Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy New Year!

First, I'd like to thank all of our clients throughout the southeast for allowing Surf Financial Brokers to help with their life insurance needs, as well as their disability, cancer, accident and long term care insurance. We greatly appreciate the trust people have put in us. With that in mind, I also want to thank everyone for all the referrals you sent our way. When we get a referral, that typically means our agency can spend more time on our clients and less time prospecting. 

Last week I was having a cup of coffee with one of my awesome clients and she mentioned how important this time of year is when it comes to family and loved ones. As I was telling her that most people don't give life insurance (or other lines, for that matter) a serious look during the holidays, my client comments said, "You would think that people who love their families would use the message of Christmas to make sure they have enough insurance." I love that. 

My client was correct. When people who need more coverage say they can't buy insurance because they have to buy gifts, I cringe. I remind them what Christmas could be like without them in the picture and that those gifts won't help keep their family in their home or help pay the bills due to the loss of income. Most of my points fall on deaf ears.

I invite you to visit our calendar and schedule a short phone call to discuss your insurance game plan. If you decide that you still don't want to purchase until "after the New Year", that is fine. However, we can start the process from now without a payment until the New Year. 

You may not have any life insurance, or just a little through work. We can help you determine your need, which truthfully is the amount your family would need. Consider it your New Years resolution. 

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life and disability insurance coverage. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast. And please subscribe to this blog!

Christmas Wishes

I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a bad year. For me personally it began with my father being hospitalized, followed by my own hospital stay (pancreatitis) and then the subsequent passing of my father. A month later, things started to shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Millions of people around the world, and hundreds of thousands here in America, have been infected by the illness. Businesses and financial institutions have suffered, forcing the layoffs, furloughs and terminations of millions of jobs. What we thought was going to be a "V-shaped" recovery in the spring has become a deep financial recession.

As we go through this ordeal there is still hope. Vaccines are now becoming available and my gut tells me that by spring of 2021 we'll start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It won't be a quick recovery, but more like a aircraft carrier trying to make a U-turn. Slow but steady advances. 

I also think that once things get back to normal (whatever that is) we will still have challenges. There will be some changes in the way we do things, like conducting business. The pandemic has created more "virtual" opportunities for businesses. As I've mentioned previously, we were in the process of starting to change months before the virus, but had to expedite things when we realized that traditional networking and sales processes were going to be disrupted. 

With all of this in mind, I have made a list of Christmas wishes for Santa to take a look at. Here it is. 

1. End the pandemic. The health and welfare of not just the USA but all countries needs to get back to a good place. Not being able to see loved ones, especially those who are already sick or in a facility, is heartbreaking. And it's taking a toll on the healthcare providers too.
2. Political calm. Our country is severely divided and I honestly don't think it is sustainable. Maybe we need something (not a war) to unify us again. A return to civility would be nice too. In the old days people would say, "I don't agree with you but I'll defend your right to your opinion." People don't say that anymore. It's just, "We're right and you're wrong." That needs to change.
3. More business opportunities. This is both on a micro and macro level. Of course, I want you all to go to my website and noodle around for life insurance and disability insurance quotes. And booking an appointment to talk to me about your insurance needs would be awesome too. But I also want everyone to get back to making money, supporting their families and feeling less stressful about their finances. 

There are a few good things to come out of all of this. Our new appreciation for those frontline workers and caregivers in medical centers and hospitals comes to mind. We learned that we can be very flexible when it comes to ways to do business, from conference calls to no-contact food delivery. We also found out how fragile our economy really is, with people from all backgrounds lined up for food distributions. Perhaps our leaders will consider this in the future. And the residual effects of this will still be with us for years to come.

As we end 2020, let's also remember those who didn't make it as well as those who are still fighting the good fight. Keep your head up and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year!

Chris Castanes is the president of Surf Financial Brokers, helping people find affordable life and disability insurance coverage. He's also is a professional speaker helping sales people be more productive and efficient and has spoken to professional and civic organizations throughout the Southeast. And please subscribe to this blog!