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Speaker 1: She's on the Money. She's on the Money.

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Speaker 2: Hello, and welcome to She's on the Money, the podcast

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Speaker 2: for millennials who want financial freedom. You hear a lot

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Speaker 2: of mixed reviews about pet insurance, so today we'll be

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Speaker 2: getting to the bottom of whether it's worth it or

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Speaker 2: whether it's a waste of money. Plus we'll be spelling

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Speaker 2: out exactly what you need to look out for to

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Speaker 2: make sure you don't end up paying for cover that

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Speaker 2: actually doesn't cover you at all. My name is Georgia King,

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Speaker 2: and joining me today is financial advisor and loving mother

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Speaker 2: to two cats and one dog, and probably plenty more

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Speaker 2: that's in the future yet not.

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Speaker 3: Yet, I'm working on it.

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Speaker 2: It's Victoria divine of course, the pet insurance. As I

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Speaker 2: mentioned just before, it's a bit of a controversial topic.

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Speaker 2: People are quite divided on something that seems quite like

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Speaker 2: frivolous and not that important. But obviously we love our pets.

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Speaker 2: They are very important. Why do you think this is

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Speaker 2: such a divisive topic, If that's not too explosive the

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Speaker 2: language to be using.

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Speaker 3: George, we live in Australia and I feel like pets

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Speaker 3: are incredibly divisive. At the end of the day. Some

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Speaker 3: people will swear that a pet is a child, like me,

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Speaker 3: let them sleep on the bed, get on the bed,

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Speaker 3: get on all of the surfaces in your house. They'll

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Speaker 3: take them everywhere. And other people are like, no, a dog.

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Speaker 3: A dog never comes inside the house, they go outside.

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Speaker 3: And then we've got other people who are solemnly swearing

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Speaker 3: that they will never have a pet in their entire

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Speaker 3: life because they're like, why would I want another being

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Speaker 3: reliant on me. So I just feel like everybody's got

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Speaker 3: different opinions, which they are absolutely welcome to. I don't

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Speaker 3: think that there is a right or a wrong thing,

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Speaker 3: but at the end of the day, three five Australians

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Speaker 3: own a pet, so it makes sense that we all

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Speaker 3: have opinions on them. I do think that pet insurance, though,

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Speaker 3: is a pretty divisive topic because we don't know heaps

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Speaker 3: about it, and when you get it, you don't know

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Speaker 3: a lot about the things that animals experience, and a

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Speaker 3: lot of the time you haven't maybe read the pds

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Speaker 3: properly and you didn't know what it excluded or what

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Speaker 3: it included. And I just think that there's a lot

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Speaker 3: of I guess, fluffiness around it. A lot of insurances

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Speaker 3: have put on the table that you can claim vet bills.

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Speaker 3: But what does that actually mean. Is it like their

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Speaker 3: standard checkups? Is it you know, only emergency stuff? Does

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Speaker 3: that include medication? What is included and what isn't included?

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Speaker 3: I think is you know, a bit of a murky topic.

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Speaker 3: But then your values come into it as well. Like

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Speaker 3: from my perspective, G, I'm really happy to pay for

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Speaker 3: my pets annual checkups, like I'm very happy to be

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Speaker 3: out of pocket, But what I don't want is that

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Speaker 3: big emergency bill that might pop up because I've got

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Speaker 3: a dog who's a really large dog who could end

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Speaker 3: up with hip displacer and it could cost me ten grand.

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Speaker 3: That's priority when it comes to insurance and talking about it.

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Speaker 3: But in saying that, there are a lot of policies

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Speaker 3: G that say hip displacier isn't covered. So it's just

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Speaker 3: a really fickle topic.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's it, and that's what we will be covering

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Speaker 2: today because there are a few things to be mindful

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Speaker 2: of to make sure that you're not being ripped off.

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Speaker 2: But before we get there, and before we do get

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Speaker 2: into the depths of insurance, I guess let's take a

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Speaker 2: little look at how much Australians are actually spending on

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Speaker 2: their pets annually. So this little I found an article

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Speaker 2: by the New Daily, a hot website.

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Speaker 3: Never heard of them, so they must be.

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Speaker 2: So reputable sources here at she's on the money.

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Speaker 3: So when it comes to Petsy obviously otherwise we're using

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Speaker 3: asic and ati.

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Speaker 2: It's it's a good So they reported last year that

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Speaker 2: we are spending twenty one point nine billion dollars per

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Speaker 2: year billion on our pets. Billion.

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Speaker 3: Yes, look that kind of adds up all my pets

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Speaker 3: to get Christmas presents.

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Speaker 2: But don't you think it? Like and we joke, but

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Speaker 2: when you think about like trips to the vet operations

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Speaker 2: that pop up, all the food that they eat, they

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Speaker 2: eat a lot of food, bording when you're on vacate

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Speaker 2: grooming if you can't be bothered doing that yourself. Puppy school,

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Speaker 2: cat school, don't know if that's a thing, but the.

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Speaker 3: Cat school a thing.

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Speaker 2: I don't know. But it's expensive, even if maybe the

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Speaker 2: New Dailies numbers are blown out a bit.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, look, pets are expensive and they absolutely are a

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Speaker 3: privileged so I think that we should also I guess

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Speaker 3: disclaimer that here as well, that I'm speaking from a

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Speaker 3: position of massive privilege and that I can afford to

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Speaker 3: have three pets and keep them all happy, healthy, and

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Speaker 3: you know, getting Christmas presents, which sounds a bit wild,

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Speaker 3: but that's in line with my values. And I'm not

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Speaker 3: saying I'm spending hundreds of dollars on my pets. Like

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Speaker 3: my cat's got cans of tuna which they wouldn't have

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Speaker 3: otherwise been eating for dinner. And Lucy got a fancy

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Speaker 3: dog tread and a couple of other things that actually

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Speaker 3: needed to purchase for her, like a new lead and

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Speaker 3: stuff like that. Just wrapped them up and put them

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Speaker 3: under the tree. It seemed like a good present. And

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Speaker 3: I'm sorry, but have you ever watched an animal open

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Speaker 3: a present?

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Speaker 1: Oh?

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Speaker 3: There is nothing that brings more joy than a dog

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Speaker 3: ripping Christmas paper off something that they're like, wow, this

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Speaker 3: is for me, this is wild like that. I'm just

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Speaker 3: a pet person. I'm sorry.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think maybe he's giving your dog a little

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Speaker 2: bit too much credit. Doesn't know what it's a present

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Speaker 2: or No, they do, they do, they know. But me,

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Speaker 2: in your experience, has having pets been more expensive than

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Speaker 2: you perhaps expected? Yes?

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Speaker 3: Yes, so, Ge stepping back nine years I got Bailey

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Speaker 3: nine years ago. He was a rescue. He was one

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Speaker 3: when I got him, and I rescued him, and I

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Speaker 3: think the fee for adopting him was like two hundred

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Speaker 3: and fifty dollars, which is, you know, relatively reasonable. He

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Speaker 3: was desext and all of that other fun stuff. But

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Speaker 3: what I didn't envisage as a poor UNI student who

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Speaker 3: at the time, honestly everything felt so expensive. But I

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Speaker 3: was in a situation where I just wanted a pet.

