The Birth Of The Take Care Campaign
In 2020, the entire world was caught completely off guard by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic left millions of people scared for their health, worried about the impact of the pandemic on their income, apprehensive about engaging with others, and most of all in the dark about what was going to happen next. Thankfully, for the UK, the threat of coronavirus is more or less under control due to the widespread roll out of vaccines. The pandemic gave people a lot of time to reflect on things and what was important in life and what our responsibilities were as human beings came to the forefront of a lot of people’s minds.
It was at this point that we at Oportfolio knew we needed to act now to make sure that all of our clients and anyone who needed our help, was financially protected. We also realised that as well as protecting ourselves and our families financially from illness, injury, and death, we also had a responsibility to make sure that our planet was cared for. So that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren could appreciate the beauty of the world and the incredible awe of nature for generations to come.
In 2021 we teamed up with world renowned and local Putney based wildlife photographer Harry Skeggs to create the Oportfolio ‘Take Care Campaign’. Following the mantra of ‘Take care of your family, take care of your environment’, our aim is to make as many people as possible aware of how to financially protect your family with insurances and how to protect your environment through sustainability.
What Is The Aim Of The Take Care Campaign?
Being financially prepared isn’t just about earning enough money from your job, having enough stashed away in savings, or investing in businesses or property. Being financially secure means a great deal of things. You want to ensure that if anything should happen to you such as serious illness, you and your family will be able to carry on without having to worry about your income and being able to keep up with your credit commitments. The best way to do this is to speak with a financial advisor like Oportfolio who will be able to carry out a financial health check on you.
An advisor’s job is to take an in-depth look at your finances and based on their experience and expertise, make a plan and give some recommendations what to do to get the most out of your finances. As mortgage advisors, protection advisors, and will writers, we are able to look at all three elements for our clients. When getting a mortgage, mortgage lenders will require you to have buildings and contents insurance to make sure that their financial interests in your property are secure however it is not a requirement to have personal insurance. But it is, in our opinion, the most important thing you can do. Without appropriate personal insurance, you are putting not only yourself, but your family at risk if anything out of your control happens.
For example, imagine if you work in a manual labour job such as a builder and you are diagnosed with cancer. The cancer diagnosis and the treatment means that you become very unwell and are physically unable to continue your job in construction. Your employer may offer you some paid leave for a short period of time however, if you are seriously ill, you may be unable to work for months or even years and unfortunately you will more than likely be unable to continue your employment. What next?
If you have a mortgage and you are unable to earn money to pay it due to your health, your property could be repossessed. If you have a car on finance and are unable to keep up with the payments or pay your tax and insurance, your car may be repossessed. If you have a phone bill, a water bill, and electricity bill, or a gas bill and you are unable to keep up with the payments, you could soon find yourself in financial difficulty. By talking with a mortgage advisor as soon as possible, and getting some insurances in place, you can make sure that all of these things are covered if anything happens.
In many cases, if you have the correct insurance products, you will be covered for a number of health issues and outcomes. You would normally receive one of two things:
- A regular weekly or monthly income to replace any income you lose out on if you are unable to work. Paid until you are able to return to work. Essentially a salary replacement.
- A lump sum of money that is agreed during your application that is tax free and can sustain your lifestyle whilst you are until you get back on your feet.
With the help of an advisor, you and your family will be protected financially and worrying about how you might pay the bills if you become ill will be a thing of the past. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Speak to an advisor now.
Taking Care Of Your Environment
The natural world is beautiful. Being based in London, it is often easy for us to forget about how incredible our environment is. However, whenever we do get to experience the deer in Richmond park, the parakeets in Hyde park or the green brush of Barnes common, it makes you stop and appreciate what we have. In an increasingly connected and informed world, it becomes more and more clear that the actions of humans in the past have had a detrimental effect on our environment and the animals that share the planet with us. Thankfully we are actively working towards reversing the negative footprint we have made in the past and we are all a lot more conscious about being eco-friendly and sustainable in our practices.
Part of Harry Skeggs’s mission with his photography is to show people the beauty of wildlife and the places in the world not frequently accessed by humans. By raising awareness of these places and these animals, Harry hopes to change the way that people think about the natural world and consciously act to preserve our environment for future generations. In 2021 Harry and his team journeyed to the Antarctic to take photographs and also record an informational documentary film which will premier in September 2022. When we heard of Harry’s ambition with his documentary, we had to get involved and we are proud to say that Oportfolio are a major sponsor of Harry’s trip and the documentary alongside Nikon and the World Wildlife Fund.
As a business, we want to make sure that our carbon footprint is as low as possible and all of our business practices are eco-friendly. As part of our take care campaign we are replacing non sustainable office supplies with recycled and repurposed equipment. We are conserving energy by being reducing light usage, heating usage, and water usage. We are creating a green space in our outside area that will be a hub of flowers and plants to sustain wildlife such as bees, insects, birds, and squirrels. Our office waste has always been managed well however we are going to be even more vigilant with recycling and re-using our waste. We are also looking into how specifically we can integrate environmental social governance into our business practices. We are going to be supporting and promoting green mortgages and builders who are constructing eco-friendly properties.
What You Can Do
To support our take care campaign you can do several things. Firstly, call our advisors today. Don’t wait. Call us and have a full financial health check through Oportfolio so that we can ensure that you and your family are protected correctly. We want to make sure that no one has to stress or find themselves in serious financial difficulty if something happens to them that is out of their hands.
Secondly, really be conscious about you impact on the environment. Think twice before you take your car out when you could easily walk or cycle. Think twice before you throw away the plastic container into your bin. Think twice before you leave all of your lights on all night or your heating on when you aren’t even in the house. It may seem insignificant in the short term, but if everyone changed their practices and became more eco-friendly, it will have a huge impact on the world. If you are a business owner, start thinking about your company’s environmental social governance.
Thirdly, support charities and organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund. By supporting and donating to these organisations you will directly support efforts to conserve wildlife. You will help to stop greenhouse gas emissions by big corporations, deforestation that destroys animals habitats, poaching, and much more. You can find more information on the WWF website where you can also find out how to donate.
Call our team of advisors today to get your protection and finances in order.
