General

Why use an Insurance Broker?
Insurance is a complex field with most insurers only dealing directly with a qualified, licensed insurance adviser. By using a qualified insurance adviser, you will have access to many insurers who do not deal directly with the public, have independent advice relating to your needs and have assistance at the time of a claim to ensure you receive your maximum entitlements in the shortest time-frame.

What does an insurance adviser do?
A qualified insurance adviser, will assist you to understand your existing claims exposures and minimize the risk in the future. Your adviser will also act as your intermediary in dealing with insurers in negotiating the coverage, cost and assist in the claims process.

How is an insurance adviser paid?
Your Risk Adviser works on a commission and/or fee basis. For the majority of clients we work on a commission and fee basis, with insurers paying a commission on the insurance policies and the client paying a broker fee. Any fee’s charged will be include within our quotes/invoices and are not a separate charge. For larger clients and those who would prefer we work on a fee only basis, we can rebate or offset our commissions and work on a fee only basis. Please note fee only work, must be negotiated prior to engaging our services.

Which insurers does Your Risk Adviser use?
Your Risk Adviser has access to over 100 of Australia’s leading insurers, underwriters and placement facilities, with many insurers dealing exclusively through risk advisers.

How can I pay my premium?
We accept payment by Credit Card, Cheque and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

What payment options do you have available?
Through the various insurers we use, as well as through premium funding we are able to organize payment options to suit your needs. These include annual payments, monthly, quarterly and half yearly.

What types of insurance do you offer?
Your Risk Adviser is able to assist individuals and business’ with all their insurance needs. There is almost no policy or coverage we are unable to get

Is my personal information confidential?
Yes. For a full outline please refer to our privacy policy listed under the compliance tab in the left hand column.

 
Buying/Renewing/Canceling your policy

Will my insurance policy renew automatically?
Your Risk Adviser will generally contact you 4 – 8 weeks prior to your renewal to review your insurance needs and complete any renewal declarations that are required by insurers to offer terms. We will than produce your renewal paperwork a minimum of 14 days prior to renewal for your consideration.

Whilst we aim to ensure that insurance coverage is seamless from year to year, certain insurance policies can not be renewed without full paperwork being received prior to your renewal date. These policies are primarily Professional Indemnity, Contract Works and Management Liability.

Can I change my coverage mid-term?
Yes, the majority of insurance policies can be modified mid-term to meet your changing insurance needs, with any refunds or additional premiums reflecting the changes made and time remaining on the policy.

You would have received a “How to make a change” guide when you were issued with your original paperwork, this would have included the relevant forms and instructions relevant to making common changes such as change of address or vehicle.
Obviously for those who would prefer to talk to their risk adviser or with more complicated changes please contact Your Risk Adviser on 1300 815 344.

Can I cancel my policy mid-term?
Yes, the majority of insurance policies can be canceled mid-term, in order to cancel coverage we require written instructions to cancel coverage and the date coverage is to be canceled. Please note that Your Risk Adviser is entitled to refund premiums net (less any fees and commissions) and charge any waived fee’s you have consented to when establishing cover.


Quotes

Why don’t you have DIY online quoting?
Whilst there are many web sites that offer instant online quoting, Your Risk Adviser believes that this is a disservice to customers. Most individuals and business’ we deal with are either incorrectly insured (wrong coverage or no coverage), have the incorrect sums insured or are unaware of their coverage limitations and conditions.

Whilst we aim to provide educational information within this site to assist consumers, to evaluate and understand their insurance needs, the information provided is still only the basics.

An example of a typical DIY policy on the internet is Income Protection Insurance. DIY sites will provide you with a pricing matrix and the ability to start cover but won’t take into consideration:

• Which insurer provides a 25% discount to individuals with 5 years industry experience.
• Which policy will provide cover in the event of a partial disability
• Individual occupation activities, pastimes and potential loadings

Without the assistance of a qualified insurance adviser, you stand a high probability of paying more than you need too for insurance, and the possibility of not covering what you are after the policy to cover.

How long will it take to get a quote?
For quote enquiries submitted through this web site, we will aim to touch base within 24 hrs to introduce ourselves, and get additional information on your needs and objectives to assist us in recommending an insurer, and portfolio to meet your needs.

The time taken to present our findings from the various insurers back to you varies with typical estimates as follows:

Please note whilst these are the standard delivery times, we can generally provide terms in a shorter time frame, however can’t guarantee that all insurers approached, will have provided terms.


Discounts

Do you offer a discount for insuring multiple policies?
Whilst Your Risk Adviser will always attempt to obtain the most comprehensive and competitive terms available, we do find that insurers are more prepared to negotiate when looking at an overall insurance portfolio as opposed to a single policy.

What can I do to get additional discounts?
Your Risk Adviser recommends that all your insurance policies be renewed on a common date. This increases the insurers discounting ability, as well as allows us to reduce our fees due to the streamlining of your portfolio.

Can I transfer my existing insurance policies from another broker or direct insurer?
Yes, you can transfer your existing insurance policies from other brokers and a large number of direct insurers at any time without incurring any charges or penalties. Essentially you are instructing the insurers to transfer your file to our office, with no change in coverage, premium or policy number. The benefit to transferring your policies, is that you will have a central point of contact relevant to all your insurance policies, and will benefit from the “bulk buying power” that pooling your policies may achieve.

Can I get a discount if I have additional security for my business, vehicle or home?
Most insurers will provide a discount on premiums should you have additional security measures in place over the minimum requirements. Whilst the discount obtained will often not cover the cost of the security measures taken, Your Risk Adviser strongly recommends that additional measures be considered as “prevention is better than a cure”.
 

Claims

What do I do if I need to make a claim?
You would have received a “How to lodge a claim” guide when you were issued with your original paperwork, this would have included the relevant forms and contact numbers and instructions relevant to your insurer and insurance class.

You will also find a generic guide and forms in the claims tab on the left hand side of your screen. You can use the information contained within this section, or alternatively contact our office on 1300 815 344 to speak to Your Risk Adviser for personalized claims advice.