The Benefits Of An Accident Insurance Plan

Accidents happen every day, and they can have a significant financial impact on those who are injured. Medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs can add up quickly, leaving many people struggling to make ends meet.

This is where accident insurance can help. Accident insurance is a type of supplemental insurance that provides financial assistance to people who are injured in accidents. The benefits of an accident insurance plan can vary depending on the specific policy, but they typically include:

• Cash payments to help cover medical expenses: Accident insurance can provide cash payments to help cover the cost of medical care, such as hospital bills, doctor's visits, and prescription drugs.
• Lost wages benefits: If you are unable to work due to an accident, accident insurance can provide lost wages benefits to help replace your income.
• Paid time off: Some accident insurance plans also include paid time off, which can allow you to take time off from work to recover from your injuries.
• Death benefits: In the event of your death due to an accident, accident insurance can provide death benefits to your beneficiaries.

Accident insurance can be a valuable financial safety net for anyone who is concerned about the cost of medical care or lost wages in the event of an accident. If you are considering purchasing an accident insurance plan, it is important to compare different policies to find one that meets your needs and budget.

Here are some of the specific benefits of having an accident insurance plan:

• Peace of mind: Knowing that you have financial protection in the event of an accident can give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on your recovery.
• Financial security: Accident insurance can help you to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs that may arise from an accident. This can help to protect your financial security and prevent you from going into debt.
• Complementary coverage: Accident insurance can be a good way to complement your existing health insurance coverage. For example, if your health insurance has a high deductible, accident insurance can help you to pay for out-of-pocket expenses.

If you are considering purchasing an accident insurance plan, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• The cost of coverage: The cost of accident insurance varies depending on the specific policy and your individual circumstances. It is important to compare different policies to find one that fits your budget.
• The benefits of coverage: Make sure you understand the benefits that are included in the accident insurance policy you are considering. Some policies may only cover certain types of accidents, while others may have more comprehensive coverage.
• The waiting period: Some accident insurance policies have a waiting period, which is the amount of time you must be covered before you can file a claim. Make sure you understand the waiting period before you purchase a policy.

Accident insurance can be a valuable financial protection for anyone who is concerned about the cost of medical care or lost wages in the event of an accident. If you are considering purchasing an accident insurance plan, be sure to compare different policies to find one that meets your needs and budget.

If you would like a free "no obligation" quote, click here. Or schedule an appointment with one of our agents to discuss your insurance needs,

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!

A New Addition To Our Insurance Line-Up - Dental!

For the last few years we at Surf Financial Brokers have offered a dental/vision/hearing combo plan. And to be honest, we weren't too crazy about it because the dental portion of the plan had a network that just didn't work for most of our clients. 

We listened to your feedback and have taken on another dental and vision insurance carrier. However, instead of a "combo" product, the new plans are separate. We still offer the combo plan and if you need hearing coverage, it will be available.

One of the issues I have heard over the years is that dentists tend to go from one network to another, and rarely notify their patients ahead of time. There's nothing more frustrating than finding out after a cleaning or other service has been completed that your dentist no longer is in the network. With that in mind, we offer "out of network" plans that can work as well. 

We haven't done away with the old plans, and like our many of our other products, we will continue to offer a variety of carriers. That's the nice part about being a truly independent insurance agency. We don't work for a company, but instead the companies work for us.

The really good news is that you can get a quote directly from our site. And if you find the plan that you like and fits your budget, you can apply online. It's that easy!

Have a question? Book a short phone call from our site or drop us a note below in the comments. 

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!

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!

"Group Benefits" For The Self-Employed

I spend a portion of my time working in the "voluntary benefits" arena as an enroller, or "benefits counselor". In a nutshell, I enroll benefits for large groups, like schools, hospitals and municipalities, for example. Typically I sit with an employee in a one-on-one meeting and review their current benefits and check to see if they need any other insurance poducts. It's great to meet these folks and help them with insurance products like dental, vision, disability, accident and life insurance. 

The majority of my working time is spent working with individuals, however, many of which are self-employed. Realtors, sales professionals, small business owners and other "contract employees" or 1099's for instance, make up a lot of my clients. These great people are just as deserving of having decent insurance products, regardless of the size of their company. 

With this in mind, we invite all to visit our site and take a look at some of our voluntary products that can be purchased on an individual basis. There, one can get quotes for products such as life, cancer, hospital indemnity and accident insurance right from our site. And if you see coverage you like you can even start an application!

For some of our other products, like disability insurance and long term care insurance, one can book a short phone call to get a quote as accurate as possible.* We are independent agents and have access to many of the best policies. 

As independent insurance agents, we are also independent contractors, which means that we use our own products. Having a disability or cancer plan come out of our bank account instead of a paycheck doesn't change the fact that we need these important insurance plans. 

Please take the time to get a quote for yourself or your family. It probably won't cost as much as you think. 

*Quotes are not guarantees or offers of coverage and all policies are subject to underwriting. 

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!

Video: The Most Important Thing You Read All Day

Were you aware that this country has a looming retirement crisis? The truth is that far too many people are not contributing to any type of savings plan, including 401(k)s or SEP's. And far less have planned for long term care expenses, which could erode any savings that are in place. 

On top of that, only about 40% of people have the amount of life insurance they actually need, with many people not owning any life insurance at all. That leaves a lot of families in a precarious predicament if the breadwinner should die too soon or unexpectedly.

What if there was a way to make sure your family was taken care of while accumulating cash for a retirement "supplement"? Or, if need be, that money can be used for long term care costs. Would you be interested in learning about such a plan? Let us know by replying in the comment section or directly to the video. We can book a short phone conversation to answer any questions you may have. 