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Speaker 3: It was aligned to my values. I am a massive

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Speaker 3: If you haven't picked this up, massive animal person, they

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Speaker 3: bring me a lot of peace. I felt so much

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Speaker 3: better having his presence around. I was going through, you know,

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Speaker 3: speaking really openly, really stressful breakup. I was going through

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Speaker 3: writing a thesis. I was going through UNI and trying

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Speaker 3: to manage three casual jobs on top of that. This

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Speaker 3: cat was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

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Speaker 3: Could I afford him, Probably not. Should I have gotten

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Speaker 3: him based on my financial situation, probably not. Because I

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Speaker 3: remember purchasing him and the two hundred and fifty dollars

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Speaker 3: was so big that I think I only had maybe

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Speaker 3: like fifty bucks left in my bank account after getting him. Like,

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Speaker 3: it was not a situation where I'm like, oh great,

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Speaker 3: I have an emergency fund. I had none of that,

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Speaker 3: but I just I knew that's what I wanted. Would

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Speaker 3: I make a different decision, Look, absolutely not, because Bailey's

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Speaker 3: obviously a part of my life now and he's like

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Speaker 3: an extension of me in a way, even though he's

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Speaker 3: a cat. But I shouldn't have made that decision at

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Speaker 3: that time if we were just looking at financials. But

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Speaker 3: I think for my own mental health, oh gee, that

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Speaker 3: was so necessary. What I wasn't ready for was the

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Speaker 3: additional debt I would incur when my very friendly Tonkinese

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Speaker 3: cat swallowed a paper clip and cost me I think

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Speaker 3: about three two hundred dollars maybe for an emergency surgery

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Speaker 3: to get rid of it. Yeah, so that was really good.

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Speaker 3: He's also had to have teeth cleanings, which I didn't

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Speaker 3: know was a thing, but turns out his breed has

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Speaker 3: not so great teeth, so they have to be cleaned

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Speaker 3: every year or so, and that cost me anywhere between

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Speaker 3: three hundred and maybe four hundred and fifty dollars a

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Speaker 3: year for Bailey. And then you have like yep, then

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Speaker 3: you have vaccinations, and I think my vaccinations they're not

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Speaker 3: too bad. They may be like one hundred and ten

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Speaker 3: dollars a year for his standard like check up, get

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Speaker 3: his booster shots. He's all good. But it really really

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Speaker 3: does add up. And then you look at food, like

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Speaker 3: food can be really expensive. When I first got Bailey, oh,

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Speaker 3: I wasn't feeding him, you know, top of the range,

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Speaker 3: Royal Cannon, fancy digestive pet food. He was literally just

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Speaker 3: eating like Whiskers or even sometimes home brand stuff because

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Speaker 3: that was in line with my budget. And like it

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Speaker 3: was always something. And I've said this on a podcast

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Speaker 3: before and I think it really resonates with pet people,

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Speaker 3: but people who aren't pet people are like, what on earth, Victoria,

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Speaker 3: Like one of my goals was to be able to

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Speaker 3: give my cat the best life, Like I really wanted

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Speaker 3: to be able to buy the bougie cat food that

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Speaker 3: you can only get from pet shop. Like that for

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Speaker 3: me was a really big achievement when I got to

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Speaker 3: that point. And I know that that seems really minuscule

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Speaker 3: and you're probably looking at it going like, oh my gosh,

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Speaker 3: Like Victoria, that's not such a good goal. But like

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Speaker 3: when you know you know, like, yeah, that to me

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Speaker 3: was an achievement, like being able to have enough in

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Speaker 3: my budget that I could afford that. And now I'm

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Speaker 3: very grateful that all three of my pets they eat

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Speaker 3: fancy food. But if you're not in that situation, I

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Speaker 3: don't think that there's any shame in that, Like if

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Speaker 3: we couldn't afford it, we wouldn't. But that gives me

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Speaker 3: a lot of joy, Like I don't know. Yes, they

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Speaker 3: are really expensive. Would I change any of their expenses? No?

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Speaker 3: But oh damn they hurt sometimes, George, Yeah.

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Speaker 2: And especially when they're unexpected, like when they swallow paper clips.

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Speaker 3: Have you found just the audacity of that cat.

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Speaker 2: The poor doll. Have you found in your experience that Lucy,

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Speaker 2: your dog is more expensive than your cats though, because

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Speaker 2: that would be just my assumption.

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Speaker 3: Yes? And no, Okay, so Bailey, like if you added

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Speaker 3: it all up, Bailey has cost me the most thus far,

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Speaker 3: because Bailey obviously swallowed a paper clip and has had

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Speaker 3: some teeth cleaning and I've had him for nine years,

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Speaker 3: so that's nine years worth of expenses. Lucy, on the

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Speaker 3: other hand, has not had anything too big wrong with her.

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Speaker 3: She has had an emergency vet trip. So that cost

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Speaker 3: me I think nearly six or eight hundred dollars. I

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Speaker 3: can't remember which one it was, because she ate half

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Speaker 3: a block of chocolate that we left on the couch,

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Speaker 3: and it turns out, because I ate duck chocolate, that's

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Speaker 3: the worst kind for dogs. Really yeah, so it's the

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Speaker 3: cacal that's really bad for dogs. And turns out like

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Speaker 3: me and my lint block of like eighty percent dark

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Speaker 3: or whatever it was, Lucy was like, heck, yeah, not great.

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Speaker 3: So in the grand scheme of things, like Lucy has

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Speaker 3: technically cost us less, but on an ongoing basis, she

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Speaker 3: costs more to fees. But also her initial costs were

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Speaker 3: much much higher, Like Lucy was a couple of thousand

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Speaker 3: dollars to purchase, whereas Bailey, our rescue cat, two hundred

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Speaker 3: and fifty bucks and already dissexed. And then we've also

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Speaker 3: got Henry, who's one, and Henry is also a Tonkenese,

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Speaker 3: and Henry cost us about one thousand dollars. So, speaking

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Speaker 3: really openly about what pets cost, that's in line with

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Speaker 3: my values. Happy to talk about it, but yes, dogs,

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Speaker 3: I would say, are more expensive than cats, as long

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Speaker 3: as your cat isn't eating paper clip?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, gotcha, maled it. Okay, So let's pivot back to insurance.

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Speaker 2: How much does that cost on average in Australia roughly?

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Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, it varies massively. And when I was

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Speaker 3: doing the research, because I didn't have pet insurance until

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Speaker 3: we got Lucy, so both my cats are not insured,

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Speaker 3: but Lucy is. Just for full transparency, I think that's

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Speaker 3: also a bit funny from my perspective because my view

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Speaker 3: on pet insurances is not that great. But I'm also

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Speaker 3: really risk averse George, So I would prefer to have

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Speaker 3: it and have a level of peace of mind than

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Speaker 3: to not have it, even though it doesn't have as

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Speaker 3: many bills and whistles as i'd hope. So when it

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Speaker 3: comes to cost, it varies massively. Some research that the

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Speaker 3: ABC did, they crunched the numbers and they found that

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Speaker 3: depending on the cover, you could pay anywhere between two

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Speaker 3: hundred bucks a year to four thousand dollars a year,

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Speaker 3: which over the course of your pet's lifetime, that's massive.

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Speaker 3: That's a big investment. Like, I'm definitely not paying four

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Speaker 3: thousand dollars a year for Lucy's insurance. We're paying about

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Speaker 3: eight hundred and forty dollars a year, George, So about

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Speaker 3: seventy dollars a month for Lucy's insurance, which I think

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Speaker 3: is steep. But can you imagine paying four thousand dollars

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Speaker 3: a year on pet insurance?

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Speaker 2: Certainly not, but I for like racing horses or something,

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Speaker 2: you know, a little more substantial, where maybe there's more

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Speaker 2: risk involved. Maybe perhaps maybe that then comes in and

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Speaker 2: I'm sure you're gonna ask me alternatives to insurance and

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Speaker 2: stuff like that.

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Speaker 3: But if you're spending four grand a year on your

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Speaker 3: pets insurance, I'd argue that you probably should be saving

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Speaker 3: that money because who spends four thousand dollars a year

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Speaker 3: on a pet? Like, don't get me wrong, people are

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Speaker 3: going to jump at me and be like Victoria, my

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Speaker 3: French bulldog had to have fifteen thousand dollars worth of surgeries.

