3 Kids and Us

Life insurance for parents in post pandemic UK

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The last 6 months have seen a great deal of change in the UK; home schooling became the new normal, well known brands shut their doors to the public and we spent days on end never leaving the house.

But more alarming than these changes, we have experienced a huge death toll of over 40,000 in the UK alone due to COVID-19. This unprecedented time has brought human mortality to the forefront of our attention.

This focus on the uncertainty of human life has led even more parents to seek out life insurance to protect the future financial stability of their loved ones should the worst happen to them.

But has the pandemic caused the life insurance industry to change? Should parents be taking additional precautionary steps to ensure their children are fully protected?

Keep reading to find out…

Writing your life insurance policy in trust

Whilst not a new concept, writing your life insurance policy in trust can be a huge advantage to your family if the worst were to happen to you. COVID-19 has caused significant financial strain amongst many families in the UK, making it more important than ever to ensure your loved ones receive the full benefit of a pay out.

The value of your life insurance policy automatically comprises part of your estate. In the UK, this overall value is subject to inheritance tax on anything above £325,000.

Whilst this value may seem a particularly significant amount, a £200,000 life insurance policy combined with a house worth £225,000 would subject your loved ones to £40,000 inheritance tax. And that’s before even taking into account any additional savings or investments you have in place.

Writing your life insurance in trust detaches the value of your policy from your estate, ensuring that your family will receive 100% of the sum assured, as well as reducing the remaining amount subject to inheritance tax.

The process is easy and completely free, and many insurers and brokers (such as Reassured) even provide a service to help you with the process, offering peace of mind that it has been completed accurately.

Pandemic exclusions

The good news is that many existing life insurance policies would not be affected by the recent pandemic, and that the large majority of policyholders would be covered if they were to pass away due to COVID-19.

However, some policies include a ‘pandemic exclusion’. Written into the terms and conditions of a policy, this invalidates cover if cause of death is due to a national or global pandemic. For policies with such exclusion in place, a pay out would be declined if you were to pass away from COVID-19.

The only way to determine whether or not your life protection includes such exclusion, is to review the individual terms and conditions of your cover.

Until recent events, the ‘pandemic exclusion’ has not been widely used within the industry, however, it can be strongly predicted that it will become a much more common occurrence. Therefore, when arranging life insurance cover in post pandemic UK, it is essential to review the terms and conditions of your policy – Especially with the likelihood of a second spike on the cards.

Cost of premiums

The cost of life insurance is calculated based on the likelihood of a claim being made. Insurers take into account a number of factors including age, health and more recently current world affairs. Until now, frequently visiting specific countries across the world could result in you paying higher monthly premiums due the increased risk.

However, COVID-19, whilst showing different rates across the globe, has been very prevalent on UK soil. Therefore, it is likely that arranging life insurance during the heat of the pandemic could result in you securing higher than usual life insurance premium costs.

Personal factors will still be used, meaning that your monthly costs will still be more favourable if a claim is less likely, but pandemic risk will also be taken into account. As a result, it is more important than ever to compare quotes to ensure you receive the best deal.

Conclusion

As we enter a ‘new normal’ many elements within the UK will take some adapting and life insurance is no different. As always, anyone who has some form of dependant in their life is likely to benefit from having life insurance protection in place.

It is essential to be aware of the specific terms and conditions attached to your policy and comparing various cover options to ensure you have the right protection to suit your needs.

Surrogacy in Ukraine. Cost of surrogacy and Law

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IVF (in vitro fertilization) along with surrogacy allows many couples to become happy parents. Those innovative medical techniques are great solutions for many families experiencing problems with conceiving and carrying a baby until birth in the traditional way. Also, some couples prefer to use certain medical methods due to extensive busyness and other reasons unrelated to the health condition.

Currently, American surrogacy in Ukraine is getting more and more popular because it is possible to use high-quality medical services at reasonable prices. More information on this topic is provided in this article.

Is Surrogacy Legal in Ukraine?

All fertility treatments in this country are regulated by a range of Ukrainian laws, such as The Law on Health Fundamentals of Ukraine as well as the Family and Civil Codes. Generally, surrogacy in Ukraine is allowed by law, which means that couples from the USA can find a surrogate mother in this country and use the services of professional medical centers, such as IVF group. This is one of the reasons, which makes this country attractive for international residents. Also, Ukraine is a large country with many women matching the main requirements:

  • being between 25 and 35 years old;
  • being healthy physically and mentally;
  • having at least one child;
  • having no contradictions for pregnancy.

