By Medicine Hat News on October 20, 2018.
As a child my mother taught me a saying that is meant to go between two people. It goes like this; “what’s life, a magazine, where do you get it, a newsstand on the corner, how much, two bits, I’ve only got a nickel, that’s tough, what’s tough, life, what’s life?” From here the saying loops back and you would repeat it over and over until you get tired of it. Often, I feel like I am on loop mode advising people to obtain life, critical illness, disability and other types of insurance. Have you ever felt that your insurance advisor is repeating the same advice over and over again? Trust me, I am not a fan of it myself but I will explain why we do this. Insurance helps people. It gives you options. It gives you time. It gives you freedom. That is important to me. I personally want those things on a daily basis. I don’t want them to end due to tragedy. It is that simple. Life happens and I want you to be ready for it. I don’t think that you should just take my word for it though. You can access real life stories and the impact that insurance made at a website called lifehappens.org. You may also know someone that has been impacted by an insurance claim. It will change your perspective. I had sold insurance for about five years before I had a client to whom I personally sold a policy to make a claim. It changed me. My focus increased. I specialized in this area since. I understand that as an advisor I have a unique view. I want to share with you two simple stories from my week. At the beginning of this week I was collaborating with another insurance advisor out of Calgary assessing people’s needs for insurance. Part of his comments was how he recently paid out a $4 million life insurance claim. The spouse who made the claim for her husband’s death was not originally a fan of getting the insurance in the first place. Now everything has changed! Can you imagine not having that? What would your options be like? What would your time be like? What would your freedom be like? Life does happen and many of us will face tragedy. Just yesterday I was at a tax update with about 60 accountants and lawyers. Afterwards, I was discussing with one of them about the various strategies we could implement. That professional shared his conviction with insurance planning to me since one of his parents did when he was a child. He said, “It made all the difference.” If you saw that person today you would probably never tell. These stories are real. Don’t take my word for it, check them out on lifehappens.org. or ask someone that has experienced a claim in some fashion to share their story with you. Steve Meldrum B.Mgt. CFP CLU is the founder of Swell Private Wealth Ltd. For over a decade he has specialized in helping individuals and businesses expand protect and perpetuate their wealth. For further information or tailored advice, contact him at 403-487-0490, steve@swellwealth.com or connect on social media. 9