Honouring your clients’ legacy starts with a conversation

When advisers think about “heritage,” the conversation often revolves around wealth transfer, succession planning, and family values. Yet an equally critical – but frequently overlooked – aspect is a client’s family health history. For financial advisers, this information can be vital in shaping risk assessments, structuring life cover, and guiding clients towards more holistic financial planning.

Many people assume that a family history of illness makes life insurance unattainable or unaffordable, but that’s a myth. At Momentum Life Insurance we believe nsurers consider multiple factors when underwriting, and family health history is just one piece of the puzzle.

Why family health history matters in underwriting

For advisers, understanding how health heritage affects life cover helps frame realistic conversations with clients. Family history doesn’t automatically exclude someone from obtaining life insurance, but it can influence the structure and cost of cover.

• Family patterns: A history of illnesses like cancer, diabetes or heart disease in close relatives can be flagged as higher risk.
• Cost of cover: Premiums may rise if hereditary risks are present, but in most cases clients can still secure cover.
• Policy conditions: Advisers should prepare clients for possible exclusions, particularly where hereditary links are strong.
• Timing of illness: Illness diagnosed later in life (after age 65, for example) typically carries less underwriting weight.
• Lifestyle factors: Healthy choices such as not smoking, eating well and exercising can positively influence underwriting outcomes and premiums.

This means advisers play a key role in encouraging clients to disclose full family health details upfront. Transparency protects policy validity and prevents claim-stage complications — a critical trust factor in adviser-client relationships.

The adviser’s role: balancing risk and reassurance

Advisers often find themselves navigating client concerns around disclosure. Some clients fear higher premiums or declined applications, and may be tempted to underreport. Here, advisers must emphasise that disclosure is non-negotiable and that underwriters assess risk in context, not in isolation.

Bothma notes that lifestyle choices can offset many risks. Advisers who position this positively can empower clients: “Yes, your family history matters, but your own lifestyle and wellbeing carry significant weight.” This creates a practical opportunity for advisers to integrate financial and health planning, reinforcing their role as holistic partners in long-term wellbeing.

Timing is everything

For younger clients, the conversation is even more important. A family history of diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease may not manifest until later in life, but by then obtaining cover could be more expensive or limited. Advisers should stress that the best time to secure life cover is while clients are still healthy and insurable. Acting early gives clients more choice, better pricing, and long-term peace of mind.

Heritage Month: a client engagement opportunity

Heritage Month offers a timely opportunity for advisers to raise the conversation around family health history. Encouraging clients to talk with their families about medical backgrounds not only strengthens trust but also positions advisers as proactive, forward-thinking partners.

Framing health history as part of financial legacy planning allows advisers to connect the dots: just as clients want to protect traditions, values and wealth, they also want to safeguard their family’s financial future through life cover that stands the test of time.

Key takeaway for advisers

Your clients’ health heritage is more than a risk factor — it’s an engagement tool. By guiding transparent conversations, framing lifestyle choices positively, and stressing the importance of early action, advisers can help clients secure cover that protects their families and honours their legacy.