Protection guide · 2026 edition
You've insured the dog. What about you?
Most of us insure our phones, our cars and our boilers. The one thing that pays for all of it, you, often has no cover at all. This guide explains the four main types of protection in plain English. No sales pitch.
- Life insurance, and the difference between level and decreasing cover
- Critical illness cover, and why surviving can be surprisingly expensive
- Income protection, the one most people have never heard of
- Family income benefit, the underrated one that pays out like a salary
Should you fail to disclose or misrepresent a fact, then you risk the insurer only paying part of a claim, declining to pay all of the claim or possibly declaring the policy invalid.
Sources: GOV.UK and Acas, Statutory Sick Pay from 6 April 2026; Cancer Research UK, lifetime cancer risk; Association of British Insurers, protection claims data for 2025, published June 2026.
What's inside
Nine chapters. No sales pitch.
What each type of cover does, what people use it for, and what can happen to a family when there is nothing in place. The least exciting thing you will read this week, and possibly the most useful.
- 01
Why protection matters
Your income is your biggest asset, and the three big “what ifs”
- 02
Life insurance
Level or decreasing, single or joint, and putting it in trust
- 03
Critical illness cover
Surviving is the good news. Paying for it is the hard part
- 04
Income protection
Insuring the pay packet that pays for everything
- 05
Family income benefit
A monthly income for your family, not one big lump sum
- 06
Side by side
The four covers compared, and what you might already have through work
- 07
Myths and excuses
“I’m young, I’m healthy, I’ll sort it next year”
- 08
Protection-speak, translated
Term, sum assured, deferred period and trusts in plain English
- 09
What's next
Working out what, if anything, makes sense for you
Ask Alan tip · from chapter 07
The best time to sort your cover was when you got your mortgage. The second best time is now. I'd put that on a mug, but I'm not sure anyone would buy it.
Who's writing this
Hey, I'm Alan.
The Alan in Ask Alan Mortgages. I help people across the UK buy, remortgage and protect their homes. The protecting bit is closer to home than you might think: I'm a husband and a dad to two daughters, and I've sat at my own kitchen table and done the maths.
I've worked with young couples with their first mortgage, self-employed tradespeople who can't afford a week off, and parents who found out their only cover was tied to a job they might not have in five years.
“Plain English, no jargon, and the same advice I'd give a friend. That's the whole job.”
Protect what matters most.
Twenty minutes with the guide, and you will know exactly where your family stands.
Initial consultations are completely free of charge. There's no obligation to proceed and there is no fee for protection advice.