The Dangers Of Speaking For Yourself

It's never just about you

In my business of insurance and benefits, I come in contact with people every day. People ask me questions, I give them information, and then they usually make some level of decision as to what their next move will be.
Every now and then, I come across the person with no questions and a surly attitude about the entire insurance "scam" process by saying the six words destined to come back around and spank them firmly on the tookis..."IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO ME".
Just typing that hurts. However, in some cases they might be right (to a certain degree). I can't predict the future any more than they can, however, I know of people who have never spent a day in the hospital, have never been to see a doctor, never taken a medication, or had anything happen to them physically or mentally that they needed to be concerned with.
Should someone like that really see the need to insure themselves. I think so but I can see where they are coming from. Call it luck, good genes, or born under a favorable sign. Whatever it is, the "charmed ones" feel invincible and impervious to painful situations where they will ever need a shred of insurance. They even go so far as to be very cavalier with their aging process and inevitable death as they say, "WHAT DO I CARE...I'LL BE DEAD".
This is where I take my chance to speak up and remind people that it's not all about them.The discussion could go on for days with just a simple phrase of "But what if?" They can reply back and I'll reply with the same phrase until one of us just agrees to disagree and move on.
The harsh reality about insurance of all kinds is the fact that it really is not all about the person in the place of decision. In all insurance aspects, other people in the lives of the decision-makers come into play. Let's look at a few insurance pieces and I'll show you what I mean:

1 - Health insurance. This is the big one. Sure it's expensive, but so is health care. By saying no to health insurance you are telling all those around you that should something happen to you you are counting on them to help you pay the exorbitant hospital bill. By saying no to health insurance, you are telling all your future creditors that you don't care if you have to file for bankruptcy.

2 - Disability insurance. Disability insurance allows you to have an income while you are away from your job due to some illness or injury. Unless you are able to accumulate sick days or have a pretty big savings account (which is a form of insurance), a disability can ruin you...and those around you. Things happen every day that keep people from doing their jobs. Some of those things last a couple of days while others can last a year or more...or indefinitely. From the time it takes a working person to go from injured to getting any government assistance to gain income, it could be two years or more. What do you think happens in that time? Your stuff starts getting taken from you. So when things start to fall apart, where does the wise one now turn for help? That's right...others. Those people he didn't think about to begin with are now his lifeline to survival.

3 - Life insurance. I go over this one until I am blue in the face. While the insured doesn't care what happens to them when they die, others and the law do. The "hefty bag" answer is not an option. A "Weekend At Bernie's" comedy is not in the cards. Life insurance has never been about the insured. It's always been about who they leave behind when they die. Even for the single 20-something, life insurance says to their friends and family that they will financially take care of their final expenses and leave the money so that things may be done properly and in order.

As I type this, I am reminded of one word this all boils down to...RESPONSIBILITY.

My last statement is this: the next time you have a decision to make, ask if anyone else will directly or indirectly be effected by this decision at some point and how making the right one can make for a better situation for everyone involved.

It's never just about you.

Would you like to talk about insurance options for yourself? How about for others in your life who need to consider the options they have?

I try to be a phone call (205-370-8453) or an email (gene@generamsay.com)

Since I used RESPONSIBILITY (it's ok to admit that sometimes you just don't want it) as the key word in here, I thought a funny take on it would be in order: