ALA Group in Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia | Insurance broker

ALA Group

Locality: Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 3 9844 0484

Address: Level 1, 158-160 Yarra St 3113 Warrandyte, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.alagroup.com.au

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• Financial planner
• Insurance broker

23.01.2022 Ever wondered how much the little darlings are costing you? Some interesting reading from the Suncorp Bank Cost of Living publication. The cost of giving your kids the life you would like for them is often at the heart of our conversations around family protection. There’s some bad news in here if you have or are planning a big family What do you think - accurate?

21.01.2022 Goverment compensation schemes, such as workers compensation or TAC can significantly limit your freedom and the choices you have to make in relation to managing your daily existence if affected by an illness or injury. You become bound to the system, the rules and the guidelines. For this reason, and many others, diligent people will look to manage the future as best they can with a quality, personalised family protection plan incorporating a lump sum payment in the event of... a serious illness or permanent disability as well as provision for replacement income. #familyprotection #controlthefuture #lifeinsurance #incomeprotection "constantly being badgered by higher forces, case managers, occupational therapist, telling me what they consider to be compensated for instead of what should be compensated" "You'd like to be free to choose. I would like to be compensated so I can move on with my life" https://www.abc.net.au//severely-injured-woman-w/11135264

19.01.2022 -- Feedback / Opinion sought -- 2 x Gold Class Movie tickets to be given to one contributor at the end of this week. One of the types of insurances we provide advice on is 'Child Cover'.... In addition to your own personal insurance policies, you can add Child Cover as an additional benefit. This type of policy will pay you a lump sum if one of your children suffers from a serious illness / injury. The most commonly claimed upon event is cancer but there are around 18 events covered. The insurance is 'designed' to help reduce the financial pressure of such an event. That pressure would likely come from medical bills and time off work. The rough cost is $1 per month per $10,000 worth of cover. You can generally hold up to $200k of cover per child while they are between the age of 2 - 18. **Question: How do you feel about this type of insurance?** If you have a different opinion to one of the two options below, please post in the comments. In order to win the movie tickets, you need to also 'Like' our page. Thank you for your feedback :)

18.01.2022 A great talk last night by Steve Biddulph - best selling author of 'Raising Girls', among others. As parents of two girls, in one respect it was horrifying to learn about the increase in mental health pressures and issues facing YOUNG girls, but on the other it was comforting to know that by just getting a few simple but important fundamentals right we will be well prepared to help them navigate their way through to adulthood successfully. Also, it was really encouraging an...d refreshing to see an absolute full house of parents who are clearly committed to protecting their kids and helping them be the best they can be. There is a clear link between this and the smart, committed decisions our clients make to protect their kids from any sort of bad luck that might come the family's way. Highly recommend getting along to one of Steve's chats if you're in an around Victoria as we need to see a change in the way girls are handling the pressures put on them that they are now facing at a much younger age. #familyprotection #important See more

18.01.2022 Always nice to get feedback like this Hi Mike, It was reassuring talking to you and I’m confident we will find something suitable. Thank you for listening and dealing with this with such care. I’m not sure I can articulate how much that means to me, and I’m sure, other clients must feel the same way.... People like you really bring meaning into what you do!

17.01.2022 A sad and real reminder of why income protection AND trauma insurance can be invaluable in a time of need. This type of story is all too common on these fundraising sites

15.01.2022 - FREE PERSONAL INSURANCE AUDIT - If you're like most people we meet, you've lost touch with your life and income protection insurances. You may have had them arranged by the bank at some stage or through your super fund.... But you've forgotten exactly what you're covered for and have no idea if it's any good and how it compares to the market. By sending through your most recent policy communication or super statement, we can easily tell you this which at a minimum will put your mind at ease. It might even mean we can save you some money. Drop us a message and we'd be happy to help. Don't leave it until it's too late.

11.01.2022 Important information about your personal insurances (life and/or income protection insurance) during this period of disruption This information is relevant to all policy holders but in particular those that either: - Obtained your insurances through a bank and have no personal ongoing contact person to discuss this with; - Obtained your insurance via a broker but have no personal ongoing relationship with that person;... - Obtained your insurance direct with the insurance company and have no personal ongoing relationship person to discuss this with; or - Hold your insurance through your super fund Important information 1. Nearly all policies DO NOT have any type of pandemic exclusion, however some insurances provided by industry super funds have a waiting period on claims relating to pandemics (i.e. for the first 30 days after you obtain the policy it is excluded) 2. Income Protection insurance is not designed to replace your income if you are made redundant or you experience a loss of revenue from a disruption such as this. It will provide you with a replacement income if you are sick or injured and unable to work 3. If you are involuntarily unemployed (as an employee or business owner), your insurance policy may contain a provision to waive premiums for a period of time (between 3 6 months) 4. Some insurers will allow you to suspend your policy premiums for a period of time but this will result in not being covered during this time 5. Letting your policy lapse should be the last resort given the challenges of reobtaining cover If you fall into one of the categories mentioned above, please reach out and we can assist you in finding the right information for you and help you make good decisions. Stay strong and be kind.

