Do I Need Disability Insurance? Pt 1

In the world of life and health insurance sales, one product is considered to "undersold" more than others, and that product is disability insurance (DI). Sometimes known as "disability income" coverage, DI is usually sold by agents who work in the worksite or payroll deduction market, such as Aflac, Colonial Life and others who sell benefits in the workplace. These companies typically have a participation minimum, such as 3 or 5 employees having to buy the product, as well as caps as to how much they will pay out.

Then there are agents like myself who work with individual clients, mostly business owners, contract employees or otherwise self-employed people, who don't have access to the previously mentioned companies. Also, many of these people actually have an income that is above average and need higher benefit amounts.

Whether you have access to DI through an employer or not, the question remains: Do you need it? To answer that, we need to ask one more question: Do others depend on your income? Is your income needed to pay the bills, pay off debt, pay for utilities or groceries? Is your family dependent on your income to provide for educational expenses or transportation? 

When I talk to prospective clients I always ask what their number one asset is. They usually say something along the lines of their home, their business or even their car. (One lady told me it was her sparkling personality.) None of those answers was correct. Their number one asset was their ability to earn a living. Without that, they could not pay for the house, or the car or fund their business. 

Our income provides us with the ability to eat, enjoy TV and generally live indoors. I don't know about you, but I enjoy my air conditioning and hot water. 

The premise of DI is clear, but getting a policy can be a little more difficult than life insurance. Both are underwritten on the basis of your age and health, but DI is also underwritten on the basis of the type of work you do and your income. The safer your job, the lower your premium. A real estate agent will generally have a lower rate than a welder. Certain professions are very difficult if not impossible to insure, such as roofers. 

On a sidenote, I once had a client apply for a policy who liked to fly small airplanes. The insurance carrier actually had me complete an additional form for this avocation as I was a bit concerned. After not hearing back for a few days I called the underwriter to get a decision on whether or not the policy would be issued. The nice lady said, "If we were selling life insurance to this guy, I'd be concerned, but with the kind of plane he's flying, I'm not too worried about it." I asked if she thought it was a safe plane and she said, "No, but if he crashes he won't survive to be disabled." 

Sometimes income is verified when the application is taken but I have had occasions when it was verified during a claim. Either way, the insurance carrier will usually ask for a copy of tax returns. This can vary depending on the insurance company. 

In the next post we will look at how much coverage you should look into applying for and a few other nuances of DI. In the meantime, run a quote for yourself. In the upper right corner of this blog is a calculator that will give you a ballpark estimate of what a policy may cost for you. All rates are subject to underwriting, but at least you'll have an idea. Stay healthy and I hope you subscribe and share with your friends. 

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.

Do I Need Life Insurance? 4 Reasons You Do

When speaking to prospective clients I hear the same set of objections. Most fall into the group of "I can't afford it" or "the price is too high". As an insurance agent who got into the business in 1985 I've heard this more than I should. And the most aggravating part about it is after they tell me they "can't afford it" I see pictures on social media of the family at Disneyworld or a vacation in the islands. 

Of course they can afford it, but they just don't see the value of life insurance. That is where I have not done my job right. I have to do better at convincing the prospect that if the bread earner dies suddenly, there are no more family vacations. 

Another objection I get, especially from younger people, is "I don't need life insurance". These people are falsely under the impression that they won't die, or at least not very soon. Odds are they won't, but accidents happen all the time. 

And these same people, mostly single and unattached, feel that they don't need life insurance because they don't have families of their own. When I ask, "Are you planning on getting married and/or having kids some day?" the answer is yes. If you can start a plan while you are younger and it costs less than waiting five years, why not go for it? 

Life insurance premiums are based on a variety of factors, including your age, your health status, if you use tobacco or not, etc. Men have higher rates than women because statistically, they die sooner. (Speaking on behalf of men, we tend to not go to the doctor as much and we are more prone to do dumb stuff like stand a ladder on the back of another ladder, etc.) But putting off the purchase of life insurance will end up costing more in the long run.

