CIExpert Report: Four ways to make recommendations more relevant

This year’s Critical Thinking report put’s hard evidence behind consumer misconceptions around protection. It also highlights practical opportunities for advisers to rethink how protection is discussed, framed and recommended.

Here are five findings that stood out for me.

1. Framing matters – and different clients respond to different triggers

One of the clearest messages from the report is that relevance isn’t just about the product – it’s about the story we tell around it.

The report highlights how mortgage framing continues to dominate protection considerations – and the misconceptions that come with that. Over a quarter of consumers say they don’t have Critical Illness Cover because they don’t have a mortgage, while 17% believe payouts can only be used to pay off a mortgage.

There’s a real risk here that renters, younger clients and those earlier in their financial journeys simply tune out – not because protection isn’t relevant, but because it’s not being framed in a way that resonates with their reality.

Different clients respond to different triggers – and the more confidently we tailor that framing, the more inclusive and effective protection advice becomes.

2. Core cover dominates sales – but clients increasingly prefer enhanced protection

Core Critical Illness Cover still often dominates sales, largely because affordability continues to drive advice conversations. But that doesn’t mean it’s what clients would choose if differences were presented to them.

The research shows a clear generational divide. Millennials and Gen Z are significantly more likely to prefer enhanced cover when it’s explained to them – and many are open to paying more for it. Payments for less severe conditions, cover for a broader range of illnesses and wider coverage for earlier-stage cancers all resonate strongly.

3. Clients value flexibility – and multiple payouts really matter

Only 8% of consumers expect to use a Critical Illness payout to pay off their mortgage in full. Most expect to use the money to cover lost income, everyday expenses, health-related costs or lifestyle changes that improve quality of life.

This is where Serious Illness Cover with multiple payouts comes into its own. SIC X2 and X3 allow clients to make more than one 100% claim. Crucially, the policy doesn’t end after the first payout.

From an advice perspective, multiple-claim structures give clients the flexibility to choose how they use the money, without gambling their family’s future security.

4. Added-value benefits matter – but not always the ones we assume

Younger clients place high value on preventative and proactive support. Almost half of Gen Z rate annual health checks as “very valuable”, and many are willing to pay more for enhanced support services.

Rehabilitation support also stands out. Clients clearly understand the value of help that gets them better and back to work. Yet this is still underplayed in many advice conversations, despite being one of the strongest differentiators where it’s contractually guaranteed.

Again, this comes back to relevance. Different demographics value different benefits – and we need to tailor those conversations appropriately.