Personal finance

  • Like everyone else, it is important that people with HIV think about their current and long-term financial situation.
  • Some mainstream financial products, particularly types of insurance, are not available to people who have tested HIV positive.
  • An HIV-positive status should not affect someone’s ability to access a mortgage, savings or pension products.

Over the past 20 years the outlook for people with HIV has changed. Improvements in medication and the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) mean that people diagnosed HIV positive can expect to live a near-normal lifespan.

This is good news but it means that people living with HIV need to think about their financial situation, not just on a day-to-day basis but in the longer-term too.

Some financial products are not available to people who have tested HIV positive so it’s important to find out what products are needed, what is and isn’t available, and to plan for the future accordingly.

Acknowledgements

Written by: Emma Lunn (freelance personal finance journalist)

With thanks to: Chris Morgan (Compass), Julie Hopkins (Hannover Re), Martin Rothwell (World First), Marianna Gregersen (Cambridgeshire County Council), Daniel Payet (Terrence Higgins Trust)

This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.