Top Five Reasons Why our Customers Choose Us

The best source of business is the referrals we receive form our customers. So why do people choose The Expert Insurance Group for their Insurance cover?

  1. We are push button free! Our phone is always answered by a real person. We know you want to talk to us, so you’ll get straight through to an adviser. If you prefer to speak to a person instead of listening to a machine, then you should be dealing with us.
  2. Insurance is complicated. We are happy to take the time to explain your cover to you so you can really understand what you are buying. We invest heavily in developing our staff so you can be confident that you are getting the right advice when you call. All of our staff (including our support and accounts team) are required to achieve the Chartered Insurance Institute Cert CII Qualification.
  3. Your time is precious. We understand that you want a policy that provides comprehensive protection at the best price. We do the hard work, so you don’t have to. We are an independent whole of market broker. You can be confident that we will find the best policy for you and provide you with the best advice.
  4. We don’t charge fees, if you decide not to use us, we won’t charge you.
  5. Added value. We give great advice – if you buy a policy from us and need help understanding the insurance cover that your customers want you to buy or in checking that your suppliers or subcontractors have in place policies that are adequate to protect you, we can help. Our checking service is free to all customers.

For a free quotation please call us on 01825 745 410 and we’ll be delighted to help you.

Why Insurance is like a fine wine

If you have ever bought a cheap bottle of wine then you’ll appreciate the bitter disappointment of knowing that you’ve wasted your money. Insurance is no different. Sure there are lots of ways to buy cheap cover on the internet, but most of the cheap policies have hidden terms and conditions in the small print, so you can never be sure that you are buying a policy that will protect you in the event of a claim. The old adage if it looks too good to be true it probably is applies.

How can you be sure that you will be properly protected? Insurance doesn’t have to be expensive, in the same way that a five to seven pound bottle of wine will be perfectly adequate for everyday quaffing, a reasonably priced insurance policy can be perfectly adequate to protect your home or business. The Expert Insurance Group can certainly help you with one of these!

If your home or business is a bit unusual, maybe you run a wine importers business from home or are engaging in an unsual business venture, you will need something a bit more tailored to your needs. We’d compare this type of cover to the slightly more expensive wines you’d get from an independent off licence rather than a supermarket. These policies will probably cost a little more than your everyday cover, but you’ll have the confidence that the cover will be absolutely right for you – and you wont be left with a nasty taste (like corked wine) to upset you if you need to make a claim.

Moving up the range we have the bespoke, really special or unusual risks. Like the vintage and fine wines the cost of a high net home policy, business insurance for a multi million pound business, cover for a large property portfolio or major building project is going to cost a bit more, but the cover that you get will be as unique as the risk to be insured.

The Expert Insurance Group can provide help and advice to individuals, and businesses big and small. For a free quotation please call us on 01825 745 410 and we’ll be delighted to help you.

Finally please remember the Expert Insurance Group is authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority to sell General insurance – we aren’t licensed to sell alcohol!

Why choose our Professional Indemnity Insurance Services?

A claim or allegation from a customer is often a heart stopping moment. Even when you know you have done everything right, having the confidence in your ability to defend your business is essential. A great Professional Indemnity policy provides the freedom that amazing estate agents rely on to develop and grow brilliant businesses. 

The Expert Insurance Group have been helping professionals with their insurance requirements for years. We know that you want a policy that offers the best value for money and provides full peace of mind. Most of our customers choose us because they know that they will get straight through to one of our lovely Sussex based trained advisors when they call – first time every time. If they do need to make a claim they are confident of being able to get hold of an expert straight away.

Our fabulous advisors provide independent advice on Professional Indemnity policies from the whole of market. All of our policies comply with the requirements of regulatory bodies. So if you are looking for great value professional indemnity insurance to protect your practice then talking to PI Expert is an excellent place to start.

For a free quotation please call us on 01825 745 410 and we’ll be delighted to help you. Alternatively please download, complete and return the attached proposal form we’ll be happy to find the best deal for you.

Home Insurance Advice for the Back to School Season

As a child the ubiquitous back to school notices which appeared in the shop windows from July onwards were a source of constant irritation.  How things change!

As a parent those self same notices herald the return of peace and sanity to the homestead during daylight hours and a significant reduction in the demands on the family budget, the coffers having taken a final pounding in the dog days of August with the purchase of school uniforms and pairs of shoes and trainers for every possible pass time.

Until recently most students heading off to University did so with a backpack of disreputable t-shirts, torn jeans, a portable TV and a cd/radio player. The most expensive item that my sister took was a wok.  Today’s University students are laden down with the latest tech and a suitcase full of designer gear. Some will head into halls, others into shared flats and houses without a second thought for the value of the items that they are carrying with them.

University Students are more careful with their goods and chattels than your average school pupil (my own son managed to average one lost school fleece, polo shirt or sweatshirt a week – he never lost the cheap non branded items – why would he?), however even the most careful student can be the victim of crime and its sensible to get some protection against loss or damage to the things they take away.

The best place to get cover for a smart phone is from your mobile phone provider. The insurance that they provide should include cover for the cost of any calls made by a thief as well as the cost of lists or damage to the phone itself. Check with your provider for full details of coverage and any excess that might apply.

Many home insurance policies include an extension that covers children’s possessions whilst they are at university, however this may be limited to quite a small amount and may not cover items in halls or shared accommodation.  Check with your insurers to find out exactly what your policy covers.

iPads, laptops, and other tech items can also be insured as an extension to the parents household insurance policy, however you will need to make sure that your policy includes cover for items taken outside of the home as many of these things will be on the move every time your child leaves their room. Don’t forget to cover bicycles and sporting equipment too.

