The Private Client Report and a fictional sample insurance review
The advice is a document.
What you hold, what it does, what we would change and why. The findings, alternatives and unanswered questions stay together, so you can read the reasoning before making a decision.
A clear record of the decision.
Your report is usually around twelve pages. Its length follows the questions your cover raises; the structure keeps the answer easy to check.
Your situation and documents
The people, countries and plans the review covers; the schedule, wording, endorsements and renewal notices actually available to us.
Findings with references
The terms that matter, linked to their document and section. We distinguish an established fact from an assumption or an answer still needed from the insurer.
Alternatives and trade-offs
What changing, retaining or supplementing cover would involve. Cost information is identified as a current premium, an indicative quote or an item still to confirm.
A recommendation and next steps
What we recommend, why, and what must be resolved before acting. Keeping existing cover can be the appropriate conclusion.
A move abroad. A reason to keep the policy.
Fictional sample · Private Client Report
This is an invented demonstration, not a client case. The household, documents, clauses and alternatives below are fictional. No named insurer offers these sample terms. This is not an insurance quotation, individual recommendation or account of a successful claim.
The question
A household of two adults and one child plans to move from Singapore to Portugal. They hold an annual international health policy, and one adult receives regular treatment for a condition already accepted under it. They have an indicative quotation for an alternative and want to know whether the move is a reason to switch.
The preliminary recommendation
Keep the existing cover in force while the move and renewal terms are confirmed. The current acceptance of ongoing treatment is documented in this sample. Acceptance by a replacement insurer is not. An indicative quote is insufficient grounds to give up an established policy.
This conclusion is conditional. If the current insurer will not accept the new residence, or offers unsuitable renewal terms, the comparison must be reopened before the move. No policy should be cancelled on the strength of this sample.
The documents available
- S1 — sample current schedule: three named members, Singapore as country of residence, worldwide treatment excluding the USA, a per-person deductible and the renewal date.
- W1 — sample current policy wording: section 4 on changes of residence, section 7 on outpatient limits and section 9 on pre-authorisation.
- E1 — sample personal endorsement: records acceptance of the ongoing condition on the existing policy.
- Q1 — sample alternative quotation: headline benefits and an indicative price, subject to residence eligibility and medical underwriting.
These identifiers refer only to the invented documents described here. In a real report, each reference identifies the supplied document, edition and relevant page or clause.
Four checks that change the answer.
Confirm the move before treating cover as portable
Sample wording W1, section 4, makes a change of country of residence subject to written acceptance. Sample schedule S1 still lists Singapore. A worldwide treatment area does not answer whether Portuguese residence is accepted. Ask the current insurer to confirm eligibility, any change of issuing entity and the effective date in writing.
Protect the existing treatment terms
Sample endorsement E1 records acceptance of one ongoing condition under the current policy. The alternative Q1 is only an indicative quotation: it contains no personal underwriting decision. Its benefit table therefore gives no basis for assuming that the same condition would be covered. Continuing medication must be disclosed if a new application is considered.
Check what the family would pay themselves
Sample schedule S1 applies a deductible to each insured person. The outpatient section of W1 has a separate benefit limit. These are different controls on reimbursement. Ask for a worked example using the household’s expected visits before changing either the deductible or the outpatient benefit.
Keep public-system and policy questions separate
Neither S1 nor Q1 establishes the household’s Portuguese public-healthcare entitlement or satisfies a residence application by itself. Confirm the applicable residence route, any insurance evidence required and public-system eligibility separately. Then decide which private benefits are useful alongside those rights.
What we considered, and what remains open.
Fictional sample · Alternatives and action
Option A: retain and update the existing policy
This preserves the documented starting point for ongoing treatment. It is the preferred path to investigate, provided the insurer accepts the move and confirms the relevant benefits, premium and renewal terms. It is not yet a confirmed cross-border continuation.
Option B: apply for the alternative policy
This remains an option if the existing policy cannot meet the new circumstances. The missing underwriting decision, issuing entity, residence eligibility and effective date prevent a like-for-like comparison today. A lower indicative price would not resolve those questions.
Option C: replace international cover with local cover alone
This needs a separate review of public entitlement, any private terms, treatment preferences and future moves. It is not selected in this sample because the necessary eligibility and coverage evidence has not been supplied.
Questions to send to the current insurer
- Will you accept the move to Portugal, and will the issuing entity or policy wording change?
- Will endorsement E1 and continuity of the existing treatment terms remain in force?
- What premium, deductible, outpatient limits and pre-authorisation rules will apply after the move?
- What documents and notice are needed, and when will the change take effect?
Before a final decision
The household supplies the renewal notice and intended move date. The adviser records the insurer's written answers and updates the comparison. If a replacement is needed, its acceptance, exclusions, start date and any gap in cover must be checked before the existing policy is ended.
What this example does not establish: an actual premium, eligibility in either country, a future claim payment, a saving or an insurer's acceptance of a medical condition. A real report can leave a question open; it should not turn an assumption into a finding.
See what an existing-policy review involves, or explore how we compare international insurers.
The timing and the terms.
Your Private Client Report follows within one working day of the consultation. Where documents or insurer answers are missing, the report identifies the open questions rather than presenting a final answer without evidence.
The report is yours whether you act on it, share it with another adviser or decide to keep your current arrangements.
International cover is placed on a courtage basis: the insurer pays a percentage of the premium when a policy is placed. A higher premium can mean higher remuneration; this payment model does not remove that potential conflict. Our written report sets out the reasons for a recommendation, the alternatives considered and whether keeping existing cover is appropriate. There is no fee for the review or written report, whether or not you arrange cover through us.
Read the full review process and the placement relationship with SIP.
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