Finally happy for the new day ahead

March 22nd 2019

No one knows what life has in store for them. For Peter, a large part of the answer to his problems lay in an unused insurance policy. With our help, we were able to make a big change in his life.

Living in constant pain and a desperate financial position, Peter Murphy* admits that it’s not worth contemplating what his life may have become without Invest Blue. Having lived with arthritis for over ten years, Peter explains how his pain crippled him, personally and financially.

“Eventually my arthritis stopped everything, my workability, my quality of life, my enjoyment of life – every day was a struggle and while I had good days and bad, I got sick of trying to commit to work only to have to pull out,” Peter explains.

The former carpenter was eventually forced to hang up his tools, the pain becoming impossible to work through as a tradesman. Rather than admit defeat, however, Peter retrained with a Certificate III in Disability Care, working for the next three year in the industry. Eventually, this also became too much. With no savings and his financial prospects grim, Peter relocated from his home on the Gold Coast to live with family in Toowoomba.

“For four years I lived off the Centrelink Newstart allowance, approximately $200 per week – it felt like my world was crashing and crumbling around me.’

However, with his partner, a client of Craig Uys of Invest Blue Toowoomba, a fortuitous conversation regarding TPD Insurance proved a game changer.  “She mentioned to Craig that I had a TPD policy, but one I held little hope of claiming due to my work history.”

“Craig was encouraging from the start, and although I didn’t know what to expect when I started seeing him, after our first meeting I felt, for the first time in years, that I had hope for the future. Personally, I had been in a very dark place for a long time when I first saw Craig, and he was able to put the first smile on my face for a very long time.”

Craig was confident a TDP Policy Peter had through his prior employment would be successful, and it was. As Financial Advisers, it is our job to advice on where we see a need for cover and to help people determine how much is enough. It is also our job to help our clients make a claim if they have had the misfortune of a ‘claimable event’. While we never wish that situation on anyone, we are happy when we can help someone receive the coverage they are entitled to.

For Peter, the payment gave him a new lease on life, and saved him ‘in more ways than one’.

“They say money isn’t the answer to everything, but it sure did solve many of my issues.”

The keen fisherman purchased a ute, with Craig investing a large percentage of the funds remaining, and putting in place a firm plan for Peter’s future.

“I’m 46 and this is the first time I’ve ever invested my money,” Peter admits. “I’ve never really had extra money to manage but having Craig take the reins has been a huge relief. I didn’t have a whole lot to look forward to when I first saw Craig, but from the start, he had my absolute trust and was always encouraging and positive.”

“When it comes to finance, a lot of it goes over my head, so I appreciated Craig explaining everything to me so I could understand, and being totally honest disclosing all the information I needed to know.”

Peter said that while the claim takes an enormous amount of stress off in the short-term, he admits the money won’t last forever. “Now that I have Craig I hope to manage my money better and continue to build on my investments. My work options are limited, but I live in hope and keep an open mind.”

“I’m on better medication, my financial situation is much improved and now when I wake up, I’m finally happy to be here for the new day ahead.”

If this story raises concerns for you, or you think you may be in a similar situation to Peter and have a claimable event you would like help managing, please get in touch with us so we can determine if we can help you as well.

*While our client stories are documented real-life tales from our client’s experiences, in this instance our client has been interviewed, these are his genuine words, but his name has been changed for privacy reasons.

Financial Planning can help you to live your best possible life now and in retirement. Contact us.

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These clients have agreed to share their story. Everyone’s situation is different, so their choices and outcomes will be different to yours. Consider your circumstances before deciding what’s right for you.