Shareholder protection
Create a funded route for ownership to transfer.
Insurance alone does not complete the succession plan. The valuation, policy ownership and agreement governing the transfer must work together.
Business protection for owners, directors and shareholders
Protect the people and ownership your business depends on.
Clear advice on shareholder protection, key-person cover, business-loan protection and director benefits,built around the risks that could disrupt continuity.
Willow helps business owners quantify each exposure, coordinate the insurance with company agreements and existing arrangements, and put cover in place with a purpose everyone understands.
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Business risk navigator
Which risk could disrupt the company?
Since 2008
Advice for owners and private clients
Risk-led
Cover linked to a defined business need
Coordinated
Insurance, ownership and lending aligned
FCA regulated
Clear, responsible protection advice
Start with the business consequence
Different continuity risks require different solutions.
Select the event you need to plan for. The guidance explains the commercial questions, ownership considerations and protection routes to explore.
A joined-up continuity strategy
Protect ownership, cash flow, credit and people separately.
There is no single policy that covers every business protection need. Each area has a different beneficiary, commercial purpose and legal or tax context.
Shareholder protection
Funding that may enable remaining owners to purchase shares following death or a covered critical illness, coordinated with the appropriate agreement.
Key-person cover
Capital for the business when the loss of a key individual could damage profit, relationships, delivery or the cost of replacement.
Business-loan protection
Cover linked to borrowing, credit facilities or guarantees where a death or illness could leave the balance sheet exposed.
Director and employee benefits
Relevant life, executive income protection and group benefits designed for personal financial security, recruitment and retention objectives.
Business continuity illustration
Quantify each exposure before considering cover.
Enter the current position to see separate shareholder, key-person and debt funding gaps. The outputs are planning prompts,not insurer limits, valuations, tax advice or recommendations.
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Ownership and succession
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Key-person dependency
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Borrowing and guarantees
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Business protection guidance
Read around the continuity decision you are making.
Explore Willow guidance on ownership, key people, borrowing, director benefits and group protection.
The Willow business protection process
From commercial risk to cover that works with the company structure.
The advice process identifies who or what is exposed, quantifies the need, and coordinates the policy with existing agreements and professional advisers.
Map the dependency
Clarify ownership, key people, profit concentration, borrowing, guarantees and existing benefits.
Quantify the exposure
Agree a defensible valuation, recovery period, debt position and purpose for each benefit.
Structure and recommend
Compare insurers, ownership, terms, underwriting and the agreements required alongside cover.
Implement and review
Manage underwriting, coordinate advisers, place cover and revisit it as the company changes.
What a proper business review covers
The policy, purpose and ownership must all align.
A useful recommendation goes beyond a multiple of salary or a broad company valuation.
It considers who receives the benefit, how it will be used, which agreement enables the intended outcome, what existing cover already does and when the strategy must be reviewed.
Arrange a business protection review- Share ownership and professional valuation
- Articles, shareholder and cross-option agreements
- Profit dependency and replacement timescale
- Loans, facilities and personal guarantees
- Existing company and personal policies
- Policy owner, beneficiary and intended use
- Financial and medical underwriting
- Tax, legal and accounting coordination
Frequently asked questions
Questions to resolve before arranging business cover.
The answers are general guidance. Eligibility, ownership, tax treatment and underwriting depend on the company and policy.
Ask about your businessWhat is business protection?
It is a broad term covering policies intended to help a company, its owners or employees manage the financial consequences of death, serious illness or incapacity.
How much shareholder protection is needed?
The starting point is usually a professional company valuation and the value of the shareholding being protected, adjusted for existing arrangements and the intended transaction.
How is key-person cover calculated?
There is no universal multiple. The assessment may consider profit contribution, replacement cost, lost relationships, disruption period, borrowing and insurer financial limits.
Does insurance automatically transfer shares?
No. Insurance provides funding under its terms. An appropriate shareholder or cross-option agreement is normally required to create the intended route for ownership transfer.
What does business-loan protection cover?
It can provide funds following the death or covered illness of an insured person connected with business borrowing, subject to policy and lender requirements.
What is relevant life insurance?
It is an employer-funded life policy for an employee or director, subject to qualifying conditions. It is distinct from key-person cover because the intended benefit is personal rather than for the company.
Can the business pay for executive income protection?
Potentially. The structure, benefit basis, tax treatment and insurer rules require specialist advice and should be coordinated with the company's accountant.
When should business protection be reviewed?
Review after changes in ownership, valuation, borrowing, guarantees, profitability, key personnel, remuneration, company structure or shareholder agreements.
Talk to Willow
Turn business dependency into a properly structured continuity plan.
Share a brief outline of the ownership, key people, borrowing and existing arrangements. A specialist adviser will help define each exposure, explain the realistic options and coordinate the next steps with your professional advisers.
Speak with an adviser
For a focused conversation about the business risks
Send an enquiry
Tell us which continuity issue you need to address
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Sending documents
Please do not send company accounts, agreements, identification or other sensitive documents by ordinary email or WhatsApp. Your adviser will provide a secure way to share information when it is needed.
Important information
Willow Private Finance Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is entered on the Financial Services Register under reference 588422.
Business protection products are subject to eligibility, financial and medical underwriting, policy definitions, exclusions and payment of premiums. Tax treatment depends on individual and company circumstances and may change. This page and its calculator provide general information only and do not constitute legal, tax, valuation or personal advice.