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Speaker 3: I get it. I have friends in that position. I'm

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Speaker 3: more mean on average, Like, what's four grand of insurance

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Speaker 3: get you?

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Speaker 2: No idea?

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Speaker 3: So get you a whole brand new dog?

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Speaker 2: Like, I don't know, Well, that's it. You could just

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Speaker 2: buy a new one.

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Speaker 3: I'm kidding you literally couldn't, by the way, for a

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Speaker 3: French bulldog. The going rate of those is more than

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Speaker 3: ten grand. Jorge.

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Speaker 2: Oh, they're so trendy though, aren't they so fashion?

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Speaker 3: They are so fashion.

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Speaker 2: I do love a French bulldog.

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Speaker 3: Same, they're delightful.

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Speaker 2: They are little angels. Okay, So between two hundred dollars

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Speaker 2: and four thousand a year is what we're looking at

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Speaker 2: for insurance. What then, does it cost phae just to

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Speaker 2: hit up the vet? Obviously, again it will change depending

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Speaker 2: on if it's an emergency or if it's just a

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Speaker 2: check up. But what are we looking at on average?

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Speaker 3: So according to the research, it's estimated that we as

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Speaker 3: a country spend two point six billion dollars on vet

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Speaker 3: visits every single year. So that's around five hundred and

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Speaker 3: fifty dollars per year on average per person who is

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Speaker 3: a pet owner in Australia. If you and I, George,

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Speaker 3: have done our mass correctly. So the annual amount George

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Speaker 3: is obviously going to fluctuate for like serious surgeries, which

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Speaker 3: is why so many people look at getting pet insurance

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Speaker 3: to help them out with those super significant fees should

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Speaker 3: they ever ever come up. But it definitely fluctuates, and

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Speaker 3: I feel like if you were budgeting for it. Five

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Speaker 3: hundred and fifty dollars in pet fees is really reasonable

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Speaker 3: to have in your budget for vet bills for each

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Speaker 3: individual animal, because from my experience, it could be that

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Speaker 3: sometimes it could be less, sometimes it could be more.

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Speaker 3: Like George I told you before, Sometimes Bailey's vaccinations are

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Speaker 3: only going to be one hundred and ten bucks a year,

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Speaker 3: Wham bam, thank you, ma'am. Other years it's four hundred

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Speaker 3: dollars in addition of tooth cleaning. But it would vary.

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Speaker 3: So now I have three I've got to save three

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Speaker 3: times that. That's not so fun.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's expensive. I don't like this.

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Speaker 3: I feel like this is just an expose on how

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Speaker 3: much Victoria Devine spends on animals each and every single year.

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Speaker 2: Well, no, I think it's good to talk about and

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Speaker 2: shine a little light on because it's often quite romantic

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Speaker 2: to say, well, I'm going to get a puppy, and

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Speaker 2: you don't really think about how expensive it can be,

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Speaker 2: Like you just don't think about all of the costs associated.

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Speaker 2: So I think it is good to be having this conversation.

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Speaker 2: So we talk to me about the different kinds of

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Speaker 2: pet insurance currently available in Australia.

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Speaker 3: Well, girl, there are so many, but there's obviously different types,

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Speaker 3: just like there are different types of humans and also

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Speaker 3: different types for your car. So first, cab off the rank, George.

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Speaker 3: You've got comprehensive insurance and that covers you for things

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Speaker 3: like accidents and illness as well as other routine care procedures.

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Speaker 3: That's essentially the top of the range type of insurance.

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Speaker 3: Then we have Accident and Illness cover only, which, as

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Speaker 3: the name suggests, only covers your pet for accidents and illness.

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Speaker 3: So if they have hereditary conditions or if they get sick,

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Speaker 3: they're going to be covered. And then at the lower

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Speaker 3: end of the scale, you're going to have accident only insurance,

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Speaker 3: so that just covers your pup or your pet for accidents.

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Speaker 3: So for an example, when Lucy ate chocolate, or they

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Speaker 3: swallow a sock, or they break their leg, or god forbid,

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Speaker 3: they might run into the side of a car. So

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Speaker 3: those are the different types of insurances and they are

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Speaker 3: priced accordingly, so obviously comprehensive is going to be the

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Speaker 3: most expensive. Then we have accident and illness insurance, and

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Speaker 3: I feel like I gave you guys a little bit

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Speaker 3: of a tipbit before and said that I only care

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Speaker 3: when it comes to insurance personally about the accident and

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Speaker 3: illness insurance, which is what we have for Lucy. And

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Speaker 3: then there's obvious the accident only insurance, which comes in

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Speaker 3: as the cheapest ge heaven.

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Speaker 2: Now, VI, I would say that it's pretty unlike you

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Speaker 2: not to get the most extensive range of insurance that

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Speaker 2: there is. You said there that that's just true. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: you like to be very well covered. But you said

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Speaker 2: there that you have accident only or was it accident

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Speaker 2: and illness.

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Speaker 3: Accident and illness only insurance for Lucy, So gee, that's

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Speaker 3: probably a very good pickup. And you are right. I

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Speaker 3: do tend to like to overinsure. I am first and

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Speaker 3: foremost a financial advisor, so I do see a lot

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Speaker 3: of claims go through and I never want to be

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Speaker 3: in the position where I'm not insured. But again it's

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Speaker 3: probably playing a lot to the privilege that Steve and

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Speaker 3: I have when it comes to cash flow. Like our

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Speaker 3: pets were adopted by double income, no kids household George,

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Speaker 3: so a dink household, so they are quite lucky. And

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Speaker 3: that means that Steve and I, in our budget have

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Speaker 3: actually worked out like how much vet bills are going

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Speaker 3: to be and how much we're allocating towards food and

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Speaker 3: stuff like that, and we actually do have an emergency

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Speaker 3: fund built up if something does happen. But when it

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Speaker 3: comes to Lucy, Lucy's a pretty big dog, Like she's

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Speaker 3: half old English sheep dog half Standard Poodle, so she's

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Speaker 3: a big lady, which means she's actually predispositioned to potentially

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Speaker 3: have hip displacia, which I've heard of in a lot

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Speaker 3: of breeds similar to hers. And there are a lot

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Speaker 3: of other things that can potentially happen to big dog

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Speaker 3: breeds that I just wanted to be covered for, not

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Speaker 3: because we couldn't afford it, but because I just didn't

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Speaker 3: want to be out ten or fifteen thousand dollars should

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Speaker 3: something happen. When it comes to the cats, and I'm

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Speaker 3: sure there are absolutely outliers where people are gonna say, oh,

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Speaker 3: but Victoria, like I spent thirty thousand dollars on my cat,

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Speaker 3: Like I totally get that, but that is far more

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Speaker 3: unlikely than the need to do that for a dog,

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Speaker 3: Like if Lucy breaks her leg because she's outside and

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Speaker 3: running around the park, like that's going to be pretty significant.

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Speaker 3: She doesn't acl because she's crazy and can't run straight,

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Speaker 3: like that's going to be a massive issue. Lucy's out

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Speaker 3: and about, Whereas both of my cats are indoor only cats,

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Speaker 3: so I feel like they have a lot more protection

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Speaker 3: than Lucy might. So from our perspective and the fact

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Speaker 3: that we are again in a very lucky position to

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Speaker 3: have the cash flow and have an emergency fund already,

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Speaker 3: I was like, Okay, I just need Lucy to be

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Speaker 3: covered for the potentially really big things that could happen,

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Speaker 3: because I didn't want to be paying four grand worth

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Speaker 3: of insurance when, as I said before, G, I'm happy

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Speaker 3: to just pay her VET bills as they come up

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Speaker 3: and as they're necessary for things that are routine.

