Show Notes
In this episode of My Risk Adviser, Phil Thompson and Trent Bacon sit down with Gabi Varnier, National Underwriting Manager at PPS Mutual, to lift the lid on how underwriting decisions are really made. They explore why underwriting is not about saying no, but about finding a way to offer cover, and how experience, judgement and data all come together behind the scenes when complex cases are assessed.
The conversation goes deep on pre assessments, mental health disclosures, lifestyle risks and the importance of trust between advisers and underwriters. Gabi explains why better fact finding upfront leads to better outcomes, how strong adviser relationships lead to smoother assessments, and why underwriting is becoming more individualised rather than more restrictive. It is an honest look at the part of the advice process most clients never see, but that matters more than almost anything else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from My Risk Adviser
19 years in advice, three business names, one industry that never really lets go of him. Matt Page from Sprout Financial Services sat down with us straight off the plane from Melbourne and we went deep into the stuff advisers actually talk about when the cameras aren't rolling. ACC and how it quietly reshapes every income protection conversation in New Zealand. KiwiSaver versus super, and why one system lets cash-poor young families insure themselves and the other doesn't.
Zurich has knocked back TPD claims from three AFL players whose careers were ended by concussion, and the footy media is up in arms about it. We get why it looks bad. But these policies pay out on an activities of daily living definition, and it's hard to argue you can't read, write or communicate while you're studying an MBA at Oxford. Trent and Phil talk through what actually happened. The three TPD definitions and why AFL players only ever get the strictest one. Who set these policies up in the first place and why the premiums for anything better would be eye-watering. Zurich pulling concussion cover altogether from 1 May. The AFL's own $54 million injury fund. And James Brayshaw's claim that Zurich makes $10 billion in profit, which is out by quite a lot.
Every week, Phil and Trent dig into the My Risk Adviser Facebook group to pull out the most interesting questions and debates from real risk advisers dealing with real problems.
Zurich’s pricing changes are being framed as aggressive, but from an actuarial lens, they’re a response to worsening pool dynamics. Duration-based discounting pulls forward profitability, while lapse-supported pricing assumptions break down when persistency improves among higher-risk cohorts. The result is predictable. Loss ratios expand and repricing follows.
Most advisers aren’t short on CPD. They’re just not capturing what’s already happening.