01/07/2026

Jenny Brenda Ritsma
The Insurance Adviser
(Virtual Communications T/A The Insurance Adviser)

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My FSP number: FSP1013107

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Contact details:

Address: 9 Hopetoun Street, Freemans Bay, 1011, Auckland

Phone:    021 622 546
Email:      jenny@theinsuranceadviser.co.nz

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I am a Financial Adviser and provide advice on behalf of Virtual Communications Limited 
trading as The Insurance Adviser (FSP1006610), who are licensed as a Financial Advice 
Provider by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).

 

You can find Virtual Communications Ltd listed on the Financial Service Providers Register at:
fsp-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz.

 

Our mission is to empower Kiwis to secure their financial future by providing advice to 
educate and inform, so you can make the best decision.

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Relevant History / Qualifications
I hold the New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5), meeting the legal 
requirements to provide regulated financial advice in New Zealand.

 

My career has been built entirely within the insurance industry, spanning more than 28 years 
across both the General and Life Insurance sectors. During this time, I have worked in claims 
management, loss adjusting, customer service, complaints resolution and advisory roles, 
giving me a comprehensive understanding of how insurance works when clients need it most. 

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This experience has reinforced my belief that the right advice and the right cover can make a 
significant difference during life's most challenging times.

 

My Services 
The conditions of my license allow me to provide the following financial advice services: 
• Personal Risk - Life, Income, Disability & Health Insurances

I provide personalised advice based on your individual circumstances to determine the 
personal risk products that best meet your personal goals and needs, limited to the 
providers we have chosen to work with. I follow a documented advice process that uses your 
personal situation to determine what is important to you, what products you need and how 
much cover you should have in place. I then recommend the provider that offers the cover 
suited to your stated preferences.

 

Providers we work with
• AIA NZ *
• Asteron Life NZ *
• Chubb Insurance NZ *
• Partners Life *
• Fidelity Life NZ *
• nib NZ *
• Southern Cross Health *

 

* Agency agreement in progress. In the meantime, advice is provided under the supervision of Michael 
(Mike) McCarthy, Financial Adviser at The Insurance Adviser, and applications are submitted under his
insurer agency agreements

 

How I am paid
To ensure that advice remains accessible, I do not charge an upfront fee for providing 
personal risk insurance advice or for implementing advice if you decide to proceed.

 

In place of an upfront fee, I (Virtual Communications Ltd/The Insurance Adviser) am paid a 
commission by the recommended insurance provider from the premium they charge you for 
your cover. This commission will range from 140% to 220% of the first year’s premium, 
depending on which insurance company you take out cover with. I will then receive a 
servicing commission of 7% of the annual premium for the Life of the policy.

 

Other Services
KiwiSaver
I do not provide KiwiSaver advice. However, I can refer you to another qualified adviser 
within our business who can assist you with your KiwiSaver needs. They will assess your 
investment objectives, risk profile and investment timeframe before recommending a 
suitable KiwiSaver fund. I do not receive any remuneration for making this referral.

 

General Insurance
I do not provide advice on general insurance; however, I can refer you to a 
general/commercial insurance broker for which I may receive a referral fee.
Referral commissions range from 3.75% to 6.25% of each premium, depending on which 
insurance products you put in force, after taxes and levies. 

 

How we manage conflicts of interest and put your interests first
As mentioned, the services I/we offer are provided free of charge because Virtual 
Communications Ltd/The Insurance Adviser is paid by the providers when one of their 
products is taken up on the back of my/our recommendation.

 

To ensure that I/we always put your interests first:
• We follow a proven 6-step advice process that puts client’s needs at the heart of the 
advice process
• We identify and disclose the maximum level of commission I may get on the back of 
our recommendation
• If our recommendation involves replacing the cover, we will provide a comparison of 
covers and explain what the recommended provider offers that your existing cover 
does not. We will also let you know if there is anything your existing provider covers 
that the recommended provider will not
• All our recommendations are provided in writing with an explanation as to how they 
are based on your individual needs
• The Insurance Adviser completes internal and external reviews of my advice process 
to ensure I follow a thorough review process that puts client interest first

 

Duties
Under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, it is the duty of a license holder to ensure:

 

• We will ensure that the standards of competence, knowledge, and skill set out in the 
Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services (Code of Conduct) are met. 
These form part of the wider regulatory regime for financial advice and ensure I have 
the expertise necessary to provide you with advice
• Priority is always given to your interests by taking all reasonable steps to ensure that 
the advice given to you is not materially influenced by our own interests or the 
interests of any other person connected with the giving of advice
• We will exercise care, diligence, and skill is exercised that a prudent person engaged 
in the occupation of giving related financial advice would in the same circumstances
• We will meet the standards of ethical behaviour, conduct, and client care set out in 
the Code of Conduct, to treat you as we should and to provide you with suitable 
advice

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What if something goes wrong
We value the ability of our clients to provide feedback about the service they have received 
as well as the opportunity to put it right if you are unhappy with any aspect of our service.

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If you would like to raise concerns about the service you have received, we have an internal 
complaint process that we will follow when we receive your formal complaint.

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Our internal process involves:
 

1. Requesting your complaint in writing
2. Acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 2 working days of receipt
3. Investigating your concerns by speaking with all the involved parties and reviewing all 
the documentation we hold on file.
4. Provide a formal written response within 28 days of acknowledging your concerns.

 

If you would like to provide feedback or make a complaint, please send your email to: 
office@theinsuranceadviser.co.nz

 

If you are unsatisfied with the outcome of our internal complaints process, you are able to 
escalate it to our dispute resolution scheme:

 

Scheme:       Financial Dispute Resolution Service (FDRS)
Address:       Level 4, 142 Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011
Telephone number: 0508 337 337
Email address:    fdrs.org.nz

They are an independent dispute resolution service provider that helps resolve complaints 
about financial service providers, free of charge.