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Speaker 2: All right, V, I think that was really well said.

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Speaker 2: Interesting to get your perspective, But let's press pause for

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Speaker 2: a little moment.

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Speaker 3: Pardon the pun you just made.

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Speaker 2: The people love that one. But we will be back

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Speaker 2: on the other side of this break to chat through

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Speaker 2: exactly what we need to be mindful of when it

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Speaker 2: comes to pet insurance. And I'm also going to be

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Speaker 2: picking your brain as to how we can budget for

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Speaker 2: our pets. Ved, So don't go anywhere, guys, okay V.

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Speaker 2: So we said a little earlier that pet insurance policies

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Speaker 2: aren't necessarily all inclusive.

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Speaker 3: No, they are not.

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Speaker 2: I had a little stalk in our Facebook group and

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Speaker 2: a lot of people were really peeved because they thought

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Speaker 2: that they had insurance they were covered, but then say

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Speaker 2: a massive accident happened and they weren't actually covered for

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Speaker 2: it at all, and they had to be so frustrated

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Speaker 2: a lot of money. Yeah, so what do we need

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Speaker 2: to be mindful of here?

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Speaker 3: This is not just being mindful. I mean, I'm branching

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Speaker 3: out again, but this isn't just pet insurance. We really

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Speaker 3: need to read the product disclosure statements whenever you're getting them,

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Speaker 3: so that you know what is included and what's not included.

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Speaker 3: And I was actually having this conversation George with a

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Speaker 3: client recently about trauma and there's a particular type of

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Speaker 3: breast cancer that is not covered by one particular insurer.

404
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Speaker 3: And I was like, you need to know this because

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Speaker 3: you're telling me that you want this particular insurer. I

406
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Speaker 3: think because her friend had it or something. She was like, Oh,

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Speaker 3: these insurers are really good. Could you get me like

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Speaker 3: a quote from them? Like, no, your mum had that.

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Speaker 3: I'm never going to write that for you because it's included,

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Speaker 3: And she's like, how did you know that? Because on

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Speaker 3: the website it says it includes it, Like, because it's

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Speaker 3: in the fine print, it's in the terms and conditions,

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Speaker 3: and we really need to be reading this. And this

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Speaker 3: is particularly prevalent when it comes to pet insurance because

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Speaker 3: there are so many things that are predispositioned when it

416
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Speaker 3: comes to dogs, and like not all premiums are going

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Speaker 3: to be covered when it comes to the age of

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Speaker 3: your pet and stuff like that. So there are definitely

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Speaker 3: a few things ge that we need to consider. And

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Speaker 3: as reflected in a post by the Lovely Melinda in

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Speaker 3: our Facebook group recently, if your pup or your pet

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Speaker 3: has a pre existing condition like hip displasia or potentially

423
00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,640
Speaker 3: already has damaged ligaments making them more likely need help

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Speaker 3: down the line, then it is very likely that your

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Speaker 3: insurer is not going to cover your pet for those

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Speaker 3: pre existing conditions. So you really, really really need to

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Speaker 3: make sure that you read the pds to know what

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Speaker 3: you're being covered for. And that was something that came

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Speaker 3: up when I was looking for insurance for Lucy George,

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Speaker 3: it's not just a pre existing condition or damage that

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Speaker 3: Lucy had, because Lucy was a baby when we got

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Speaker 3: this and she'd had nothing. But there are a few

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Speaker 3: insurers that just blanket said, we don't cover hip displacier

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Speaker 3: in larger docks or in these particular breeds, and because

435
00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,560
Speaker 3: her breed is very likely to have this in comparison

436
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,280
Speaker 3: to other breeds, they were just like not happening. It's like, wow, Like,

437
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,359
Speaker 3: my pet doesn't have that. But hypothetically if it did,

438
00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,080
Speaker 3: why do I want that cover Because it's never going

439
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:27,720
Speaker 3: to cover me, so that would suck.

440
00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:28,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, George.

441
00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:30,680
Speaker 3: The other thing that you need to know is that

442
00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:35,160
Speaker 3: insurance is very unlikely to cover the entirety of your

443
00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,359
Speaker 3: vet bill. So depending on what your pet is having done,

444
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,439
Speaker 3: your insurer should cover between eighty or one hundred percent,

445
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:43,840
Speaker 3: but you're still going to have to fork out a

446
00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:47,959
Speaker 3: fair bit of cash. Sometimes they have caps, so they

447
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,239
Speaker 3: might say, all right, George, we'll cover your pet up

448
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,840
Speaker 3: to ten thousand dollars, but the surgery might be fifteen

449
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,359
Speaker 3: thousand dollars. So you need to be really aware of

450
00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:58,520
Speaker 3: what those limits are. But in addition to that, I

451
00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:01,120
Speaker 3: had no idea how much they the surgeries were going

452
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,040
Speaker 3: to be. I was like ten grand. That sounds like

453
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,320
Speaker 3: a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, it's

454
00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:09,080
Speaker 3: actually not. If your pet has a very significant health condition,

455
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,840
Speaker 3: so I would absolutely be going, all right, well what

456
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,680
Speaker 3: does that cost? And if you've got a vet, ask them.

457
00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,240
Speaker 3: It's very likely that if you've just got a new puppy,

458
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,120
Speaker 3: you're going to take them for their vaccinations. Ask them

459
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,679
Speaker 3: what happens if my dog has hip displasure? How much

460
00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:24,679
Speaker 3: is that going to cost? What does cancer cost? What

461
00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,320
Speaker 3: does this cost? Just so you get a general awareness

462
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,440
Speaker 3: of it, because George, the other thing I'm seeing recently,

463
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,480
Speaker 3: especially when we're having these conversations in the Facebook group,

464
00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,119
Speaker 3: is that the cost of vet procedures changes dramatically based

465
00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,800
Speaker 3: on location. So they are far more expensive in metropolitan

466
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,040
Speaker 3: areas than there are in regional areas. And that's absolutely fine,

467
00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:46,800
Speaker 3: because at the end of the day, a metrovet is

468
00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,840
Speaker 3: obviously going to have higher rent and increased expenses and

469
00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,560
Speaker 3: all of this other stuff. So it's not to say

470
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,080
Speaker 3: that they're doing the wrong thing, but you really need

471
00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:56,919
Speaker 3: to understand what that might cost for your particular area.

472
00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:58,480
Speaker 3: And I can't tell you that because I don't away

473
00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:00,639
Speaker 3: you live. Gking well, actually do, but I don't know

474
00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:03,359
Speaker 3: anybody else lives. The other thing that you need to

475
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:07,000
Speaker 3: note is that premiums are typically much higher for older

476
00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:10,480
Speaker 3: dogs because obviously they're far more at risk of developing

477
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,119
Speaker 3: illness or having frail bones. That means that they're going

478
00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:15,399
Speaker 3: to need a surgery and so on and so forth. So,

479
00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:17,879
Speaker 3: as we know, the way insurance works is that it

480
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,360
Speaker 3: is mitigating risk, and the more risk, the more you're

481
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,120
Speaker 3: going to pay. So it's often suggested that if you're

482
00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:26,439
Speaker 3: going to get insurance for your pet, you do so

483
00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:28,639
Speaker 3: when they're young, so that they have it for a

484
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,959
Speaker 3: long period of time, because I know if you went

485
00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:32,960
Speaker 3: to try an insurre an eight year old dog, they're

486
00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:35,600
Speaker 3: very likely to go either no, you can no longer

487
00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,040
Speaker 3: get insurance, because I know that some insurers say absolutely not.