This means that it will not be difficult to find a surrogate mother.

Another serious reason to order IVF and surrogacy in a Ukrainian medical center is relatively low costs. More information on that is provided in the section below.

How Much Does It Cost?

Many international couples find the services of IVF clinics in this country quite cheap. Although the rates depend on the medical center and program you choose, generally, the costs of IVF in Ukraine are 85% less than in the USA or other countries in Western Europe.

Usually, international couples find it much more beneficial to travel to Ukraine and cover all expenses for the procedure and living in the country than ordering the same services in the USA.

How to Find the Best Clinic?

While low prices are one of the reasons why people travel to Ukraine for an IVF procedure and surrogate mother, there are also other factors to consider for ensuring your success, including the following:

  • For how long the clinic has been operating?
  • Will it provide you with different packages to choose from?
  • Are there doctors and other medical staff speaking English?
  • Where is the clinic located?
  • What results have they achieved?
  • Do they provide any guarantees?

Conclusion

If you are looking for high-quality and affordable medical services for IVF procedures as well as surrogacy, you should definitely consider going to Ukraine. It is absolutely legal to use such services in this country, and there are reliable fertility specialists and clinics that you can choose from.

Peak Fertility and Pregnancy

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Source: Unsplash | Alexander Krivitskiy

Getting pregnant isn’t necessarily as easy as you would hope and for some people it can be a challenge that makes the efforts you go to to avoid pregnancy when it’s not wanted into a cruel irony. We also tend to see fertility as a black and white issue: either you are fertile or not. In reality, there are many graduations of fertility and even if you stand a low chance of conceiving, you can improve your odds by identifying when you’re at peak fertility in each menstrual cycle and concentrating your attempts to conceive on that period.

What is Peak Fertility?

For women, their effective fertility rises and falls over the length of their menstrual cycle. During their ‘fertile days’ or ‘fertile window’, the average lifespan of an egg after ovulation can overlap with the average lifespan of sperm after ejaculation. During this time you are at peak fertility: you stand the best chance of conceiving. If you don’t know when your fertile window is, your chances of conceiving drop dramatically.

Finding Ovulation

If you want to find your fertile day you need to find out when it’s likely you’re going to ovulate – your ‘ovulation window’.

There are two primary ways of doing this: using test strips that react with your urine in the presence of the hormone that stimulates ovulation, LH (or Luteinising Hormone). You can also chart your basal body temperature: this is the low level your body drops to overnight, during an extended rest. Minute changes at this base level can reveal when you’re going to ovulate.

Modern technology can make BBT tracking more accurate and less difficult. Automated sensors can take temperature readings overnight for more accurate data, and apps can process those into results and predictions, to reduce the risk of error.

Finding Your Fertile Window

With this information in hand, you simply need to plot it on a calendar, along with the dates your period begins. While cycles may vary between women, if yours is regular you can expect to ovulate at the same point in your cycle from month to month. Noting how long ovulation falls after your period begins in one month gives you a good indicator for when it will fall in the next and the next. This can give you the vital insight you need to improve your chances of conceiving when you want to.

How to Look After Yourself After a Workplace Injury

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Following a workplace injury, particularly an incident resulting in you needing to take extended time off work, it will be necessary to look after yourself; to both recover in body and mind, and to manage your change in circumstances on a more practical level.

This brief how-to guide will give some guidance on taking care of yourself post-injury; physically, mentally, and financially.

Physically

For physical recovery, the most important, and likely the most obvious, thing to do is make sure you follow the guidance and advice given by your medical practitioners.

  • Make sure you take any medication prescribed and avoid any strenuous activities as advised, such as heavy lifting, or sports
  • If receiving physiotherapy for injuries sustained, then be sure to complete all home exercises designated to your recovery process
  • As well as the to-do’s, make sure to abide by the do-not’s, such as avoiding alcohol, certain foods, or smoking, for example. In addition to the physical implications, this can also have legal ramifications, such as driving while on pain medication, following surgery or while incapacitated, voiding motor insurance

As well as following medical advice, it will be necessary to take your injury, and any long-term implications of it, into account when preparing to return to work:

  • Can you carry out your previous role without causing further injury, if not then a new role should be found or created to allow you to return to work safely
  • Do not return to work before you are sufficiently recovered enough to do so

This can be challenging to stick to as it can be frustrating to wait, and can also be a cause for anxiety and stress if it is having an impact on your finances.

Mentally

Being injured and restricted is likely to be an upsetting and anxiety-inducing time for you. It adds additional pressures to families and relationships and can have a detrimental effect on your mental wellbeing.