Forgoing life insurance purchases at a young age can be costly. As an example, the average cost of a 20-year level term policy with a $250,000 face amount is about $214 per year for a healthy 30-year-old male. In contrast, the annual premium for a 40-year-old male is about $486. The overall cost of delaying the purchase for 10 years is $2,720 over the life of the policy, according to Policygenius "Life Insurance Statistics in 2020"

But the real question is do you need life insurance? More than likely the answer is "of course you do". Whether or not you have a family of your own, there are still reasons why you should look into some coverage that fits into your budget. Here are a few:

1. Funerals aren't cheap. You can save money by pre-planning, but that includes pre-paying. The average funeral costs is between $7000 and $9000. My father, whom I have mentioned in previous posts, pre-planned but didn't put any money down. Between the time he picked out his casket and other accouterments and the time he passed away, the prices of the item went up a bit, forcing my sister and I to pony up around $13,000. 
2. There are costs associated with dying. When I mention this to a client they look at me like I am speaking a foreign language. For the majority of us who will die, we may be sick or in the hospital for a few days prior. And you can linger in the a medical facility after an accident. Yes, there are exceptions, but death is not always quick or cheap.
3. You may have debt. Being young doesn't mean you don't (or won't) have debt. Student loans, credit cards, and car payments may not be forgiven if you die. And older people have plenty of debts, like mortgages. Paying off the house means your family can still live there, instead of having to move to another home or town or school district.
4. Replacing your income. I like to share the story of the couple who had no kids but loved to go on cruises and buy cars. When I spoke to the husband about life insurance and the loss of income if he was to die too soon, he said his wife could "cut back on that stuff". But when I mentioned everyday expenses like car repairs or having to get a new refrigerator suddenly he said, "She can find a new husband. She's hot." (Sidenote: She didn't like this plan and insisted he purchase a policy)

Given that we are in the midst of a pandemic, I highly suggest giving us a call and finding out what we can do that fits into your budget. If you want, you can schedule your own appointment. And as always, stay healthy!

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.

Insurance News and Updates

With Covid looming over us, there have been a spate of changes in the life insurance business. Some companies are suspending sales of certain products while others are thriving. We recently got word of two changes that probably won't affect a lot of consumers but from an agency point of view, we hope it's not a trend.

First, we learned last week that Prudential has decided to suspend the sales of their PruLife UL Protector product. This was a universal life policy with growth based on interest rates, and with rates so low the company states that "we have decided that we can no longer offer UL Protector in a way that provides strong consumer value and prudently supports our business objectives." 

Translated to English, that means that the low interest rates were not sustaining the policy enough, which would have probably led to premium increases that would have made the policy less competitive price wise. Given that there are still potential claims to be paid on "in force" policies, Prudential decided to cut their losses. 

Another recent victim in the insurance industry isn't an insurance carrier, but an ancillary paramed exam business, EMSI. One of the major players in home health exams for insurance companies, the downturn in volume has forced them to shutter their doors, and their website. 

According to a press release, they ceased operations on July 3, 2020 and stated that "COVID-19 has disrupted families, communities, and businesses in our country and around the world. EMSI has become a casualty of these unprecedented times, as the pandemic has severely depressed service volumes. As a result, all company operations ceased on Friday July 3, 2020. We are thankful for all our customers and to EMSI staff and partners for their service to EMSI and its clients."

In recent years, several insurance companies have used less paramed exams due to the cost and have made changes in their underwriting requirements. One of our carriers doesn't require an exam for any of their policies with a face value of under $250,000 for younger applicants. They have also put in a limit for their disability plans. This eliminates a lot of exams, and in turn, overhead. The nurses who work for these companies are usually freelancers and get paid only when they do the tests. Luckily for a few of them, they can contract with various companies at once.

Like I mentioned earlier, in the short term neither of these changes will have an impact on you as a potential buyer. You can still apply great life insurance plans and go through the normal underwriting processes. However, if the current situation with Covid-19 persists, and if economic conditions continue as they are, we will see more changes like these in the insurance business, as well as in the other businesses that are connected. 