488
00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:42,639
Speaker 3: But then also they might go, yeah, no problems, but

489
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:45,240
Speaker 3: it's like thirty times what it would have cost you

490
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:46,960
Speaker 3: if you'd got it when they were young, right, So

491
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,080
Speaker 3: it's a little bit dramatic. The other thing you need

492
00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:52,719
Speaker 3: to be mindful of, and we touched on this before,

493
00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:54,600
Speaker 3: is that pet insurance at the end of the day,

494
00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,960
Speaker 3: is expensive, Like it is a privilege to be able

495
00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:01,000
Speaker 3: to get pet insurance going to at the end of

496
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:04,080
Speaker 3: the year be paying hundreds of dollars per year at

497
00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:07,320
Speaker 3: a minimum and hopefully for many years if your pet

498
00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,560
Speaker 3: lives into the ripe old ages of like thirty, like

499
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:13,080
Speaker 3: my dog is going to live. Absolutely and while it

500
00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:15,919
Speaker 3: can be super useful, and I've certainly heard anecdotally that

501
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,800
Speaker 3: people have been super grateful that they've had insurance because

502
00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,000
Speaker 3: it means that they're able to afford a really expensive

503
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,560
Speaker 3: surgery or have that covered for them, I do think

504
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:25,600
Speaker 3: that there are ways that we can be pretty strategic

505
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,680
Speaker 3: to save ourselves some money. And I've certainly George Hurt

506
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:31,280
Speaker 3: anecdotally that there are a lot of people that have said,

507
00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:33,760
Speaker 3: I am so grateful to have had insurance because it

508
00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:35,520
Speaker 3: meant that I didn't have to be out of pocket

509
00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:37,879
Speaker 3: fifteen grand for my dogs surgery when they did this

510
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,480
Speaker 3: thing at the park, or you know, my dog swallowed

511
00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:42,159
Speaker 3: a sock and I didn't have to cough up the

512
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,760
Speaker 3: fifteen hundred dollars for the surgery or whatever it was.

513
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,199
Speaker 3: And I totally get that, but I also think when

514
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:48,960
Speaker 3: it comes to pet insurance. We need to be a

515
00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:52,440
Speaker 3: little bit strategic to save ourselves money. But then also

516
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,560
Speaker 3: remember my number one golden like goal of insurance is

517
00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,480
Speaker 3: for it to be a waste of money. Like George,

518
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:03,080
Speaker 3: I want to think that your insurance, you know, after

519
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,080
Speaker 3: we've worked out what insurance we're getting and we're doing

520
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:06,800
Speaker 3: in the most cost effective way and it's lined to

521
00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:08,440
Speaker 3: our values and all of that, I want it to

522
00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:10,399
Speaker 3: be a waste of money because if it is a

523
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,200
Speaker 3: waste of money, it means you didn't have to claim

524
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:13,840
Speaker 3: on it and your pet didn't have to go through

525
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,199
Speaker 3: anything adverse. Like in a perfect world, you never had

526
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,600
Speaker 3: to claim on pet insurance, and that means your pet

527
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:22,199
Speaker 3: was never sick, and that's really good. But at the

528
00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,160
Speaker 3: end of the day, unfortunately with pets, it's very likely

529
00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:28,800
Speaker 3: that they're going to have something happen, just like humans.

530
00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:31,119
Speaker 3: So it's nice to know that in the back of

531
00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:32,640
Speaker 3: your mind you have that peace of mind.

532
00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:36,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel a little bit conflicted now because I

533
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:41,040
Speaker 2: kind of went into this conversation thinking that pet insurance

534
00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:44,600
Speaker 2: wasn't necessary, but now I'm thinking maybe it is, but

535
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:46,480
Speaker 2: we just don't want it to come up and we

536
00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:47,919
Speaker 2: just want to pay for it, and then it's a

537
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,439
Speaker 2: good thing if we don't need to use it. But

538
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:55,320
Speaker 2: for anyone who is still thinking pet insurance, not for me,

539
00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 2: I want other strategies. What have you got for us?

540
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,400
Speaker 3: I totally get that too, because I know that when

541
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,200
Speaker 3: I did some research for this episode as well. Gee,

542
00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:07,600
Speaker 3: I think it was Choice, Magazine, can Start, and Finder

543
00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,359
Speaker 3: all came to the same conclusion that yes and no.

544
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,320
Speaker 3: Like they never said yes, absolutely get pet insurance, and

545
00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,480
Speaker 3: they also didn't say no. They just said ah, like

546
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,000
Speaker 3: it's aligned to your values. Like no one was able

547
00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:23,320
Speaker 3: to actually come out and say, yep, it's worth the money.

548
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,000
Speaker 3: I think it's actually more of a mental thing for me,

549
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,359
Speaker 3: like knowing that my pet is covered and knowing that

550
00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:31,160
Speaker 3: I'm not gonna have that massive cost, Like what if

551
00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,800
Speaker 3: Lucy's running around like the crazy woman she is and

552
00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:35,920
Speaker 3: she runs into a tree at the park and breaks

553
00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:38,400
Speaker 3: a leg, Like, I just don't want to be up

554
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,880
Speaker 3: for that cost, And for me, that's where my values sat.

555
00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,600
Speaker 3: But I really liked an idea from Larissa in our group,

556
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:46,720
Speaker 3: and she said, instead of having pet insurance, my partner

557
00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,400
Speaker 3: and I have an account for our doggo we started

558
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:52,240
Speaker 3: with five hundred dollars each, so a grand and every

559
00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,480
Speaker 3: week they contribute ten dollars to the account. I think

560
00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,040
Speaker 3: something like this is a pretty good idea if you're

561
00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,440
Speaker 3: still organizing your finances so that if something does go wrong,

562
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,920
Speaker 3: you're covered and you won't have to dip into savings,

563
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:05,280
Speaker 3: and then it will mean that your pet will be

564
00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:07,000
Speaker 3: able to receive the cover and the care that it

565
00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:10,520
Speaker 3: needs without compromising your future financial goals. You could also

566
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:13,800
Speaker 3: use your emergency fund for unexpected pet costs, but just

567
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,040
Speaker 3: remember to work hard to replenish these as soon as possible.

568
00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,439
Speaker 3: And also, if you've got a pet and you're planning

569
00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,600
Speaker 3: on using your emergency fund, if anything happens, maybe you

570
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,400
Speaker 3: need to up the amount of emergency funds you actually

571
00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:29,280
Speaker 3: have access to, because that's pretty significant. And we don't

572
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:30,600
Speaker 3: want you to be out.

573
00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:36,080
Speaker 2: Love that idea from Larissa there, because ten dollars a week,

574
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,560
Speaker 2: that's five hundred and twenty dollars a year, and if

575
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,280
Speaker 2: you're both doing that, you and your partner, that's one

576
00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:45,240
Speaker 2: thousand and forty dollars. Math Oh my gosh, you little

577
00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,840
Speaker 2: maths with it, so I mean, journey, that's exactly funny.

578
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:50,360
Speaker 2: And if you don't spend it on the pet insurance

579
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:51,840
Speaker 2: by something, and at least.

580
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:53,760
Speaker 3: You've got it there, whereas I'm spending it on the

581
00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,639
Speaker 3: pet insurance at the moment. Gee yeah, and I'm not

582
00:27:57,680 --> 00:27:59,399
Speaker 3: going to get any of that money back, which you

583
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,000
Speaker 3: know I'm very aware of. But if you're a bit

584
00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:03,840
Speaker 3: like well, I don't want to put the money down

585
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,280
Speaker 3: the drain and I have the ability to save for it,

586
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:08,960
Speaker 3: then start doing that. And I know it doesn't sound great,

587
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:10,280
Speaker 3: but at the end of the day, if nothing ever

588
00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,439
Speaker 3: happens to your pet, you then have a savings account

589
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,960
Speaker 3: full of money. And that is a big money win.

