IO
Iris Okafor
Editor-at-large
Ex-FT money desk. Reads policy documents for fun. Genuinely.
about usWe started The Last Word
We started The Last Word
because life insurance
made us angry.
Not the product — the product's actually fine. The way it's sold: the fear-based ads, the pushy call centres, the websites that hide a £40-a-month commitment behind a smiling stock-photo family. We thought there was room for something honest.
our manifesto
01
Education before transactions
We'd rather you leave knowing you don't need a policy than sell you one you don't. Our writers can't see conversion stats. On purpose.
02
Independent, structurally
We don't own an insurer. We don't take "marketing payments" from one. Our adviser partners pay a flat fee per placement, never per brand.
03
One human, never twelve
When you ask for help, you talk to one adviser, once. No phone tree, no rotating "specialists." If they're not the right fit, we'll say so.
04
Show our working
Every recommendation comes with its assumptions in the margin. Disagree with an assumption? Change it. The page recalculates in front of you.
The four of us.
Small on purpose. Every word on this site has been read by at least two of these people.
TM
Theo Marsh
Head of explainers
Former actuary, current jargon translator. Owns three dictionaries.
PA
Priya Anand
Director of plain English
Spent six years in life insurance ops. Knows where the bodies aren't.
SR
Sam Reyes
Reader advocate
Replies to your emails. Refuses to use the word 'unfortunately'.
the money question
How we get paid, in plain English.
We have one revenue stream: a flat introduction fee from our independent adviser partner when a reader chooses to take a quote and then buys a policy. That's it. No display ads. No affiliate kickbacks. No data sales.
The fee is the same regardless of which insurer underwrites your policy. Our editors are paid a salary, not a bonus tied to traffic or conversions. We've designed the business so the boring, accurate piece is always more rewarding to write than the clickbait one.
If we ever change this, we'll tell you. On this page. In big type.
Got a question for us?
We answer every email. Even the difficult ones. Especially the difficult ones.