One of our jobs at Surf Financial Brokers is to stay on top of these changes so you don't have to. Just as you would want your doctor to stay up-to-date on medical issues, you would want us to be informed as much as possible when it comes to your "financial wellness". We do our homework and know that you want to deal with a professional organization.

If you find this blog helpful, please subscribe and send the link to a friend. And as always, please stay healthy.

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.

The Ever Changing Covid Landscape

A couple of weeks ago I had a routine follow up visit with my family doctor. Everything was good (thanks for asking!) and our conversation eventually got to Covid. She mentioned that her medical practice had expanded their office hours and was now doing drive up testing on the weekends. "But we can do one on you right now if you want," she said. "I'm pretty sure your insurance will cover it if we do it here in the office."

That sounded good to me and the next thing I know she has what looked like a long cotton swab inserted down my throat. After a slight gag (apparently the sign that I'd had enough) she told me that the results may take a few days. A few days almost turned into a couple of weeks but I eventually found out that I was not infected. 

I was doubly fortunate. First, my results were negative, and given that I live in a designated "hot spot", I had resigned myself to the possibility that I could get the virus. But I was also grateful to have insurance cover the cost of the exam.

Getting a phone call through to this doctor was nearly impossible, so I had to physically drive to their office and ask someone in person for my test results. While there, I asked about the anti-body test that was available at a local blood drive. I had received an email from a local professional organization to come down and donate blood, at which time they would be conducting the anti-body test.

The nice lady, who wasn't my doctor but had access to all of my information, let me know that the anti-body test was not as accurate as previously thought, but more importantly to me, my insurance may not cover the cost. I was under the impression that it would be part of my "donation" of blood, but she looked at me like I was naive. I get that a lot lately.

The second reason I was grateful was that I still have my insurance. Unfortunately, about 5.4 million Americans have lost their medical insurance coverage between February and May of 2020. The nonpartisan consumer advocacy group, Families USA, found that the estimated increase in uninsured workers was 40% higher than the highest previous increase, which occurred during the financial crisis of 2008-2009.  The bottom line of all this is that more people are lacking health insurance that ever before.

As less Americans have health insurance, more are applying for life insurance, especially younger people. Those under 44 years old have posted a 3.9% increase in applications, which may not sound like a lot, but it is when you consider the financial pressure everyone is under. 

Many carriers have tightened up their underwriting procedures during the pandemic, which may be keeping older people from applying for coverage. Or the disparity may be attributed to the way life insurance, as well as over types of coverage, is sold. With companies going to a more digital application process, older folks may not be applying with an agent as they usually would. 

Our agency, Surf Financial Brokers, has tried to make it as easy as possible for everyone to apply for life insurance. People can go to our website and book their own appointment, at which time we give them a call, usually scheduled for 30 minutes, to find out what their needs are and what the budget is.  And if we can find a policy that is a good fit, we can take their application right over the phone. 

Let us know if you need help with your life or disability insurance needs. And as always, stay healthy!

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.

The Infamous Buy-Sell Agreement and How To Fund It

One of the groups of people I love to help is small business owners. As a entrepreneur (I have an insurance agency and a consulting business), I can relate to these people. Many have left the corporate world to take on the day-to-day struggles of owning their own operation, and in that process they wear a lot of hats. Every once in a while I will come across a business that has multiple partners with each partner filling a role that the other partners don't want or aren't as good at performing. In other words, less hats. 

My father used to say that "the worst ship to sail on is partnership". He wasn't nearly as witty as he thought he was, but I understood what he was trying to say. Years earlier he had opened a small engineering firm with someone and apparently it was a horrible experience for him. His version of events was that he was doing all the work while the other guy just took half the profits. I don't know how accurate this was, but I do know that he rarely spoke of the other partner and that the business was dissolved after a couple of years. 

I have also had some shady dealings with "partners" who didn't quite carry their part of the workload and couldn't get out of their fast enough. After losing money and feeling stressed I decided to work solo from that point on. Now I just have what I like to call "professional business arrangements", in which my income isn't reliant on the production or work ethic of someone else. 