  • Seek external assistance if you find yourself struggling to cope. Therapy can be a great way to unload your emotions and is not a sign of weakness or failure.
  • Accept help from family and friends and be sure to communicate. You are not a burden to them, and they want to support you, but they cannot do this if you don’t tell them what you need.
  • Practice meditation, yoga, or other therapeutic, relaxation techniques. Find time in your schedule to be calm and focus on your breathing to reduce stress levels and boost your mental health.
  • Stay abreast of your financial circumstances, acknowledge that there may be financial implications to your injury, and seek out support and advice to manage them. Money is a leading cause of stress, and ignoring it will only make it worse.

Financially

As previously mentioned, an injury at work that puts you out of action will inevitably have financial implications for you and your family; there are many things to consider during this time, including:

  • Compensation – You may be entitled to compensation following a workplace injury, and you should not be hesitant to pursue it. Personal injury solicitors London, Washington, Paris, or wherever you are in the world, are there to help you regain financial control and support you following your accident.
  • Insurance – You may find that your employers have insurance to cover workplace accidents, you should speak to your employer and discuss your rights. Your own medical insurance cover, if applicable, may also help with any resulting medical bills.
  • Sick pay – Another one for your employer. Check your contract and see what you are entitled to for time off of work due to a work-related injury.
  • Budgeting – If you find yourself out of pocket, then it may be necessary to review your household budget while you are off work and reduce non-essentials.
  • Research other support services – You may be entitled to additional benefits or financial aid. Research what is available in your area and be sure to claim everything you are entitled to. It is what it is there for, and you should not feel guilty using it.
  • Returning to work – Know your rights for returning to work after sickness or injury. Your employer should consider alternative roles within the business if you are no longer able to carry out your original job. They should make a significant effort to facilitate your return.

Prioritize your recovery and the wellbeing of yourself, your family, and anyone that may be affected by the incident. Getting better is top priority, and this guide provides tips for ensuring that you take care of you and yours.

Reducing Stress Through Meditation Online with Glo

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It is a common misconception that the benefits of meditation can only be achieved if you travel to a physical location to meditate alongside fellow practitioners in the same space. This can actually make it more difficult for some people to meditate because they are distracted by the other people in the room and the new surroundings. Glo is an online meditation service that set out to make this practice more accessible to all people and remove some of the barriers that prevent people from meditating as much as they would like to.

What Meditation Online Course Offerings are Available from Glo?

Glo provides instant access to a variety of classes for meditation online. Each class focuses on a particular theme or element of practice. Some of the most popular online class offerings from Glo are listed below.

  • Finding peace
  • Cultivating self-love
  • Balance your heart and mind
  • Simply savasana
  • PMS meditation
  • Transmute negative emotions
  • Listen to learn
  • What’s your motivation?
  • Impermanence meditation
  • Inner space of bliss
  • Meditation for frustrated parents
  • Be with what is

What is wonderful about having such a wide range of meditation online classes from Glo to choose from is that you will never become bored with your personal practice. They all have varying lengths and instruction styles so that you can experiment with what works best with your needs. Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced student, there is an online meditation class for all needs and backgrounds from Glo.

Customizing Your Online Meditation Practice with Glo

Students of meditation come away from their practice feeling more relaxed, focused and energized. They report decreased feelings of anxiety and stress and credit meditation with helping them achieve their professional, personal and health goals. Each student’s experience with meditation is unique to them, which is why Glo provides access to such a diverse range of instructors and class offerings.

The best way to know which meditation style suits you best is to check out the profiles of the skilled meditation teachers who are part of the Glo network. You can take classes from some of the most highly regarded petitioners throughout the world. These teachers have years of experience in helping students to achieve an inner peace that has helped them to stay healthy, push the limits at their careers and be more loving family members. The benefits that you may experience from online meditation classes are truly up to you and how committed you want to be to your practice. Starting with classes through Glo requires little commitment and allows you to cancel at any time.

More Information About Meditation Online with Glo

Glo was founded to help people of all ages, experiences and backgrounds achieve the inner peace and balance that comes from practicing meditation. Instead of requiring that students go to a physical studio, Glo brings all of the benefits of meditation classes directly to you through an online membership that can be accessed on your smartphone or your computer. You can now find a way to practice meditation when you have a break during the workday or even while you are traveling. All of the restrictions and challenges associated with making time for effective meditation have been eliminated thanks to this cutting-edge platform from Glo.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!