The phrase "Family Protection Review" makes a lot of parents flinch. People picture a stranger in a suit, a high-pressure pitch, and a hard close at the end. So they put it off — sometimes for years.
I'd rather write down exactly what the review is, in plain operational terms, so the families who book one know precisely what's going to happen — and the families who decide it isn't for them can rule it out before booking. No mystery, no surprises.
So here it is, start to finish. About 60 minutes of your time — and you finish it holding your own numbers.
First, the part everyone worries about
Let's get the money question out of the way, because it's usually the thing under all the other hesitation.
You pay me nothing for the review — there is no consultation fee, no "deposit," and nothing to pay for the analysis or the summary. The way I'm compensated is simple and I'll say it plainly: if — and only if — you decide, on your own timeline, to put coverage in place, the insurance carrier pays me a commission. I work with several carriers, not one, so the recommendation is built around your situation rather than around any single company's product.
That means you can do the entire review and walk away with nothing but a clearer picture of where your family stands. That's a completely normal outcome, and a perfectly good result. A clearer picture is worth having on its own.
"Assessment," not "sales call" — the structure below has no ask at the end. You see options; the decision stays with you.
Step 1: A short hello (about 15 minutes)
Before any numbers, we just talk. This first conversation is short and low-stakes — usually around 15 minutes, by video or phone, whatever's easier for you.
The goal is for me to understand your family:
- Who depends on your income (a spouse, kids, an aging parent)
- What you're carrying — mortgage, other debt, the general shape of your monthly life
- What's already in place — coverage through an employer, an old policy from years ago, anything you remember
- What's on your mind — a new baby, a new house, a job change, or just a nagging sense you've never actually checked
There are no forms to dread here. Mostly I'm listening. If after this short hello it's clear the timing isn't right for you, that's fine — we stop there, and you've still got the picture we built.
Step 2: The financial snapshot comes together
With your permission, we build a picture of your full financial situation — what you have, what you owe, and the coverage you already carry.
You have two easy ways to do this, and you choose:
- Link your accounts securely. We use Plaid, a widely used account-connection service. It pulls in balances and debts so the numbers are accurate instead of guessed-at. You're not handing over passwords to me; the connection is read-only and you can disconnect it whenever you like.
- Or just bring your summary. If linking accounts isn't your thing, bring your employer benefits summary and a rough sense of your debts and savings. We'll work from that. The analysis is a little less precise, but it still works.
Either way, what we're assembling is one clear view of your family's financial foundation — not just a single insurance question in isolation. This is the part that turns "I think we're probably fine" into something you can actually see.
Step 3: We find the gap — if there is one
This is the heart of the review.
We size two things against each other:
- What your family would actually lean on if an income stopped — years of living expenses, the mortgage, the cost of raising kids to independence, room for your spouse to find their feet. We often start by sizing somewhere around ten to fifteen times annual income — but that's a conversation, not a rule. Your real number depends on your real life.
- What you currently have — the employer coverage, the old policy, the savings already set aside.
The space between those two numbers is the gap. And here's the honest part: sometimes there's a real gap, and sometimes there isn't. Some families walk in braced for bad news and leave relieved, because they're in better shape than they feared. If that's you, I'll tell you so just as plainly as I'd tell you the opposite.
We look at three kinds of protection in this step, all clearly identified as insurance:
- Life insurance — designed to replace income for the people who depend on it
- Disability income insurance — designed to replace part of your paycheck if an illness or injury keeps you from working
- Critical illness coverage — a lump-sum benefit that can cover deductibles and out-of-pocket costs during a serious diagnosis
Not every family needs all three. The point of the snapshot is to figure out which, if any, are worth your attention.
Step 4: You see options, then you decide
If there is a gap, I'll show you a few realistic ways to close it — what life insurance and disability income would look like for your situation, the coverage amounts that fit the gap, and roughly what each would cost per month. Real ranges, in plain English, no jargon.
Then I stop talking.
You decide what, if anything, to do — and you decide it on your own timeline, not mine. There is no deadline attached to anything. If you want to think it over, talk to your spouse, sleep on it for a month, that's exactly what should happen. A decision this important deserves room, and you'll have it.
Step 5: What you walk away with
Within a day or two of the review, you receive a short written summary — usually a single page. It lays out:
- Your financial snapshot, in one view
- The gap we found (or the confirmation that you're well-covered)
- The options we discussed, with the coverage amounts and the cost ranges
- Any open questions and what a next step would look like — if you want one
That summary is yours to keep regardless of what you decide. Take it to your spouse, take it to another advisor, take it nowhere. It's a clear picture of where your family stands, and that's the deliverable.
A composite picture of how this goes
Take the Okeke family here in Nebraska — a composite, not a real client, assembled from the kinds of conversations these reviews actually produce.
They booked half-expecting a sales pitch. What the review surfaced was a number: their gap was smaller than they'd feared, because the wife's employer coverage was better than either of them realized. They left with the one-page summary. A few weeks later, on their own timeline, they put a modest term life policy in place to close the remaining gap — not because anyone pushed, but because now they could see the gap clearly and decided they wanted it closed.
Your review will be your own. I share this only to show the shape: a calm conversation, an honest number, and a decision that stays yours.
What this review is NOT
To save you the booking if it isn't the right fit:
- Not a financial plan or investment advice. This is an insurance-protection assessment. We look at the protection layer of your financial foundation — not securities, not market strategy. (Investment advisory services are not part of this engagement.)
- Not a hard close. There's no ask to sign on the spot and no artificial deadline. If you feel either, something has gone wrong and you should tell me.
- Not a credit check or a hit to your record. Linking accounts via Plaid is read-only and doesn't touch your credit.
- Not limited to one product. I'm not employed by a single carrier. The options come from comparing several.
This content is educational only and is not insurance advice or a recommendation. Insurance is offered by Ifeanyi Onubogu, a licensed insurance producer (NPN 20352929); products and services are available only in states where he is licensed. Any coverage recommendation is made during a personal review based on your specific situation.
Book your Family Protection Review at waltoria.io/get-started — a calm 1.5-hour assessment. Let's find sixty minutes.
Want to see your own number first? Try the 2-minute calculator — no email required — at waltoria.io/tools/life-insurance-needs.