This doesn't mean that partnerships are bad for everyone. I've seen many that work, with partners who are college friends, family members or spouses. With businesses such as hotels, real estate firms, restaurants and others, partners find a way to make the most of each person's strengths and weaknesses. And in the process, they put their egos aside and share the success of their work. 

On those instances when I do get the opportunity to work with business partners I eventually ask if they have a contingency plan if one of the partners were to die. You see, people typically think long and hard about starting a business, but few consider exiting a business, much less having a person they rely on for their income to die too soon. The responses I get are varied, from "I'm not worried about it" to "I never gave it much thought". Scary.

An old friend told me that his nephew had opened a sports pub/wing joint with a distant cousin. Neither of these two was married and both were questionable when it came to their character. "Sounds like they could use a buy-sell agreement," I said. 

A buy-sell agreement is a legal document that states that if one partner dies, the other partner has the option of buying out the dead partner's stake in the business. This is important because the surviving partner may not want to be in business with the deceased partner's widow or next of kin. Especially if they never got along in the first place. 

Sometimes the buy-sell agreement is part of the legal documents that form the business, but if not, a good attorney can write a short document that can fit the bill. The most common way to fund the buyout of dead partner's stake in the business is with a life insurance policy. 

I met with the two cousins separately. The first one I met with was cordial and I explained that if his partner were to die he would be in business with the guy's mother. He frowned and made it clear that wasn't  something he would want. He knew the guy's mother and wasn't very fond of her. 

The second partner had a different view of the world. "If you're cousin dies, you're going to be in business with his grandmother." The grandmother was a tough lady who was known for being an even tougher businesswoman.  He shrugged his shoulders as to say "so what?" 

As the first partner saw the value in what I was presenting, the second one had no desire to buy a life insurance policy on his cousin. The deal never happened, mostly because they couldn't get on the same page when it came to this or other topics. Shortly thereafter their business shut down. 

When I talk to business partners, I throw out a "worst case" scenario. "How would you like to be in business with your dead partner's widow and her new boyfriend?" As bad as it sounds, it happens more often than you would think. A good buy-sell agreement funded with an affordable life insurance policy can be a simple fix to a potential nightmare. 

If you have a business partner, or multiple partners, and don't have a buy-sell agreement in place, I highly recommend you have an attorney draw one up for you. And let us know if we can help you put a policy in place to help you fund that agreement. In the meantime, stay healthy and feel free to comment below. 

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.

How To Avoid Using a GoFundMe Page

One of the many faults of our current healthcare system is the dizzying array of deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses that come when we least need them. A few months back I spent nearly a week in the hospital. The total bill was over $80,000 and thankfully my health insurance covered the vast majority of it. However, I still had bills to pay. Yes, my deductible is high and I expected that, but there was also the issue of various health care professionals who were not in my network, as well as my loss of income. 

When the dust settled I was on the hook for around $7000. That's a lot of money, regardless of your income. One option could have been to to call the hospital and the other providers and ask to be put on a payment play. There's nothing like making payments for the next 10 years. Or I could have started a GoFundMe page and asked friends to pay for me.

As an insurance agent, I think a GoFundMe page is a horrible approach, yet many people do it. And not trying to sound political here, but I find it ironic that the people who claim to be against socialized medicine are the ones I know that have gone that route. In other words, the very people who think that we shouldn't have to contribute through taxes to assist those who can't pay their medical bills are asking their friends, neighbors and family members to contribute to their medical bills. 

Some will argue that it's different because they are not being forced to pay into a government plan, but the concept of having to chip in when someone didn't have insurance is generally the same idea. Voluntary or not, having a community of people give "assistance" is still a socialized plan. Or is it? 

Sometimes I have these kinds of thoughts and question if I've thinking in the wrong direction. So I picked up the phone and asked a few people I trust and respect for their thoughts on the matter. A couple of them were also insurance agents who I have known and referred clients to in the past. Another group were local business associates I network with locally. I asked them all the same question without being too specific. And for the record, none of these people were extremely political in one direction or the other.

