Podcast, our hosts Hazel Johnston and Wayne Holcombe are joined by Mike Jones, adviser at Mewstone Later Life.  During the conversation, Mike discusses the latest product innovations in the later life lending space, and how advisers can use them to better support clients and provide them with a more bespoke service. He also reflects on the importance of...

In this episode of the Just Covered podcast, Hazel and Wayne meet Monica Bradley, award-winning mortgage adviser and owner of Monica Bradley Associates. During this chat, she sets out the unique vision and ethos behind her firm, including her persistent emphasis on strong leadership. She also explores her approach to having a specialist team which ultimately enables each adviser to reach their max...

In this episode of the Just Covered podcast, Hazel and Wayne meet Senior Financial Consultant, James Hindley from Embrace Financial. During the conversation, James reflects on a lifetime selling protection and critical illness cover - including how he harnessed his skills, knowledge, and adept understanding of the industry. He also discusses his entry point into financial services starting in sale...

In this episode, Hazel and Wayne had the privilege of speaking with Beth, a Legal & General colleague who shared her heartfelt and poignant story about her husband Pete's battle with cancer and his unfortunate passing last year. Beth discussed the importance of having insurance, specifically critical illness cover, and life insurance, and how it impacted her family during such a challengi...

In this episode of the Just Covered podcast, Hazel and Wayne are joined by Chartered Financial Planner, George Laidlaw from Gilson Gray Financial Management. George shares his inspiring journey from working in the banking industry to where he is now and why it was important to him to achieve Chartered status despite raising his young family. Throughout George’s career he has adapted how he brings...

Special: Divorce after 50: pensions and property In this special episode of the Just Covered Podcast, our hosts Hazel Johnston and Wayne Holcombe are joined by financial planner and pensions expert, Fiona Tait, and mortgage broker and later life lending adviser, Manjit Kaur. It starts with advice, and it starts with you. When property and pensions are your client’s two largest assets, of course, i...

In this episode of the Just Covered podcast, Hazel and Wayne are joined by Sam Oakes from Financial Planner Life , where they reflect on the past year and discuss their goals for the new year. They also talk about the importance of checking in on colleagues and clients, and the power of asking the question "How are you out of 10?" to gauge someone's well-being.  This episode also co...

Happy Podcastiversay! We are so thrilled to be reaching the one-year anniversary of our podcast. It’s been an amazing journey filled with insights, opinions, and stories from advisers across the country. So thank you to all of those involved, and for making our first year a roaring success!  In this Christmas special episode of the Just Covered podcast, host Sam Oakes takes over as the interviewer...

In this episode of the Just Covered podcast, hosts Hazel and Wayne are joined by Wayne Griffiths from One Financial Solutions. He shares his journey to becoming an independent financial adviser after starting in the financial services industry in the 1990s.  Wayne discusses the challenges and uncertainties he faced during this transition and how joining a network helped to ensure compliance and su...

Dubbed the “Queen of Claims” by her colleagues and with an ability to keep protection advice both relatable and understandable – it is safe to say Amy Whittingham is one of the industry’s leading protection advisers. Amy shares with Hazel and Wayne some candid stories of where the cover she has set up has made a difference to her clients as well as exploring how to navigate the protection conversa...

We are excited to bring to you an extended “Technology Special”! The world of technology has an ever-changing landscape and evolves at such a pace so how can advisers keep abreast of the tools that can enhance their role, their customer service and provide them time to advise on protection? James Adams, Director of My Simple Mortgage, and Thora Kehoe Chief Product Officer at Smartr365 spent time w...

With 60% of businesses stating they’d cease trading within 12 months of losing a key person and 75% of businesses having some form of borrowing*, there is a clear need in the market for business protection advice. This is where Nathan Ansell comes in, owner of Hend Consulting Ltd. Nathan set up Hend Consulting Ltd just under 5 years ago to specialise in business protection. In this episode Wayne a...

We often talk to clients about diversifying their investments, and as advisers we are often asked about a diverse range of products yet how often do we consider diversifying our own business strategy? Nicola McKenzie, Co-Founder of Dunham McCarthy, DM Mortgages and MyLastWill.co.uk (to name a few!) shares how she has done just that. Nicola also shares how she will continue to do this in the future...

In this episode Wayne and Hazel are joined by not one but two fantastic guests – the founders of Bates Wilcox, Natalie and Charlotte. They came together to establish Bates Wilcox in 2019 just before the pandemic and in this episode we hear how they have taken the New Build mortgage world by storm.     Charlotte and Natalie share with us their clear passion for creating a sustainable work life bala...

Hazel and Wayne are joined by Neil Bohan, Principle and adviser at Personal Touch Kent and what a conversation it is! This episode is bursting at the seams with superb one-liners which can quickly generate client trust and loyalty when it comes to building rapport and advising on products. Neil shares with us some of his best kept sales secrets and gives such an honest insight in to why he feels p...

With consumer duty coming down the tracks, it is essential for advisers to start planning how they will bring protection into their conversations especially when we consider the cross-cutting rule “Avoid foreseeable harm to retail customers”.  But what if you are an adviser who doesn’t have time? What if you haven’t sold it for a while? What if you don’t have access to a range of products? In this...

If you’re an adviser looking to refer your protection business, this episode is the one for you! With a background in financial advice himself, almost 10 years ago Dale saw a clear gap in the market for a protection specialist firm to assist advisers with the protection conversation.  In this episode Wayne and Hazel are joined by Dale, owner of Pure Protect and Stonebridge Protect to explore what...

Hazel and Wayne are joined by Priyesh Patel - Financial Consultant at Ablestoke Financial Planning   With financial resilience forefront of consumer mind at the moment given the cost of living crisis, is it now more important than ever to ensure our customers are protected? Should resilience planning always be the starting foundation when providing financial advice? In this episode we talk to Priy...

As professionals in the financial industry, what more can we be doing to ensure our clients feel empowered with their finances? Nicola voices her views on why she feels she is a “coach” to her clients and how to build a successful  client relationships. Nicola believes we have the gift of knowledge that can help us give our clients power over their financial choices.  Nicola shares why she feels a...

Are you an adviser wanting to start recommending Business Protection? If so, this episode is for you… In this episode Hazel and Wayne welcome back Adrian Benjamin a Wealth Protection Adviser with Precise Protect. Back when we first filmed with Adrian, he mentioned his goal of entering the Business Protection market and we wanted to invite him in to hear how his first 6 months is going…     Within...