Watch our short video! 

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!

Do You Have A Rainy Day Fund?

We often hear about people who need funds in an emergency. Someone who has a medical emergency, for example, may need some quick cash for hospital bills, deductibles, co-pays. Along with that could be a shortage of money to pay bills while out of work. 

A general rule of thumb has been to make sure you have six months of money saved to pay bills, but many rarely do this. The solution has been to wait until an emergency occurs, then start a GoFundMe page and ask friends or family (or even strangers) to contribute. People who know I sell insurance will ask me "Why didn't you sell that person some insurance?"  My answer is "I tried but they didn't find it important enough at the time."

However, if one owns a permanent life insurance policy that builds cash value, asking friends and strangers to kick in doesn't have to happen. And by overfunding a policy*, building that cash value can happen faster. 

I knew of a gentleman who had quickly built a small fortune in a life insurance policy and would "warehouse" his money until he needed it. If he saw a piece of property he wanted to purchase he would call the insurance carrier and "borrow" against his policy, and within 6-8 months he would have the loan paid off. By using this method he avoided having to fill out loads of paperwork at a bank and, in most cases, he would have the money within a few business days.

The point of this is that life insurance that builds cash value can be used for emergencies, like a critical illness, or many other things. If you have questions about how this works, visit our site and book a short phone appointment to discuss. In the meantime, please stay healthy. 

*There are limits as to how much one can contribute to a policy which are set by the IRS. Tax penalties can apply if the policy isn't structured correctly.

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!

What Happens When You Can't Work?

We can presume that most of us enjoy earning a living, getting a paycheck (nowadays direct deposit is the norm) and having some discretionary, or "leftover" money to use after paying our bills. Those funds are what we use for the fun stuff, like eating a meal at a restaurant or seeing a movie or treating a friend to lunch. 

But what happens when those funds are no longer available? What if you aren't able to work due to sickness or injury? 

For many people (like me) who are small business owners, independent contractors or otherwise self-employed, a serious disability could not only be devastating to a family's finances, but could also damage the business providing the income. But there's a solution!

A Disability Income (DI) insurance policy can help you protect your paycheck, which in turn helps you pay your bills and maybe even have a little leftover for a movie. DI can help you and your business stay afloat when you are unable to work. 

There are a few things to consider when looking at DI. 

• Underwriting looks at your health, your income and the type of work you do. An office worker may have lower rates than a welder because welding is more dangerous. Some insurance companies will require to see your taxes for the last 2 years.
• Policies can also be purchased that are solely for keeping the business open. 
• Individual DI policies may not have all the benefits found in group plans, like maternity coverage. However, there are many more options that can be structured to work for your needs.

Premiums may not be as high as you think, and your coverage can be customized to fit your budget. Given that over 85% of claims are actually for illnesses, like cancer or strokes, that doesn't mean accidents can't happen. Either way, if you can't work, a DI plan will be a great way to avoid guilting your friends and family into contributing to your GoFundMe plan. 

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!

What Is The Guaranteed Insurability Option?

One of the things that can confuse people when purchasing life insurance (and other types of coverage as well) is the various types of riders that are available. These riders are simply add-ons that can increase the coverage of your policy. One of these riders is the Guaranteed Insurability Option (GIO), also known as the Guaranteed Purchase Option (GPO). 

The GIO rider can work for you by giving you opportunities during the life of the policy to purchase extra coverage without having to go through medical underwriting. The insurance company will send you a notice from time to time (sometime stated in the policy itself) stating that you have a window of time called an "option date" to purchase more coverage. These dates usually fall on the anniversary of your policy and can be spread out every 3 to 5 years.

Of course if you purchase more coverage it will cost you more in premiums, and the additional coverage will be based on your current age. For instance, let's say that you bought a policy at age 35 and the premium is $40/month for $250,000 coverage. At age 45 you want to purchase more coverage (you may have had a life change or bought a bigger home or whatever), yet you have also had health issues recently. In the case your rate will increase because you are buying more coverage, but that new coverage will based on you being 45 years old now. 

As an agent I recommend this rider to people who are insuring small children because you just don't know what can happen down the road for a your person when it comes to their health. 

The rider itself can add a small amount to your premium but should be considered if you have a family history of medical issues or if you have a medical issue that will may get worse. 

Here's a brochure from Illinois Mutual, a great company that has some awesome policies. 

As always, let us help you if you have questions or comments. You can visit our site and book a short phone appointment. In the meantime stay healthy and thank you for your referrals.

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!

5 Times Your Income

When considering purchasing a life insurance policy many people aren't sure how much to purchase. There are many factors to consider like paying off debt and final expenses, but one part of the puzzle that often gets overlooked. 

I often meet people who say they just need enough to cover the balance of their mortgage with the idea that when they pass away, their families can stay in the home. Unfortunately, they fail to consider that while their loved ones are in a house that is paid for, there will continue to be bills and other expenses that need to be taken care of. Roofs and refrigerators will need to be repaired or replaced, as well as other expenditures that were paid with the income of the family member who has now died.

Considering lost income will definitely add to the total amount of insurance coverage, and in some cases may actually double the original face amount, and in turn, make the premium go up. But that increase won't be as important as ensuring that the family can stay in their home and pay their bills as well. 

When figuring in "loss of income", a simple rule is to multiply your income by 5. Let's use an easy example with round numbers. Suppose your income is $50,000 each year. Simply add $250,000 to your other numbers (debt, including mortgage, final expenses, etc). That extra amount may look scary but a term policy can be an affordable way to get the correct amount insurance and keep it within your budget.

Don't let a few extra dollars in premium keep you from purchasing the insurance your family needs.

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!