In a market where life insurance products often compete on price alone, Hollard Life Solutions is charting a new course, one that brings the value of financial advice back to the centre of the client conversation.

In a recent discussion with COVER, Steve Piper, Head of Underwritten Intermediary Sales at Hollard Life, introduced Hollard Estate Solutions, a fully digital estate planning platform designed not only to address a long-standing national gap but also to transform how financial advisers engage their clients.

According to Steve, the platform was born out of a clear and concerning need: “70% of South Africans die without a valid will, and around 90% haven’t considered estate expenses in their planning.” These figures speak volumes about the disconnect between everyday risk planning and end-of-life realities. Yet, as he points out, this disconnect also creates an opening for financial advisers to add value in a unique and powerful way.

Turning a cost conversation into a value conversation - Traditionally, income protection and life cover have been sold using broad, often outdated rules of thumb: X times salary for death cover, a lump sum for disability, and a standalone severe illness benefit. But estate planning, though vital, has frequently been the “stepchild” of the financial planning process. Complex, time-consuming, and often disconnected from standard risk advice conversations, it has rarely been fully integrated into advisers’ day-to-day practices.

Hollard’s new platform seeks to change that. “We realised we needed to provide tools that simplify estate planning, not just for clients, but for advisers too,” said Steve. Hollard Estate Solutions includes an estate cost calculator, a will drafting engine, and the ability to appoint or exclude executors, all within a paperless, fully digital workflow.

More than a tool, he explains, it’s part of a strategic shift: “Rather than entering the conversation by asking about premium affordability, this tool lets advisers start with legacy, family needs, and real-life scenarios. It reframes the conversation entirely.”

Technology that supports, not replaces, advisers - While technology is often seen as a disruptor in the insurance value chain, Estate Solutions positions it as an enabler. Steve is clear: “This is not about removing the adviser. It’s about making their role more impactful.”

The platform is structured to be intuitive, easy to implement, and customisable, with a built-in feedback loop for adviser input. In fact, many of the refinements that have been made since the pilot phase stem directly from feedback received from Hollard’s intermediary network.

“We built it with advisers in mind,” said Steve. “The estate cost calculator, for example, allows them to plug in known assets and liabilities and instantly see a breakdown of potential estate shortfalls. That’s a very different conversation from simply discussing premiums.”

This advisory-first mindset is also reflected in Hollard’s decision to leave executor appointments open to the adviser and client. “It’s not about pushing our own fiduciary partners,” Steve notes. “We offer the option, but the control remains with the adviser. They own the relationship.”

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