11.01.2022 Always so nice getting this feedback, knowing you've helped someone make an informed decision that they are really happy with.

10.01.2022 Celebrating 4 years in business today. We are so lucky getting to meet and know the families that we do. We are grateful that they let us into their lives and trust us enough to share what they do so that we can help protect what's most important to them. Unfortunately the nature of our business means we are with these families in bad times too. We are proud however to say that we have helped in facilitating claim payouts of over $10million during this time, justifying the ...decisions these people have made to look after themselves and their loved ones when life throws a curve ball their way. Thank you for the support thus far.

09.01.2022 Planning for the worst case scenario. It's a very strange thing to do. Planning for an event that you never ever want your loved ones to have to deal with. A parent passing away unexpectantly - making sure the surviving parent and kids are looked after. Having just updated our own personal insurances given a change in circumstances, it has been interesting to reconsider the questions we ask our clients....... If one of us were to pass away, in what situation would we like to leave the other and the kids? The obvious answer (to us) is - "no worse off, potentially slightly better off". This means clearing debt, replacing lost income and ensuring that there is no pressure to return to work because if there is, this will adversely affect the kids even further. This results in a fairly high level of life insurance (which comes at a cost) but for us this is a no brainer. Why would we want the other person and kids to need to make sacrifices and be placed under stress at a time when their life has been turned upside down. But it's always surprising when some of our clients tell us that they'd be happy for the surviving parent to sell the house and downsize and for that person to return to work immediately (for the sake of saving a few hundred dollars per year). Selling a house under pressure and returning to work could be just about the two worst things you could do as a single grieving parent. We understand there is a need to find balance and we try and help our clients find that, but ensuring the emotional wellbeing of the family is looked after has to be pretty high up the list.

09.01.2022 REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT INSURANCE PROVIDED BY YOUR SUPERANNUATION FUND As at July 1 2019, if your superannuation account is 'inactive' (see below) and you don't formally 'opt in' to retain your insurance cover, your super fund is obliged to cancel your cover - potentially leaving you and your family exposed. An inactive super fund means, in the last 16 months:... - no rollovers have been made into or out of the fund. - no contributions have been received by your fund; - no ad-hoc lump sum withdrawals have been made; or - no pension payments have been made from your fund; IF you rely on insurance held through your super fund and your account is inactive, get on to it now. Talk to us, we can help.

09.01.2022 Trauma insurance - a life saver? Great news here on revolutionary cancer therapy but at a potential cost of $598,000, could you afford this life saving treatment without appropriate protection such as trauma insurance? "Quite simply, it means my children get to celebrate this Christmas and hopefully many, many more with their dad," she said. "There could be no greater gift." https://www.theage.com.au//revolutionary-cancer-drug-using

06.01.2022 Getting outcomes and removing the stress. It's what we do.

06.01.2022 Some nice words from a client we've been able to help out during a challenging time -------------------------- Whats the point of having an adviser, once your insurance is in place?... I work in the financial services industry and know how life insurance works. I have a decent insurance program in place with comprehensive income protection, TPD and life insurance, all underwritten with reputable insurers. If something happens to me, i know exactly what to do... One day in April 2018, a small lymph node in my neck all of a sudden swelled up to a golf ball size over night. I went to the doctor, did blood tests, ultra sound and a biopsy and 3 days later got the diagnosis - "you have cancer" and here is a referral to a specialist. -What happens now? My family? Am I going to die? In this situation, the last thing you want to think about is which insurance company should i call? What should i say and what forms should i fill out? I did make the initial call to my insurance company, who was helpful, and sent me the paperwork to complete. Then i got busy! Surgeon, scans, radiologists, oncologists, treatment plans, all whilst trying to juggle impact on family and the stress of the situation. No paperwork got completed, and it was the last thing on my mind. I spoke to Mike from ALA group and he offered to handle the claim for me and do all the liaising with the insurance company. I have known Mike for a long time and he is definitely the guy who you want to have in your corner when the situation is serious. Mike managed the whole process, including ensuring that I provided the initial information, whilst I was busy with treatments. It could be as simple as me sending a photo of a document, and Mike would ensure everything was provided correctly. My insurance policy is owned by my superannuation fund and between the fund and the insurance company, they doubled and tripled on enquiries, which i could just ignore and focus on my treatment and family. Mike managed my claim for 5 months without me having to think about it, and it provided me and my family with the security that you need, when going through an event like that. Getting appropriate and affordable insurance in place is all well and good, but it is when the rubber meets the road and something happens that it matters who you have in your corner to help you. You will not find a better adviser than Mike from ALA group, to have in your corner, when you need it!

