Working American's Financial Advisor

In my line of work, I get called all sorts of things.  I get called "the insurance man" or "benefits guy"...just to name a few.  However, in the time I've been in the insurance industry my most important and needed title (in my opinion) is that of "the working American's financial advisor".

You see, I can advise people on certain things financially. I can explain how certain insurance policies pay interest or acquire cash value.  I can even talk about how an annuity works and how it can help those who need a steady income to happen from a large sum of money they have acquired (usually through being a beneficiary of a life insurance policy). Those things are all important and might land under the "financial advisor" title, but what I'm talking about is what I mainly do almost every day.

In my insurance business, I get the distinct pleasure and opportunity to offer my services to companies. It doesn't matter the company size or industry.  If someone has a job, I can help them (through their work environment) acquire quality insurance that they may need for themsleves and/or their families. Many of the companies I represent and help are the hard-working American labor force.  These are people that keep things moving to create the fiber of our country.  Whether those people work in the office of that company or they are the "hands on" of the company, I am there to help.

So much of what I do is sit with that wage earner and talk about things that, in many cases, they had no clue about with regards to insurance and how it can benefit and help them and their families. These are people who will make it paycheck to paycheck and most likely will never need an accountant or financial advisor or broker to help them with their money or money decisions. I sit with these people one-on-one and ask the hard questions like:

 - "Who would care for your children if something happened to you?"

 - "How long could you go without a paycheck if something happened and you couldn't come into work?"
 - "How would you deal with a bill from a medical insurance carrier that equaled more than what your home costs?"
 - "What would your family do financially without your paycheck?"
The list just keeps on going, but as you can see these questions are all very real. Many times I ask these questions and I get looks of uncertainty as to their answers.  These questions are never meant to scare.  they are always asked so that I know the person I am talking to feels they have done all they can do to protect themselves and/or their families.
Every day I appreciate what I have been given as an opportunity to make a difference in people's lives.  I appreciate every client and every work environment I am allowed to service. I strive to provide each working American I come in contact a chance to better themselves and their families in terms of money decisions and the peace of mind that comes from knowing they have done things to get their affairs in order for the "just in case".

I thought I'd let my friends Brooks and Dunn bring this topic some music...

Are you a business? Do you want your employees to have somebody to help them protect their families through your business?  I can help.
Are you a working American?  There are plenty of questions to consider. I'm here to help.
Step into my office...let's talk business.

http://www.generamsay.com/

"What If" Insurance. It Could Save a Life

Many people I talk to about voluntary insurance say they are not impressed with some of the offerings.  Many times I even tend to agree.  The reason being that I am a big proponent of the hierarchy of need concept for most working Americans.
The first and most important benefit any working American needs is health insurance.  More bankruptcies are filed each year because of the unforeseen emergency hospital stay, surgeries, etc.  The whole reason for health insurance is to be sure the hospitals and doctors get paid to make you all better.  You never know when a catastrophic accident or illness will strike.  In many ways, health insurance is the biggest "what if" in the insurance market.  But this is not the kind of insurance I am talking about here.
The next most needed insurance I would say is a toss up.  I can make a good argument for either disability or life insurance to land in the number two spot.  For this article I will choose disability insurance as my next to discuss. This is the sort of thing that replaces your income if something should happen to you away from your job that would summarily keep you from coming in and doing your job.  One question I always ask is, "How long could you go without a paycheck"?  The majority of people usually answer, "Until my next paycheck".  Disability insurance could be the difference in someone losing their home or not due to an unforeseen illness or injury who needs income to keep the bills paid until they get on their feet again and can work.  This is the next most needed bit of "what if" insurance.  But I'm not talking about this either.
Next in line would be life insurance.  This is the ONLY insurance ever guaranteed to pay anyone a dime.  It's necessary, if for nothing else, for final expenses and/or burials.  This is not a "what if" in any book.  It's a necessary part of our lives.  We need to be responsible to take care of the inevitable "final day".

After all these needs get met, THEN we get into those insurance products that many professionals feel are "unnecessary" or are fluff in someone's insurance portfolio.  The insurance I want to focus on here is another "what if" piece of insurance.  The insurance I want to make an argument for is accident insurance.
Just like it's name sounds, this is a product that covers you in the event you have a "what if" moment in the area of an accident.  It works hand in hand with both of the above other pieces of needed "what if" insurance in that it can help pay a lump sum benefit based on the severity of any accident and it can also be used to handle co-pays and deductibles you will surely have with an ambulance ride and/or an emergency room visit.
True story:  A few years ago we are sitting and discussing insurance offerings as a place of business.  We had been sitting with each employee all day and were winding down.  One gentleman sat with a benefits counselor and got the same information on life insurance, disability coverage and the like.  At ever turn we were met with opposition and the unnecessary need for these insurance products.  As we were wrapping up, the client wanted to look at the accident insurance one more time because he rode a motorcycle to and from work and he knew the dangers he might run into.  Six weeks later, the "what if" hit home as he had a near fatal motorcycle accident on his way home from work.  The accident put him in an ambulance, the emergency room, in surgery for almost every bone in his body, and a hospital room.  This man dies after a 30 day stay in the hospital as his body just could not heal.  The accident policy paid a claim to his wife and four children in excess of $50,000.00.  Since they had health insurance, that coverage helped.  But because he refused all manner of discussions about life insurance, this piece of "what if" insurance saved his wife and children from a financial nightmare on top of the emotional devastation of a "what if".
So, the next time you think there might be an insurance hole to fill based on your way of life or just for piece of mind...think about "what if" and then make the call.

Something funny for you...