Sapience Financial combines Lived Experience with Technical Expertise

We understand living through tough times.

With more than 25+ years experience in specialty personal risk management, we're the recognised Industry Leaders in Personal Risk Protection Advice for Modern Small Business Owners and their Families.

We support Small Business Owners and Families to better manage their major personal risks of life, love & business

We believe Life & Disability Insurance allows us to protect and provide for ourselves & our families

As a technology-enabled financial advice business, we work seamlessly with busy clients Australia-wide across multiple time zones

The Sapience Financial group of specialty brands was born out of a personal understanding of what happens when a medical diagnosis stops you from working — you lose your health, then lose your job, then your career, and nearly lose your home — along with hope for a better tomorrow.

When you want to protect and provide for who's important to you, we can help you manage the hidden risks of facing an unpredictable tomorrow.

We call that 'Becoming More Life Confident'.

Secure People
Live Bigger Lives

Nothing helps you boldly face the future like knowing you’re protected.

The Biggest Mistake Small Business Owners & Families make is they overestimate their ability to function well during times of immense emotional and professional stress, and underestimate the amount of resources they’ll need to survive, recover and rebuild.”

Australian road sign kangaroos, wombats and Sapience Financial

Get Help

If you or someone you know requires confidential guidance, safety planning, or legal support regarding modern servitude, domestic abuse, or financial coercion, free independent national resources are available here:

1800RESPECT (National Domestic, Family & Sexual Violence Counseling): 1800respect.org.au | Call 1800 737 732
Anti-Slavery Australia (Specialist Legal Advice & Human Rights Advocacy): antislavery.org.au
National Debt Helpline (Confidential Financial Coercion & Debt Relief): ndh.org.au | Call 1800 007 007
Full Stop Australia (24/7 Trauma-Informed Counseling): fullstop.org.au | Call 1800 385 578

Sample test Custom form #19 below

Introductory text needed here

Sapience Financial Presents

Dying to Ask?

The unfiltered, taboo-busting guide to life insurance, complex medical histories, and protecting family legacy.

Got a medical history that makes life insurance underwriters jumpy? Trying to figure out how to pass on your assets without sparking a family war? Senior Advisor Drew Browne tears away the corporate jargon to answer the awkward, unspoken questions.

Reserve Your Virtual Seat

Recently Answered Questions

Real, candid, jargon-free answers to tough questions we’ve addressed lately.

The Plain-English Truth: You are not a write-off. While full illness covers (like Trauma and Sickness Income Protection) are generally off the table, Life Cover (Death Benefit) can often still be arranged depending on your medical stability. Furthermore, Accident-Only Cover is frequently available to protect you against unexpected injuries regardless of your medical past. Never self-reject before an expert speaks with an underwriter behind closed doors.

The Plain-English Truth: Clarity eats conflict for breakfast. Remember: Your Will does not automatically control your superannuation or life insurance inside super. If you haven't completed a valid Binding Death Benefit Nomination with your super fund, the trustee decides who gets the money—not your Will. Align your super nominations with your Will today so there are no surprises tomorrow.

The Plain-English Truth: They won't be hiding behind tombstones and bushes, but insurers will access your full GP medical records (including pharmaceutical records) during a major claim. If an undisclosed pre-existing condition turns up, the insurer can legally void the policy or reject the payout if you intentionally tried to mislead them in answering a question asked in an application. Our rule: Over-share on day one with your adviser. An honest policy with a tailored rating is infinitely better than cheap cover that fails when your family needs it most.

The Plain-English Truth: Yes. Handing a massive lump sum to a young adult or someone going through a rough patch can cause more harm than good. Tools like Protective Wills, Divorce Protection Trusts and Testamentary Trusts allow you to set guardrails - drip-feeding funds over time, releasing money for specific milestones (like buying a home), and protecting assets from ex-spouses in divorce proceedings.

The Plain-English Truth: Leaving passwords on a sticky note in your desk drawer is actually a legal gray area that can breach platform terms of service. Modern estate planning includes Digital Assets. Major platforms like Apple and Google now allow you to set up a designated "Legacy Contact" to grant legal access to family members when you pass.

In the Queue: Questions Waiting to Be Answered

A sneak peek at the questions currently in our mailbag for upcoming sessions:

1. "Can an insurer reject my claim if I die doing something remarkably stupid?"

2. "If I’m taking immunosuppressants for life, am I forever trapped in 'Accident-Only' cover?"

3. "Why do insurers ask about my parents' health? I'm not living in their 1980s body!"

4. "Can I secretly buy life insurance on my business partner in case they drive me to an early grave?"