590
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,960
Speaker 2: We love to see it. While we're on the topic

591
00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,639
Speaker 2: of pets, I want to pick your brains as to

592
00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:23,119
Speaker 2: how you budget and how we can all budget for

593
00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,480
Speaker 2: our pets a little better. What tricks of the trade

594
00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:27,639
Speaker 2: have you got for us today?

595
00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,600
Speaker 3: All right? So, like these aren't real tricks of the trade.

596
00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:34,680
Speaker 3: These are just like how Victoria manages her pets lives

597
00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:37,920
Speaker 3: and also makes it easier for her. So you guys

598
00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,880
Speaker 3: probably heard an ad ages ago for scratch pet food.

599
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:43,160
Speaker 3: This is not a sponsored mentioned by the way, George

600
00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,880
Speaker 3: is just like they're doing good things, and I like them.

601
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:48,880
Speaker 3: But Lucy eats Scratch pet food, which I find to

602
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:53,000
Speaker 3: be really reasonably priced, really premium quality pet food, and

603
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,160
Speaker 3: it's on subscription, which means I don't have to go

604
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:56,760
Speaker 3: to the shops and buy it. It just turns up at

605
00:28:56,760 --> 00:28:59,560
Speaker 3: the front door and money win it is right there.

606
00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,760
Speaker 3: I also buy the cat's food in bulk, and I

607
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:04,720
Speaker 3: don't know if bulk is the right word here, but

608
00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,960
Speaker 3: I buy the biggest bag and probably do that every

609
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,440
Speaker 3: three months. And I actually have that on a subscription

610
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,600
Speaker 3: with Pets Circle, again not sponsored, just the website I

611
00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,320
Speaker 3: use because I get an additional five percent off if

612
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:20,000
Speaker 3: it's like on a subscription, which you know, all adds

613
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:22,760
Speaker 3: up absolutely. I also think when it comes to pets,

614
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,640
Speaker 3: obviously trying to adopt instead of buying from a breeder.

615
00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,240
Speaker 3: But I'm never going to judge someone on their decision

616
00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:31,840
Speaker 3: to buy from a breeder, because I think there's so

617
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:35,320
Speaker 3: much more that comes into play when picking a pet

618
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,680
Speaker 3: to integrate into your family. And I am so here

619
00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:42,200
Speaker 3: for adopting. I know that that is so so important,

620
00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:45,160
Speaker 3: but I didn't do that. I have done with the

621
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,720
Speaker 3: cats obviously, But when it comes to the dog. I

622
00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,400
Speaker 3: knew we wanted a certain personality type. We were really

623
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,480
Speaker 3: specific about the fact that we didn't want her to

624
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,400
Speaker 3: drop for in our house. I really wanted her to

625
00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,400
Speaker 3: be amazing with kids, because one day Steve and I

626
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,360
Speaker 3: are hoping start a family and you know, getting a

627
00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,760
Speaker 3: puppy at this point in time, she's going to be

628
00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,479
Speaker 3: around for that. So I just had a lot of

629
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:10,400
Speaker 3: non negotiables when it came to a pet. And while

630
00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 3: everybody is going to say, Victoria, I can't believe you

631
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,520
Speaker 3: didn't adopt like I did what was right for me

632
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,760
Speaker 3: and my family, and you absolutely should do that. But

633
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:20,640
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, adopting is going to

634
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,880
Speaker 3: be significantly cheaper than buying from a breeder, and if

635
00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,880
Speaker 3: you're on Facebook and Instagram, there are lots of places

636
00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,920
Speaker 3: that you can find the perfect pet, I promise. I

637
00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,400
Speaker 3: also think it's really important to resist the urge to

638
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:35,120
Speaker 3: buy new toys for your pet.

639
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,120
Speaker 2: Says the girl who bought hundreds of dollars worth of

640
00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:39,200
Speaker 2: gear for Christmas.

641
00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:40,440
Speaker 1: Okay, I did not.

642
00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:43,160
Speaker 3: Buy hundreds of dollars worth of gear for my dog.

643
00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:45,719
Speaker 3: I think the most expensive thing she got was a

644
00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,280
Speaker 3: forty dollar retractable lead, which was more for me than

645
00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:51,520
Speaker 3: it was for her because I'm sick of her pulling.

646
00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,840
Speaker 3: But gee, I actually go to the op shops and

647
00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:58,440
Speaker 3: buy her toys. So all of Lucy's toys are either

648
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:02,360
Speaker 3: secondhand or gifts, because I'm telling you right now, she

649
00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:06,720
Speaker 3: much prefers bears, like soft toy bears from the op

650
00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,280
Speaker 3: shop than a proper dog toy. You give her a

651
00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:11,680
Speaker 3: dog bone dog toy that someone's bought for her, She's

652
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:13,640
Speaker 3: like a sorry, have you seen my bear?

653
00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:14,080
Speaker 2: Right?

654
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,680
Speaker 3: That's all she cares about, And it costs me a

655
00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,959
Speaker 3: ripe two dollars. They're gonna be covered in sloba in

656
00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,320
Speaker 3: no time anyway, So from my perspective, you just don't

657
00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:25,120
Speaker 3: need to spend a lot of money on that. Although

658
00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:28,000
Speaker 3: totally that is a massive market, right, Like there are

659
00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,160
Speaker 3: designer dog shops, did you know that?

660
00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:31,320
Speaker 1: Like you can buy.

661
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:34,160
Speaker 3: Louis Vuitton dog collars and leads like, not my thing.

662
00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,160
Speaker 3: Lucy's just got a pink one that is relatively cheap,

663
00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,360
Speaker 3: and I just picked it because it was pink. She's

664
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:42,000
Speaker 3: not going to be wearing a fancy designer collar anytime soon.

665
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,320
Speaker 3: I'm telling you that right now. Gee. Another tip if

666
00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,200
Speaker 3: you're going to go on a holiday. And this mention,

667
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,000
Speaker 3: again not sponsored, just good, is to look into pet

668
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:54,720
Speaker 3: sitting services instead of kennels. Recently, I used Paorshake and

669
00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:57,480
Speaker 3: I had a really good experience. We met Penelope, and

670
00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:01,640
Speaker 3: Penelope adored our pets and she was so so so

671
00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:05,480
Speaker 3: much cheaper than had we you know, put them into board. Again,

672
00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:08,160
Speaker 3: I have three pets, so that adds up really quickly.

673
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,600
Speaker 3: But not only did she look after my pets, she

674
00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:13,000
Speaker 3: had all these really great reviews and she actually came

675
00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:15,280
Speaker 3: and stayed here, looked after the pets, took the dog

676
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,040
Speaker 3: for a walk. It was really good, and from my perspective,

677
00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:20,479
Speaker 3: I liked it much better because the pets had attention

678
00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,680
Speaker 3: and I find that really important.

679
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, and like being at home rather than at a kennel.

680
00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:29,120
Speaker 2: And also no other dogs or cats as well, to

681
00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,240
Speaker 2: kind of yeah both that's kind of good.