If your home insurers won’t or can’t cover everything then there are specialist insurance policies available that are designed to cover students possessions. These can be quite limited and may exclude shared accommodation or limit cover for tech items, so be sure to ask for proper advice.

If you need Home Insurance call The Expert Insurance Group 01825 745 410 – we’ll be happy to help.

If you didn’t turn up for work tomorrow would your business survive? And if so, how long could it keep trading?

Many company owners drive the sales in their own businesses or perform a vital role which can’t be replaced quickly, easily or as cheaply. A business owner passing away is not only a personal and emotional loss, but it has a big impact financially on both the family and company.

Would your spouse, partner or children be capable of continuing to run the business and, if they are, would they want to do so? Have you thought about what would need to happen to sell the business for the best price or to close it down in an orderly manner?

The Expert Insurance Group can help you arrange a keyman policy to protect the financial health of your business in the event that you, or other key members of staff, were to die. The money can be used to pay for an interim manager to cover a prolonged period of absence or to manage the business whilst it is prepared for sale or run down. It could be used to pay someone to complete work that you are contracted to do, cover a short term downturn in profits or to pay employees or suppliers. It can cover critical illness as well as death.

Speaking to an advisor from the Expert Insurance Group is a great place to start. An advisor that specialises in business protection will look at your current and future financial business plans and help you decide on the type of protection that is best for you as an individual and your company. Then we’ll help you set up a suitable trust that will make sure that your wishes are carried out.

Get the right Business Protection. Call us today for a free quotation 01825 745 410

Cyber Crime – It could be you

Every business is vulnerable to cyber crime.

The cost of recovering from a cyber outrage is not limited to downtime or the costs of restoring the data. You may take time to recover your reputation, both on and off line, you may lose clients and you may even be fined.

If a cyber terrorist has been in your system for too long your back up may be useless. Could you afford to respond to an attack on your business?

Cyber terrorists are just as interested in small and medium businesses as they are big ones – in fact more so – a SME is less likely to have the money to protect themselves as well as a larger company.

Even companies that have taken all the right precautions can be affected – a regular tried and tested back up, virus protection and firewalls might stop external threats, but the biggest risk to business can be the member of staff who gets taken in by a genuine looking email or attachment. Or your own home grown cyber terrorists who use the company IT for their own personal use.

One of our clients were infected with the Cryptolocker virus. This locks down the system and demands a ransom to release the files. Although our clients had off site back ups, managed in the cloud and robust cyber resilience plans, they still lost days of work while the systems were initially restored and then fell over again, not once, not twice, but three times.

The business eventually rolled back their backups three weeks which required rekeying of data as well as catching up with lost work.

The cost of the cyber clean up and down time was in excess of £250,000 in lost fees, temporary staff costs, data and system clean up and restoration across their five offices. A cyber liability policy that cost just £109.50 per year reimbursed them and kept their business alive.

Get the right Cyber Protection. Call us today for a free quotation 01825 745 410

Who inherits?

You probably have a will that leaves your assets to your spouse, partner, family or friends. If this includes shares in your own business have you thought about how this will affect your business and any other shareholders? What would your family do with their share of your business?

Shareholdings in small and medium sized businesses tend to reflect the value that the shareholder brings to the business. It is unlikely that the heirs to your estate will be able to contribute the same level of value as you do to the business, however they will be still entitled to the same level of dividends as you would have been. They will also have the same voting rights and “say” in the direction of the business going forward.Spouses, partners, families and friends may not share the same rapport with your business partners as you do. Equally you may not get on with the people that your business partners love enough to leave their shares to.

According to research 45% of UK business owners expect the remaining owners to buy their share of the business in the event of their death, however only 40% of companies have taken out cover to ensure that funds are available for the purchase. In any event there is no guarantee what will happen to the shares unless you have a shareholders agreement in place.

Regardless of the arrangements, money will need to change hands and this could be a substantial amount. The Expert Insurance Group can arrange a life insurance policy that pays a sum of money into a trust if you die and provides the surviving partners with the money to purchase your shares.

To ensure the money is used to buy the shares inherited by the family a legal agreement is put in place. The documentation is pretty straight forward but an extremely important part of the process. The money is then paid directly to the beneficiaries of the will.

Get the right Business Protection. Call us today for a free quotation 01825 745 410

Loans and Overdrafts

Every business is different, but most small businesses have one thing in common – they rely on specific individuals to operate. If your company has a loan or an overdraft, you might find that the bank wants to recall your facility if a key member of staff dies or becomes ill. Often this is the time when the business needs the money most.

It’s a good idea to consider what debt your business has and the loan facilities that it might need and put provisions in place to ensure these are repaid on the death of one of the business owners. Over 50 per cent of business owners have no protection cover for their corporate debt, yet paying off debt quickly through loan protection is an ideal way to improve cash flow and can provide the business financial breathing space to reorder their affairs without additional pressure on the company finances.

Most business owners will have insured their buildings, contents and stock, however business protection can be something that is easily overlooked. It’s easy to think it’s something that ‘can be left till later’ but you never know what’s around the corner……

Speaking to an advisor from the Expert Insurance Group is a great place to start. An advisor that specialises in business protection will look at your current and future financial business plans and help you decide on the type of protection that is best for you as an individual and your company. Then we’ll help you set up a suitable trust that will make sure that your wishes are carried out.

Get the right Business Protection. Call us today for a free quotation 01825 745 410