The question posed was as follows: If someone doesn't have health insurance and starts a GoFundMe page to pay their hospital bill, does asking others to contribute amount to socialized medicine?  For the most part, they all said it did. There was a bit of discussion as to the difference between being forced to pay taxes or "contributing" voluntarily, but the general consensus was, in the words of an attorney friend, "If you're having others pay your bills, you've just become a socialist." 

That all being said, there is another option, and that is to shift the burden to an insurance company. With an affordable supplemental plan, such as a Hospital Indemnity plan, these out-of-pocket costs can be reduced dramatically. These plans pay you, not the doctor or the hospital, and can be used at your discretion. Many are available through work, via payroll deduction, and have saved many a family from financial ruin. 

Don't rely on the kindness of others to cover your bills. I've attended too many fish fries and other fundraisers when there's a need, but it could all be avoided by having proper insurance in place to begin with. If you have a question or would like to start the application process, go to our site and book a phone appointment. We'll be happy to assist you. And as always, stay healthy and safe.

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. 

Professionalism In Life Insurance

Selling insurance is a highly regulated affair. Agents have to go through a series of exams and ongoing training in many areas, such as our duties and responsibilities as fiduciaries. In my home state of South Carolina, for example, we are required to have a portion of our continuing education courses include an ethics class.

All of this revolves around the professionalism of agents selling life and disability insurance, as well as other types of coverage, such as cancer plans, Medicare supplements and more. When talking to clients, agents have to discern to the best of their ability, what is in the interest of the client. That means asking a lot of questions and learning what the client's needs and budget are. 

I have had people get mad at me as I questioned them on their debt, income, family dynamics and work life. It is a process we in the business call "fact finding", but it can be intrusive to some. At the end of the process I usually ask for some feedback like, "How do feel about the conversation we just had?" I get all kinds of responses, from "uncomfortable" to "good". But the most common remark I hear back is, "You made me think of things I hadn't considered before." 

Getting people out of their comfort zone is part of being an effective life insurance agent. But the key is to do it professionally and tactfully. I have witnessed agents berating clients and squirmed as they made comments like,"What were you thinking when you took on all that debt?" or "Why would you want such a small policy?" Not good.

One of the reasons it is legislated to take continuing education courses is because of these kinds of actions. On many occasions I have wanted to scream at someone for making a bad financial decision, but I don't. Clients usually are aware of their own bad choices and giving them a hard time about it doesn't make me a good agent. Instead, I try to bring up the subject and think of ways "we" can resolve it. 

Another part of this discussion is how we deal with our senior clients. As mentioned earlier, many agents work in the Medicare market, which also can lead to sales in final expense life insurance and products dealing with chronic illness, like Long Term Care and our newer Short Term Home Health Care policies. I have colleagues who love to work in the "senior market" and are very good at it. They are patient and very low-key, which is how it should be done. Many times they'll ask the client if there are any adult children who need to be involved in the process and invite them to participate in the discussions. Again, it is all about ethics and doing the right thing. This is also a great way to build trust and earn referrals.

I, on the other hand, prefer to work with business owners and self-employed individuals. Nothing against seniors, but as an entrepreneur, I appreciate that these people typically have no benefits through work and have to cobble together a "package" to protect themselves and their families. Again, I have a duty to find out what their pain points are and find the best way to help. 

One thing that can get people off track is the word "commission". Yes, I work on commission, as do countless others in the insurance industry, but that doesn't make us all sinister and greedy. Are there a few bad apples? Of course, but as I've stated in earlier posts, those agents usually don't last long in the business. As the president of Surf Financial Brokers, I am always on the lookout for good agents, but I usually will only take on an agent who has been in the industry for at least two years. It's not a very scientific approach but it let's me know that the agent will probably stick around for the right reasons.

If you need help with your life or disability insurance, please let us know. You can book a phone appointment here. And as always, stay healthy. 

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.