682
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:33,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly. And I know that sounds really lame to

683
00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:36,320
Speaker 3: some people, especially if you're not a pet person. I'd

684
00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:38,040
Speaker 3: one to argue, why are you still listening to the

685
00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:40,520
Speaker 3: pet Insurance episode if you're not a pet person, But

686
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,880
Speaker 3: that's another topic. But both of my cats are incredibly needy,

687
00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:48,280
Speaker 3: like George, you've met them, Like if you're in the room,

688
00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,560
Speaker 3: they're on top of you. Like they are never far

689
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:52,959
Speaker 3: from me. Every time I record, like I've got Bailey

690
00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,520
Speaker 3: to the left, Henry to the right, they are literally

691
00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,040
Speaker 3: not less than a meter from me because they are

692
00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:00,400
Speaker 3: so needy. So if I'm going on holiday, I don't

693
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,080
Speaker 3: want them to go into a kennel where they're not

694
00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:03,800
Speaker 3: going to be able to sit with people and get

695
00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:07,120
Speaker 3: the attention that I believe they deserve. So from my perspective,

696
00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,720
Speaker 3: I really liked that I tested it out for you guys.

697
00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:10,200
Speaker 2: Stunning.

698
00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:11,200
Speaker 3: So far, so good.

699
00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:14,760
Speaker 2: Just on the kennel chat when we went away recently,

700
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:18,560
Speaker 2: Mum hooked the dogs up with a kennel.

701
00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:20,080
Speaker 3: Hooked the dogs up. I love that.

702
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:24,080
Speaker 2: I'm so tired and hot, I can't speak today. Anyway,

703
00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:26,760
Speaker 2: she hooked them up with this kennel where they all

704
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:28,680
Speaker 2: had their own TVs.

705
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,240
Speaker 3: Oh my god, what I've seen that?

706
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:35,160
Speaker 2: Have you? And they got sent a post like I

707
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:39,800
Speaker 2: don't care A postcard, yes, written by Ralph and Arch.

708
00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:42,280
Speaker 1: Yeah.

709
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:44,680
Speaker 3: I feel like it's right, is really sweet. I feel

710
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,720
Speaker 3: like that's some stuff that I would really like, Like,

711
00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:51,400
Speaker 3: I mean, I sign off the Christmas presents to Steve

712
00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:56,000
Speaker 3: from Victoria, Lucy Bailey and Henry. Like, I feel like

713
00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:58,080
Speaker 3: if you're a pet person, you're a pet person, but

714
00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:00,400
Speaker 3: that would give you the peace of mind that they

715
00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:02,720
Speaker 3: are being cared for. And I know it sounds super

716
00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:04,760
Speaker 3: lame to some people, but like, it's not blame to me.

717
00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:08,399
Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel that. Okay, last question for today, then,

718
00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:12,120
Speaker 2: v with your financial advisor hat on rather than your

719
00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:15,399
Speaker 2: pet loving, squishy darling hat. What.

720
00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,000
Speaker 3: Ah, that's a good type of hat to wear. I

721
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:19,400
Speaker 3: love it.

722
00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:22,240
Speaker 2: Would you recommend pet insurance to your clients? Ah?

723
00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,239
Speaker 3: Yes, and no. Again, I think it's really based on

724
00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,359
Speaker 3: your values. Like I think you as an individual need

725
00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:30,399
Speaker 3: to work out whether it is something you want to do.

726
00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:33,719
Speaker 3: There's a whole heap of comparison websites out there. The

727
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,319
Speaker 3: thing you do need to remember about comparison websites if

728
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:37,960
Speaker 3: you're going to do your research and work out if

729
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:39,799
Speaker 3: it works for you or not, is that a lot

730
00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:43,480
Speaker 3: of those comparison websites do actually get kickbacks for ranking

731
00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:46,840
Speaker 3: certain insurers higher. So please please please be aware of

732
00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:49,279
Speaker 3: that and don't just go, oh, this one has the

733
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,239
Speaker 3: highest amount of reviews, that's the best like, go and

734
00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:56,759
Speaker 3: look at the PDS's. I know that feels really overwhelming,

735
00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,719
Speaker 3: But have a look for the word exclusions or excludes,

736
00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,439
Speaker 3: and have a look for the word includes and work

737
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:05,360
Speaker 3: out what that actually means for you and your dog.

738
00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:08,319
Speaker 3: The second best thing to do is actually call them.

739
00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:10,799
Speaker 3: I've said this about normal insurers. I've said this about

740
00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,400
Speaker 3: your subanuation fund. The company exists to get your business,

741
00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:16,920
Speaker 3: so make them work hard for it. Call them up

742
00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:19,200
Speaker 3: and be like, all right, George, I'm thinking about getting

743
00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:23,280
Speaker 3: your insurance. What's not included? I have a French bulldog.

744
00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,600
Speaker 3: What's the most common claim for a French bulldog? What

745
00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:30,040
Speaker 3: is not included for French bulldogs? What does this mean?

746
00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:33,040
Speaker 3: Because it's going to be different for every single pet. So,

747
00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:36,399
Speaker 3: for example, Lucy's are large breed, so there were large

748
00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:38,799
Speaker 3: breed exclusions. And you best believe I was on the

749
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,920
Speaker 3: phone to that poor person in the call center being like,

750
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:44,200
Speaker 3: all right, well, why is hips display not included? What

751
00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:48,120
Speaker 3: could make it included? Notes blanket? Okay, why is that

752
00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,480
Speaker 3: the case? Is there any other levels of insurance that

753
00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:52,439
Speaker 3: would and wouldn't And so we ended up not going

754
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,160
Speaker 3: with that insurer because then I called a different insurer

755
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:58,239
Speaker 3: and they're like, okay, cool, it's only included if your

756
00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:01,480
Speaker 3: dog doesn't have pre existing conditions and you don't know

757
00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:03,440
Speaker 3: about it. And I'm like, okay, no problems. She's never

758
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:05,760
Speaker 3: had an issue, she's a puppy. We're getting it early.

759
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:08,720
Speaker 3: That's why I wanted to get it so early, because

760
00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:12,080
Speaker 3: often with dogs hip, displacier tends to show itself in

761
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:14,719
Speaker 3: the first twelve months. So I was really really on

762
00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,879
Speaker 3: top of getting that sorted. And then from there it's

763
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:21,239
Speaker 3: about doing your research, not overpaying for something that you're

764
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,360
Speaker 3: not seeing value in. Maybe if setting up a savings

765
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:26,640
Speaker 3: account is going to work better for you, go and

766
00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:28,920
Speaker 3: do that. I don't think that there is a right

767
00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:30,960
Speaker 3: or wrong, and I would really hate it if you

768
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,279
Speaker 3: guys were like, oh, well, Victoria has pet insurance, so

769
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,239
Speaker 3: therefore she must advocate for it like I have it

770
00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:38,759
Speaker 3: because I'm super conservative. And I was like, oh, if

771
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,040
Speaker 3: I don't have it, will something happen? And then I

772
00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:43,120
Speaker 3: spoke to Steve about it and he was like, look,

773
00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:46,239
Speaker 3: let's just get it and we'll review it in another year.

774
00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:49,160
Speaker 3: So the answer to do you have pet insurance for

775
00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:52,120
Speaker 3: me might actually change next year George, because we might

776
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,200
Speaker 3: end up reviewing it and getting rid of it, because

777
00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:56,200
Speaker 3: Steve and I do sit down on a pretty regular

778
00:36:56,239 --> 00:36:58,359
Speaker 3: basis and review all our spending and workout if it's

779
00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:00,000
Speaker 3: still in land with our values and whether we are

780
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:03,640
Speaker 3: actually want to continue paying that. So for me, I've

781
00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:05,680
Speaker 3: got it for now. Will I have it forever? I

782
00:37:05,719 --> 00:37:08,920
Speaker 3: don't know. But for me it's a value, and I

783
00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:11,279
Speaker 3: think it's just in your best interest to do the

784
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:14,440
Speaker 3: research and work out what that means. So do a

785
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:17,080
Speaker 3: bit of research on your breed. How likely are they

786
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:20,359
Speaker 3: to have something happen? What type of activities are your

787
00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,840
Speaker 3: pets going to be doing, Like Lucy's off lead a lot,

788
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:26,440
Speaker 3: she goes to the dog park and she careers around

789
00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:29,239
Speaker 3: with lots of other dogs. Like for me, that's a

790
00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:33,440
Speaker 3: massive risk. For my cats, they're literally not allowed to

791
00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:35,479
Speaker 3: leave the house unless they're laying on our back deck

792
00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:38,120
Speaker 3: with me when they're supervised. Yeah, so the risk of

793
00:37:38,160 --> 00:37:41,120
Speaker 3: being injured by another animal or like running into something,

794
00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:44,000
Speaker 3: it's much less likely to happen. So I was like,

795
00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:47,600
Speaker 3: they don't need to be insured, but again, personal preference.

