FAMILY
Lifestyle
INSURANCE INSIGHT Hey Coach…What’s the Play??
By Dennia Beard, State Farm Insurance
Right now, I just love to play, period! This isn’t business as usual for us, but it’s also a moment in time when the work we’re doing is most critical. I am so grateful for my essential team and the big work they are doing. My list of worries right now—like yours, I am sure—is long: from my own children, parents, family, and friends, to you and your safety. I hope you are staying secure, sheltered in place, stocked with toilet paper, and healthy during these absolutely unprecedented, wild, chaotic, terrifying times. Now, back to the story. Imagine for a moment that you are the head football coach of a very successful football team. You achieve a high level of performance on and off the field. You compete with yourself only, not other teams. Your strategy is to find a team that takes an honest interest in the wellbeing of your objectives and stay focused on the mission: to win. An insurance company can be your winning team. You should expect nothing less than an insurance agency’s best performance on and off the field. Consider this: the agent is your quarterback. She’s the face of the organization and ultimately will determine how good or bad your team will be during any particular season of your life.
She knows the responsibilities of every player out on the field with her. The offensive line (customer relationship managers) make sure you have annual reviews to ensure your policies are up-todate, and get you everything you need from an insurance agency in a prompt and friendly manner. Your offensive line can also be your defensive line. When choosing an insurance agency (team), understand that you are choosing risk advisors. They should be able to utilize their expertise to assess the stakes of financial decisions for their customers and together develop a strategy to minimize risks. Here is a quick example of a risk that commonly goes unidentified. There is a customer, a college professor. While he is driving home one day it starts to rain. He pulls up to the red light because he wants to make a right turn on red. He looks left, like we all do and as he pulls out, he fails to see the guy running, trying to get out of the rain. The professor runs right into him. $900,000 later, the last medical bill is finally paid. Fortunately for the professor, one year earlier his insurance agency had recommended he have a liability umbrella policy. His insurance
26 • Saline County Lifestyles • 13th Annual Salt Bowl Edition
company paid the entire claim. There isn’t a day that goes by that he sees us and doesn’t thank us. Had he not had that policy in place, his life would have surely suffered. I would like to identify seven other major risks you need to TACKLE before it is too late: Medical Insurance Major medical procedures can cause hundreds of thousands of dollars. Consider your potentially high deductibles as well. Is there an affordable policy that will fit your budget while also helping you manage these costs? Disability Insurance You must protect your paycheck. If you became sick or hurt and couldn’t work, would your job continue to pay your income? This is one fewer worry with a shortor long-term disability policy. Life insurance What if something happened to you with permanent consequences? Do you have group life insurance at work? What about life insurance that you own? How much do you have? We all presume we are going to remain healthy as we get older. I would encourage you to consider taking action sooner rather than later.
