Martin Lewis says 'never assume' as you should check small print on key document

Martin Lewis says 'never assume' as you should check small print on key documentHe shared some stories of how his fans had learnt from costly mistakes in their postCommentsMoneyNicholas Dawson12:42, 17 Apr 2026Updated 12:42, 17 Apr 2026View ImageMartin Lewis shared some tips on his BBC podcast(Image: ITV)Martin Lewis has urged families to check over their financial paperwork. He issued the word of warning as he shared some stories from his fans of costly financial mistakes they had made that had turned out for the good.‌The financial journalist invited listeners of his BBC podcast to share tales of financial mishaps that unexpectedly led to positive outcomes. One listener revealed how an apparent financial error had massively benefited them down the line. They said they had taken out a critical illness insurance policy spanning 25 years. For most of that period, they remained healthy and never needed to make a claim. They thought the policy was a waste of money and had considered cancelling it.‌However, with just six months remaining on the policy, they received a cancer diagnosis requiring them to have an operation, from which they subsequently recovered. Their insurer provided a £50,000 payout, which they invested and which has since grown to £75,000.‌You may not be coveredMr Lewis offered a word of caution regarding how critical illness cover works. He explained: "Critical illness pays out when you've got a specified critical illness that is on the list of critical illness policies."He illustrated this by explaining how a policy might provide cover for one form of cancer but exclude another, so it's crucial to check the fine print. Mr Lewis said: "The problem with buying critical illness is you sort of need to be an independent financial advisor and a GP to really understand what is covered.‌"I'm not saying it's a bad policy. I'm just saying never assume that you've got something you think in your head i...