If you’re an employer, you really should consider Pinnacle Life’s online life insurance offer for your staff. 

WHY OUR OFFER IS ATTRACTIVE    

As a Corporate Partner, we’ll offer your staff a discount on our premiums as well as an added accidental death benefit, absolutely free.  And since our insurance premiums are already lower than the market average by around 13%, the added staff discount makes our offer extremely attractive. 

HOW IT WORKS  

Each employee can buy up to $500,000 of individual life cover from us online. It can be offered to staff as a ‘top-up’ to traditional ‘Group Life’ or as a substitute.  If a link is provided from the participating company’s intranet, we’re only one click away.  Staff can choose the amount of cover they need and take out the policy with us directly.  Other than offering staff access to our product and enabling the discount, the company is not involved.  

WELCOME   

Pinnacle Life welcomes the following companies that have joined as Corporate Partners in the past two months:  

- Revera  (Technology) 

- Glaister Ennor  (Legal) 

- MGI Wilson Elliot  (Accounting) 

- Huckleberry Farms  (Health food retailer) 

- Protea Pacific  (Legal) 

- Diners Club Card  (Financial services) 

- DRAFT FCB  (Advertising)  

If your company is interested in partnering with Pinnacle Life in order to gain access to this staff benefit, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. (Auckland 522-5515 – ask for Steve or Ed)

According to this study, people who take short naps during the day cut their risk of dying of heart problems by at least a third. 

The study was carried out by University of Athens researchers on 23,000 men and women aged between 20 and 86 and recruited in the period 1994 to 1999.  Researchers found that people who had a short sleep at midday had a 34% lower chance of dying from heart disease than those who stayed awake all day.

The reasons given were pretty obvious – sleeping reduces stress which in turn reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. But what was startling about the research was the effect of a midday nap on ‘working’ men.  Regular midday sleepers in this group had a 64% lower risk of death from heart disease!! 

So which life insurer will be the first to reward midday nappers with lower life insurance premiums?  Dream on…  

A joint life insurance policy is where two people’s lives are covered under the same policy. Who does this?  Typically a husband and wife will collaborate to buy a joint policy.  If either one dies, the policy will pay out. 

Why is a joint policy a good idea? 

Simply… it’s efficient.  Both partners can be covered under a single policy.  This is usually reflected in the price – one policy is less work to administer than two policies – so the life insurer will charge a little less.  

What’s the problem? 

There is no problem… UNLESS there is a separation or a divorce and the situation becomes acrimonious.  In order to split the policy into two policies or make changes to the beneficiaries of the policy or to change the level of cover, or make any change to the policy whatsoever, you have to have the written AGREEMENT of all the owners of the policy – elusive in the circumstances wouldn’t you say?  And if both parties own the policy and they can’t agree, then the policy can’t be split or changed.  Worse, if one party owns the policy, then they can make whatever changes they want and the other party will be severely compromised.

So, is a joint policy a good idea? 

Well, you can see the problem… so you decide.  Maybe its preferable to have separate policies and pay a little more for the benefit of independence.  Some insurers such as Pinnacle Life do offer a discount on a second policy so it is possible to have the best of both worlds.  

According to this Dutch study reported in New Scientist, regular consumption of cocoa may lower blood pressure and halve the risk of dying.

The study was carried out over a 15 year period and focused on men aged over 65. Those men that consumed the most cocoa were half as likely to die from a heart attack. It seems cocoa-containing antioxidant chemicals, called flavanols, may be the cause. “Flavan-3-ols have a positive effect on endothelial function [the function of cells lining the blood vessels] improving the elasticity of the blood vessels so that they respond better to changes in the blood stream.

Good news indeed for chocoholics – but don’t get your hopes up.  Low cost life insurance for choc-lovers is still a long way off.