796
00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:50,480
Speaker 3: So that's probably all from me, George, What do you

797
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:51,880
Speaker 3: reckon I like that.

798
00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:53,680
Speaker 2: I mean, I feel like I promised at the start

799
00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:56,000
Speaker 2: that we would be getting to the bottom of whether

800
00:37:56,160 --> 00:37:57,719
Speaker 2: or not it's a waste of money, and we've kind

801
00:37:57,719 --> 00:37:59,680
Speaker 2: of we've not been wish washy, but we've said this

802
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,520
Speaker 2: and cons it's completely personal preference, right.

803
00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:06,200
Speaker 3: Look, a lot of pet insurances are going to be

804
00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:09,320
Speaker 3: a massive waste of money because we aren't reading into

805
00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,279
Speaker 3: what the inclusions are. One of them that I was

806
00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:14,840
Speaker 3: really disappointed with. If we're going to start naming names

807
00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:19,000
Speaker 3: and talking about brands, is I thought that the RSPCA

808
00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:22,880
Speaker 3: pet insurance would be the best. It is not. Okay, So, George,

809
00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,520
Speaker 3: I know one question that we haven't addressed that I

810
00:38:25,600 --> 00:38:27,319
Speaker 3: know a lot of people are going to want to

811
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,480
Speaker 3: know the answer to because obviously I do a lot

812
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:31,319
Speaker 3: of research, and they're going to be like, what did

813
00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:34,239
Speaker 3: she pick though she's saying she's got pet insurance, but

814
00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:37,120
Speaker 3: which one? And this is by no means sponsored. I've

815
00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:39,719
Speaker 3: never talked to these people. I'm only sharing it because

816
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:41,880
Speaker 3: I think you guys are going to be really interested

817
00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:45,440
Speaker 3: in this. I also think it's really important to realize

818
00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:47,960
Speaker 3: that just because I'm saying I have this insurance, it

819
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,360
Speaker 3: does not mean that I am advocating for it in

820
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,560
Speaker 3: any way, shape or form. I'm only sharing it because

821
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,279
Speaker 3: you're saying heavy Trea, which company did you pick? That

822
00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:57,920
Speaker 3: doesn't mean that it will always work for you or

823
00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:02,400
Speaker 3: your personal situation. But for what we wanted, George, we

824
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:06,520
Speaker 3: went with a company. Get this, it's called bow Wow Meow.

825
00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:07,600
Speaker 2: A bit of fun. I like that.

826
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:11,719
Speaker 3: I know it's wild. They're a pet insurance company, and

827
00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:14,480
Speaker 3: we ended up going with them because they didn't have

828
00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:16,359
Speaker 3: a lot of the exclusions that a lot of other

829
00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:20,359
Speaker 3: companies had. Their fees aren't the cheapest, but they also

830
00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:25,200
Speaker 3: weren't absolutely extortionate. The eligibility for the pet meant that

831
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:28,240
Speaker 3: I could ensure Lucy now all the way up until

832
00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:31,520
Speaker 3: I believed nine years of age. And then also I

833
00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:34,919
Speaker 3: got benefit percentages, and then I got to pick whether

834
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:37,120
Speaker 3: a percentage of the VET bills would be covered or

835
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:40,000
Speaker 3: not covered, And there was like an annual benefit limit

836
00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,120
Speaker 3: that made sense for us, and we went for the

837
00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:45,680
Speaker 3: option that covered Lucy for accidental injuries and illness. As

838
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:48,040
Speaker 3: I said before, it doesn't cover her standard you know,

839
00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:51,000
Speaker 3: vet bills and getting vaccinated and stuff. But what I

840
00:39:51,080 --> 00:39:52,760
Speaker 3: did want to make sure was that she was covered

841
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,520
Speaker 3: for an accident or an illness that was not foreseeable,

842
00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:58,600
Speaker 3: so we didn't take up the routine care cover. And

843
00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:01,120
Speaker 3: then she was also covered for dental, which I thought

844
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:04,399
Speaker 3: was really important. So again, have a look on their

845
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,799
Speaker 3: website work out what that might mean for you and

846
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,040
Speaker 3: your breed of dog or your cat or your rabbit

847
00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:12,040
Speaker 3: or whatever you are ensuring. I'm not saying that this

848
00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,040
Speaker 3: is what I recommend, but I did do the research

849
00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:16,319
Speaker 3: maybe a year ago when we got Lucy and I

850
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,880
Speaker 3: picked that, And then when we're making this episode, I

851
00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:21,319
Speaker 3: had a look and the insurances don't seem to have

852
00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:26,040
Speaker 3: changed since then significantly, Like there's tiny little changes, but again,

853
00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:29,240
Speaker 3: like I would still pick bow wow me out again,

854
00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:31,960
Speaker 3: So I don't know, bowow me out. If you want

855
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,239
Speaker 3: to have a chat and say thanks to the shout out,

856
00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:37,640
Speaker 3: I love them, just slide into my DMS. But George,

857
00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:39,879
Speaker 3: I'm literally only sharing that because I want you guys

858
00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:41,960
Speaker 3: to work out what works for you, and that's just

859
00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:44,560
Speaker 3: what works for me and my personal situation, and I

860
00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,640
Speaker 3: hope that information can kind of be helpful for you.

861
00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:49,120
Speaker 2: But yeah, I think that's super generous of you to

862
00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:51,560
Speaker 2: be so transparent about who you're using.

863
00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:54,160
Speaker 3: Thank you, and I mean not paid, not at all.

864
00:40:54,239 --> 00:40:56,719
Speaker 3: I just went through and did the standard stuff. So

865
00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:00,239
Speaker 3: again I'm having a very standard Glenn experiences.

866
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:01,279
Speaker 2: So far, so good.

867
00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:03,080
Speaker 3: Like I've called them a couple of times and had

868
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:05,680
Speaker 3: a really good experience. So you're welcome for that raving

869
00:41:05,719 --> 00:41:08,640
Speaker 3: review from me. Bow wow me out. Also like your name,

870
00:41:08,719 --> 00:41:09,560
Speaker 3: it's kind of funny.

871
00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:12,799
Speaker 2: It's a lot of fun. Well the I think that's

872
00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:15,840
Speaker 2: all we have time for today. My girl, apologies, but

873
00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:17,320
Speaker 2: I've got to go and have dinner.

874
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:21,480
Speaker 3: It seems fair we're gonna hit permanent pause on this episode,

875
00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:25,000
Speaker 3: so just before we head off, we'd like to acknowledge

876
00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:28,960
Speaker 3: and pay respect to Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples.

877
00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:32,000
Speaker 3: They're the traditional custodians of the lands, the waterways and

878
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:35,400
Speaker 3: the skies all across Australia. We thank you for sharing

879
00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:37,399
Speaker 3: at the caring for the land on which we are

880
00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:40,200
Speaker 3: able to learn. We pay our respects to elders past

881
00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:43,800
Speaker 3: and present, and we share our friendship and our kindness.

882
00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:53,480
Speaker 2: Until next week, guys, see you later. Bye.