Life insurance should be viewed through a different lens than other insurance — more specifically, as an asset, instead of an expense. Life insurance can be used to power and protect your family in many ways.
1. Five Ways to Power Up a Life Insurance Generator
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in
2012, thousands of people in the
Northeast were without power for
weeks, if not months. If you ask those
who had the foresight to purchase a
generator before the storm hit, many of
them will probably tell you it was one
of the best investments they ever made.
You have probably never thought
about life insurance as a generator,
but the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
makes the parallels clear, says Dan
Gardella LUTCF, CLTC, vice president
of Insurance Operations for David
Lerner Associates. “The things we all
take for granted — electricity, heat,
running water — were gone for many
people. But those with a generator
could at least turn on their lights and
take a hot shower. They were a little
more at ease.”
Eventually, the aftermath of the storm
passed, and things returned to normal
for most people. “But when a loved
one dies, they’re not coming back,” says Gardella. “How do
their surviving family members and loved ones power up their
resources?”
Gardella identifies five key areas that can be “powered up” by
plugging into a “life insurance generator:”
1. Family protection — When a primary breadwinner in the
family passes on, so does the income that he or she earned.
Therefore, Gardella says that income replacement is one of the
many reasons people buy life insurance.
“The death benefit from a life insurance policy can provide
funds that enable surviving family members to maintain their
lifestyle — to stay in their home, for example, or for children to
stay in college or a private school.”
2. Supplemental retirement income — A whole life (or per-manent)
David Lerner Associates, Inc. has direct selling agreements with several major insurance companies.
Those companies determine insurability, and not everyone will qualify. Check with your Investment Counselor for underwriting qualifications.
insurance policy with cash value can provide cash to
supplement a pension or other retirement savings plan during
retirement. “Who knows what the status of Social Security is
going to be when people are ready to retire?” says Gardella.
LIFE INSURANCE G E N E R ATO R
Plug into the power of life insurance
to protect yourself and your family.
FAMILY PROTECTION
SUPPLEMENTAL
RETIREMENT INCOME
MORTGAGE PROTECTION
COLLEGE FUNDING
LIFE INSURANCE AND
LONG-TERM CARE BENEFITS
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3. Mortgage protection —A life insurance policy can provide a
cash lump sum that can be used to pay off a home mortgage if
a family’s primary breadwinner dies unexpectedly.
4. College funding — In the same way that the cash value from
a whole life policy can supplement retirement income, it can
also provide money to help pay for your children’s college edu-cations.
“You can build up cash value and dividends in a policy
to help put your kids though school,” says Gardella.
5. Long-term care — According to Gardella, life insurance poli-cies
can be bought today that include a long-term care rider.
“This gives you a living benefit of monthly cash to help pay for
long-term care expenses if you need them later in life, as well as
a death benefit for your surviving family members and heirs.”
In speaking with families about life insurance, Gardella says he
often hears them say that they can’t afford the premiums, “but
it’s important to look at all the benefits you may receive by
paying life insurance premiums.”
www.davidlerner.com
All insurance benefits are paid subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing company. Material contained in this article is provided
for information purposes only and is not intended to be used in connection with the evaluation of any investments offered by
David Lerner Associates, Inc. This material does not constitute an offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities and should not
be considered in connection with the purchase or sale of securities. Member FINRA & SIPC.
04/2014