5. "Is Trauma Cover useless once you’ve already survived a major organ failure?"

6. "Extreme sports on weekends vs. extreme snacking on weeknights—which drives premiums up more?"

7. "How long after a transplant does an underwriter wait before they stop hyperventilating?"

8. "If I outlive my life insurance policy term, do I get a celebration ribbon or a refund?"

9. "Can I leave my life insurance payout to my dog, or does my ex-spouse automatically get first dibs?"

10. "If my estate planning goes wrong, can I prevent my kids suing each other from beyond the grave?"

11. "Can my executor cut off my freeloading relative if I put it in a Binding Nomination?"

12. "Can I write my Will on a napkin during a panic attack, or will lawyers laugh me out of court?"

13. "What’s the absolute weirdest reason an insurer has ever used to dodge a payout?"

14. "If I die in a freak accident overseas, does my family need a diplomatic pass to collect?"

15. "Who gets the money if I die without a Will—does the government throw a party with it?"

16. "Can I set up my life insurance so my kids only get money if they finish university?"

17. "How do I ensure my family doesn't fight over my vintage guitar collection when I'm gone?"

18. "Can I insure my adult child who has a pre-existing medical condition if I pay premiums?"

19. "How do I talk to my parents about their estate plan without sounding like I’m waiting for them to die?"

20. "What is the single biggest mistake people make when setting up insurance in their 50s and 60s?"

Your Host & Lead Advisor

Drew Browne

Senior Insurance & Medical Underwriting Specialist

Drew specialises in helping clients navigate complex medical histories—including organ transplants, pre-existing conditions, and unique family circumstances—to secure genuine, reliable cover. Known for his candid, jargon-free approach, Drew cuts through industry double-talk so families can protect what matters most with total clarity.

Upcoming Virtual Sessions

Join the Next 'Dying to Ask' Online Panel

Co-hosted in partnership with Kiwanis Clubs Australia and Angelique Mastoroudes (Bee Positive Consulting).

An interactive, disarming, and deeply useful online conversation designed for members, parents, and grandparents looking to navigate life insurance, medical curveballs, and family legacy before being forced to later.

Session 1

Wednesday 12 August 7:00pm – 8:15pm (AEST)

Session 2

Thursday 27 August 7:00pm – 8:15pm (AEST)

Submit Your Question

Got an awkward or complicated question? Submit it anonymously below—Drew Browne will answer select entries live!

🔒 All questions submitted via this form are 100% confidential and handled respectfully by Sapience Financial.

Need for Closure Scale (NFCS)

How much predictability do you need to feel secure? Whether you crave absolute clarity or thrive in the unknown, your need for certainty profoundly shapes how you handle health and heartstrings.

The NFCS measures a person's desire for certainty, stability, and firm answers while avoiding ambiguity.

The 5 Sub-Scales of Cognitive Motivation

The Need for Closure Scale (NFCS) helps measure an individual's need for certainty, structure, and avoidance of ambiguity, by breaking it down into five distinct sub-dimensions spread across 41 questions:

Need for Order: A strong preference for structure, neatness, and systematic organisation in daily life and work environments.
Need for Predictability: The desire to know exactly what to expect from situations and a reliance on familiar faces and consistent routines.
Decisiveness: The urgency to make decisions quickly and a sense of relief once a choice is finalised.
Avoidance of Ambiguity: Feelings of frustration, discomfort, or anxiety when faced with unclear, open-ended, or uncertain situations.
Closed-Mindedness: A reluctance to consider alternative perspectives, different opinions, or new information once a belief or decision has been formed.

How Scoring Works

The assessment uses a 1-to-6 Likert scale for each statement.

A higher total score indicates a stronger preference for reaching quick, definitive conclusions and a lower tolerance for prolonged uncertainty or ambiguity.

How This Affects Real World Decision Making?

An individual's score on these scales directly shapes how they gather information, make choices, and react to outcomes in daily life.

When a person is facing a health event, a grief event or a financial event, understanding when they are mentally overloaded or reaching their safety capacity at decision making, allows them to recognise when they need to reduce the rush for quick decisions and slow down decision processes.
It can also provide predictive insights into our own reaction behaviours when suddenly faced with ambiguous stress situations where the outcome is not yet known.

Empirical Testing Methodology & Source References:

Webster, D. M., & Kruglanski, A. W. (1994). Individual differences in need for cognitive closure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(6), 1049–1062.
Roets, A., & Van Hiel, A. (2007). Separating need: Clarifying the dimensional structure of the Need for Closure Scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(2), 266–280.