06.01.2022 If you obtained life insurance or income protection either through the bank, over the phone or with a broker who you've lost touch with or who only remains in contact with a cheesy birthday card, read on... 1. your needs change over time and should be reviewed annually with your broker; 2. the market changes. Whilst often it is not ideal to change insurers, it is worth considering on a regular basis 3. If you need to claim, who do you have assisting and advocating for you? Th...is is the job of your broker, who needs to be an expert in the field. ALA Group provides a complimentary annual review service. When our clients need to claim, we roll our sleeves up and get the best outcome possible with the least distraction. If you 'read on', let us know as we can help you with a minimum of fuss. Family protection is just too important to leave to chance.

05.01.2022 Who else has ditched their health insurance because the value equation no longer stacks up? "many had gradually come to realise that Medicare was adequate, their policies had exclusions, and they may be better off paying their own way in a private hospital, if necessary" If you still want some protection from the consequences of a SERIOUS illness such as cancer, stroke, heart attack, MS etc, but without the premium, talk to us about Trauma Insurance.... https://www.theage.com.au//more-australians-dispose-of-hea

04.01.2022 Today: Talking to a widow who has been left behind along with her three daughters by her formerly young and healthy husband is very confonting and sad. An illness first thought to be the flu but within days proved to be much worse has changed this family's life forever. *Mark* dealt with all of the financial affairs and fortunately in this instance had made arrangements for a significant but appropriate level of life insurance that will mean *Kate* and the girls will be well looked after and don't have financial as well as emotional distress to deal with.

03.01.2022 Something worth thinking about...

02.01.2022 As is so often the case, we had a new client who we started talking to in July last year but had let things drop to the bottom of the pile call to hurriedly get her life, income protection and trauma insurances in place as she had a bit of a scare with one of her friends. Her friend - a young mother diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in her neck. Someone who she never thought would get sick given the way she looks after herself. A little bit like the way she feels about her own self. Sometimes unfortunately it takes these things appearing so close to home for people to act on making plans to protect their family. Do yourself and your family a favour and get it sorted now before it's too late.

01.01.2022 Looking forward to helping a client lodge a PARTIAL claim on their trauma insurance policy this week. At a recent meeting this client mentioned their sight was deteriorating in one eye. Thankfully (unbeknownst to them) their trauma insurance policy allows for a partial payment in the event the policy holder suffers loss of sight in one eye to the extent of 6/60 or less (DVA test). A visit to the optometrist this weekend confirmed this to be the case. 25% of the $160k sum insured makes for a nice tax free payment for this family.

01.01.2022 Just dropped in to see a client whose factory I drove past by coincidence. Before Christmas we were helping him with an Income Protection claim for an injury he sustained 10months prior. He had a couple of weeks off at the time and then a few more at the end of the year when he had surgery. He doesn’t have a high income and for the relatively short amount of time he had off work the insurance company calculated his benefit payment at around $2.5k which on the face of it made ...sense. Because we took the time to understand the t&c’s of his policy in intimate detail we argued that he was actually entitled to more like $6k. We got the benefit paid a couple of days before Christmas. Today he looked very relaxed and was very thankful for the work we did. Why? Because without it he was stressing that he would have to work extra days over xmas/New Years and would have to put his kids in care. Instead, he was able to spend those days with his kids who he doesn’t get to see very often due to spending most of the time with their Mum. So our efforts were appreciated by him not because his bank balance was higher but because with our help he got to spend valued time with his kids. Priceless. Sometimes it’s the small wins that mean the most and this is certainly one of those. Just seeing the relaxed and content look on his face. This is why we do what we do. This is why we specialise and this is why people should partner with a specialist.