Questions you didn't dare to ask.

No. My remuneration, the so-called brokerage fee, is already included in the insurance premiums as a distribution cost. This means that with me, you usually pay a similar price for an insurance policy as you would directly with the insurer or on a comparison portal. The difference is what this share finances: with me, it funds your personal support; on portals, it often flows into marketing budgets. You do not receive separate invoices from me. If you would like to discuss the details at product level, I will gladly break them down transparently for you.

Technically: yes, because brokerage fees are often calculated as a percentage. Strategically: no. My business model is based on long-term mandates, not quick sales. A product that has been “sold” but does not fit you leads to cancellation, and that harms me economically more than it helps. Athena Protectoria was founded to support you over the long term, not for a one-off deal.

At the moment, I deliberately work with the brokerage-fee model to keep the threshold for professional support low. Fee-based advice requires a significant upfront investment from you before any result is visible. My model allows you to bring order to your finances without initial costs.

Loyalty. An insurance agent, such as the classic company representative, is employed by or commercially tied to an insurance company. They must protect the interests of their employer or principal. I am a fiduciary advocate for my clients. I owe you the best possible coverage, not sales volume for an insurer, and I am liable for that. That gives you an additional level of protection.

Technically, comparison portals are often insurance brokers too, just in digital form. The difference lies in responsibility. Comparison portals often state in their terms and conditions that they work purely on the basis of individual products, which makes sense for a portal. I, however, take responsibility for your overall situation. That means I provide a very different form of in-depth advice and support.

Legally and in the advice I provide to you: yes. As an insurance broker under Section 34d of the German Trade Regulation Act, I am legally on the client’s side under the German fiduciary broker principle, and I stand for that with my name and my liability. I am not tied to any insurance company. Financially, my brokerage fee is paid by the insurers with whom your risk is placed.

My principle is: order before optimization. We start with an inventory. Good contracts stay in place and simply move into my support through a portfolio transfer. We only cancel what is unnecessary, too expensive, or weak in performance.

I use professional broker pools and their comparison tools to filter the market for you systematically and based on data. For more complex life situations or medical histories, I use my direct network with insurers to submit fully anonymized preliminary risk inquiries. For you, this means your identity remains protected, and you do not receive raw data lists from me, but a sound, compact decision template from which you can choose the best path for yourself.

That depends entirely on your needs, and you set the pace. If you are already very well positioned and we are mainly taking over the structure, we can handle many things efficiently and asynchronously in the background. For existential topics such as occupational disability insurance, strategic retirement planning, or family protection, we take the time to discuss everything thoroughly in personal video calls until all your questions are fully answered. We always break the topics into portions so that you can feel organized and oriented.

The power of attorney is my operational tool, not your disempowerment. It allows me to handle the paperwork for you: I can request file access, correct errors, and retrieve data without you having to sign for every small step. You remain in control at all times and can revoke the power of attorney informally.

No. I work respectfully with your time and take high cognitive load into account. We can communicate asynchronously by email or through secure digital channels. You receive decision templates that you can review at your own pace, without pressure and without constant phone calls.

It is often possible, but it requires strategy. We never simply submit an application that could be rejected, because that may risk an entry in the German HIS risk information system. We work with anonymous preliminary risk inquiries. I clarify in advance with insurers’ risk assessors whether coverage is possible and under what conditions, without your name being disclosed. Only once we have a clean offer does it become official. I strictly separate the person from the data.

For me, discretion is built in by design. We never communicate through insecure private channels, but only through GDPR-compliant systems. For your policies, you receive an encrypted digital filing cabinet. I treat health data completely neutrally: it is factual information for risk analysis, which I handle in strict confidence. Often, we use anonymous preliminary inquiries to ensure that as little of your diagnostic information as possible is processed under your real name.

No. The mandate is based on trust. The broker agreement can be terminated at any time. I do not believe in golden handcuffs. If the added value is no longer tangible for you, you should be able to leave.

That is the moment when the strategist becomes the advocate. You report the claim to me, and I take over communication with the insurer. I check whether any rejection is unjustified and enforce your claims: friendly in tone, firm on substance.