Disability

Increase Your DI Sales in 4 SIMPLE Steps!

Presented by Michelle Daharsh Disability insurance is a new concept for most consumers but it also is a concept that you should be talking about to each and every one of your clients. Start with the basics and uncover if your client has any misconceptions about disability income protection. Educating clients from what it covers, how benefits can be used and that their coverage can be tailored. You can help assist your client in making the right decisions by showing them how to protect their income and everyday lifestyle. Do you know the right questions to ask your clients? Utilizing the Income Protection Calculator from Principal Financial Group (link is below) can do just that! This calculator will help you ask the right questions as you delve into the basic issues of disability. Then you will be able to provide your client with three income protection options. Don’t let misconceptions about disability income coverage stop the sale before it starts! The right tools can make a world of difference. https://www.principal.com/individuals/disability-insurance/determine-coverage/#/
Life Insurance

Three Options for Long-Term Needs

Presented by Gary Peterson Long term care is exploding with the Baby Boomers coming of age. As an agent, you need to prepare your clients for this reality. There are multiple ways you can help your clients cover the costs involved. Three of those ways are described below. One option is to use funds that they save over the years. If they are extremely wealthy, this self-funding route may be a good option. The second option is to purchase Long Term Care insurance. This is better than the first, however, your client may not ever use the insurance and feel as though the money they used to pay premiums was wasted. A third option is to purchase life insurance or an annuity with a linked benefit or long-term care rider. This may provide living benefits for chronic illnesses and long-term needs, as well as a death benefit to protect their family. Give me a call at 800-397-9999 to discuss these options in more depth.
Long Term Care and Disability Insurance

5 Things You May Not Have Known About Long…

Presented by Michelle Daharsh November is Long Term Care Awareness month, so ask yourself, “what do you know about long term care insurance?” Unfortunately, some of our clients and prospects hold certain misconceptions or may even have an unfavorable opinion of long term care insurance, largely stemming from issues related to its early days of limited benefits or the seemingly endless round of rate increases. There isn’t much we can do about the economy that seems to drive the rate increases, but we can discuss the myriad of options that focus on flexible long term care solutions. A long term care plan built the right way just might slow the risk of future rate increases. Let’s take a look at what is available in long term care insurance today. 1. The client decides where care is received. One of the most common myths is that long term care insurance only provides nursing home care, (that is so 1980) and nothing is further from the truth. Coverage today provides home care for those who prefer to remain in their home and have care brought to them. Other options of care can be adult day care centers, assisted living facilities and hospice centers. 2. Benefits can be flexible. In addition to options for where care is received, most long term care insurance policies offer greater flexibility in the types of services available, such as home modifications like installing grab bars or a wheelchair ramp to help you stay at home longer and safer. Meal preparation, errand services, and respite care are all now common benefits found in today’s products. 3. It supports family caregivers. Long term care insurance recognizes the important role family caregivers play in long term care. The vast majority of care being provided today is done by family members. Benefit options make it easier for families to care for their loved ones right in their own home. Most policies provide caregiver training for family members, which helps ensure care recipients are getting the best care possible. 4. It offers Shared Coverage for couples. Many long term care insurance policies offer an optional benefit rider commonly known as “shared care,” which allows couples to share their coverage and maximize their benefits while keeping the cost of coverage lower. This provides couples with peace of mind knowing that their coverage will be there if care is needed for longer than expected, and it is not a benefit that is lost if one of the insureds passes away. Remaining benefits are transferred to the surviving spouse or partner. 5. It’s not “just for older people.” While it’s a critical part of retirement planning and important protection for later years, the younger the clients are when they apply for long term care insurance, the better. Age and health are two of the most important factors when applying for coverage, so applying at a younger age will help make it more affordable, and likely more insurable from a health perspective. With November being Long Term Care Awareness Month, I encourage you to learn more about long term care insurance and why it’s a critical piece of retirement planning for your client. Your clients just might be glad you did.
Long Term Care and Disability Insurance

Life is Precious and We are Only Here for…

Presented by Leonard Berthelsen Wow, is that a profound statement or what? The loss of a loved one or even an acquaintance brings us back to the stark reality that our time is certainly limited in this world and hopefully we have made the most of it. Some 20 months ago, I wrote about my very good friend that suffered from Alzheimer’s and that the disease eventually took his life. I have thought about him often over the months and pondered what it would have been like if the disease hadn’t affected him. His children and grandchildren would still have the loving, caring man that he had become. His wife would still have her soul mate and I would still have my dear friend to see each week. Those 20 months have been difficult, as you can imagine, for his wife as she struggled coping with her loss but yet still needing to live on. My conversations with her continued as she put her life into some kind of order, now being widowed, and insurance was a small part of that conversation. Her husband had long term care insurance and they used it for the 18 months that he needed care. Did it make sense to have her continue with her plan as she had a daughter who could help with any care that may be needed, she asked? I reminded her that she wouldn’t live long enough to ever pay into her long term care plan that would equal the benefits paid out for her husband’s care. If she never used the plan she would at least have the comfort knowing that it was there. My friend’s wife passed away in mid-October after not surviving open heart surgery. She never used her long-term care plan but I know that she was okay with that. The comfort of knowing that her daughter wouldn’t be burdened with providing care was all the motivation that she needed in making the decision to keep her insurance plan in place. She led a wonderful life full of joy and successes. Even after her husband’s passing some 20 months ago, she was determined to live life to its fullest. I guess that is all any of us really want.