Most clients think of protection and Wills as two separate things.
Protection is about life insurance, income protection, critical illness cover, making sure the bills can be paid if something happens.
A Will is “legal stuff”, something they’ll sort later.
But in practice, the moment you’re discussing protection, you’re already in the Will conversation, because both sit under the same responsibility: protecting people, not just policies.
Protection and Wills are two parts of one plan. When they’re handled together, clients get clarity, families get stability, and your advice holds up when life stops being predictable.
Protection and Wills, A Unified Responsibility
Protection products create financial security.
They’re designed to cover debts, keep a roof overhead, fund living costs, and support dependants if death or serious illness changes everything.
A Will creates legal clarity.
It documents what happens to a client’s estate, who’s responsible for carrying out their wishes, and who should care for children if the worst happens. It can also include structures that protect beneficiaries, especially when life and family dynamics aren’t straightforward.
On their own, each is helpful.
Together, they’re far more effective.
Because protection answers, “Will there be money available?”
A Will answers, “Where does everything go, and who’s in charge of making that happen?”
If one is missing, the other can’t always do its job cleanly.
Why Protection Advice Often Creates a Will Gap
Here’s the situation many advisers recognise.
A client puts protection in place. They feel relieved. They’ve ticked the box.
But there’s still no plan for how decisions get made, or how assets and responsibilities are handled if something happens.
That gap can show up in a few ways:
- Money exists, but it isn’t directed clearly
Protection can create immediate funds, but without a Will, the legal route those funds need to take, can be slower, more complex, or not in line with the client’s wishes. - Dependants are financially covered, but not legally protected
Clients often focus on “providing”, but forget guardianship. A Will is where guardian wishes are formally recorded. - Everything’s been planned, except the bit the family has to live through
In a crisis, families don’t just need money. They need clarity, a process, and less uncertainty.
When clients understand that link, they’re far more likely to take action, because it stops being “another job” and starts being part of the same protection decision they’re already making.
Why Advisers Should Talk About These Topics
Bringing Wills into protection discussions isn’t about adding extra steps.
It’s about making the planning complete and making your role feel like what it truly is; a guide through the full picture.
You can help clients act more comprehensively and even rationally.
Clients rarely avoid Wills because they don’t care. They avoid them because they don’t know where to start, they’re worried they’ll get it wrong, or they assume it’s only relevant later (or simply don’t want to think about dying).
When you frame the Will as the natural partner to protection, you reduce friction or any ‘bad’ feelings. The client can see why it matters now, not “one day” and how it reduces the risk of delays, disputes, and unintended outcomes.
How To Introduce Wills Without It Feeling Salesy
For many advisers, the reluctance isn’t about whether Wills matter. It’s about how to raise it without it feeling heavy, awkward, or like an upsell.
A simple approach is to anchor it back to the protection conversation they’re already having: “We’ve talked about making sure your family’s financially protected. The other part is making sure your wishes are legally clear, so the right people can act quickly if they ever need to. Have you got a Will in place that matches your life today?”
That phrasing works because it’s calm, it’s factual, and it’s meant with care.
You’re not introducing a new topic; you’re completing the one you’re already in.
What Makes a Good Will Partner For Advisers
If you’re going to refer clients, the entire experience matters.
Most advisers don’t want extra admin, chasing, or uncertainty. They also don’t want their client to feel pressured, confused, or processed.
A strong Will partner should:
- keep the process clear and supportive
- handle complexity properly, not just “simple cases”
- communicate in plain English
- treat the client with patience and care
- make it easy for the client to take the next step
That’s exactly where Secure Inheritance sits.
Our work isn’t about pushing legal documents. It’s about helping families create certainty, with guidance that’s calm, human, and built around real life, not templates.
If you’re discussing protection with clients, you’re already helping them answer a bigger question: “If something changes suddenly, will the people I love be okay?”
Protection helps with the financial part.
A Will helps with the legal, practical, and emotional clarity families need in real moments.
When you integrate the two, you’re not adding complexity. You’re removing it.
If you’d like a trusted Will partner you can signpost clients to, one that handles both straightforward and complex situations with care, Secure Inheritance’s here to support that.
