Life insurance should ideally be purchased when you are healthy and young. Don’t wait until you’ve seen the doctor and gotten a diagnosis. You are obligated to disclose knowledge of your situation and that could have a medical rating that doesn’t help your application or cause the application to be declined altogether.

Consider obtaining Disability insurance when you are in good health, young and have career stability. I will assist in reviewing your income and policy to see that it will cover your necessary expenses when you no longer have the capacity to generate income.

Long-term care insurance should be purchased in your mid to late 50’s. There are many options available, some not requiring medical underwriting. These policies may be dependent upon your state of residence.

I work with you to determine which options are most viable for your situation.

There are many ways that you can get insurance, but the question remains, is it the correct type and amount? You can do this online, but there is no person dedicated to working with you during the process. Online websites tend to work with a smaller number of companies and those companies may be limited in the type of people they are willing to insure (usually those in excellent health). You are not offered any choices as to which company you will be assigned. You are either issued a policy or you are not. They review your financial and medical information only, but not you, the person.

You can work with your financial advisor; however, many advisors are not well versed in insurance. Few companies that offer advisors training in insurance and many advisors are forgoing the insurance license training. These unlicensed advisors are not allowed to share in any compensation, nor accept any form of a referral fee. As a result, many advisors skip the insurance conversation as they don’t get paid.

Or you can work with me. My goal is to create a personalized experience for you while undergoing the insurance selection and underwriting process. I’ll review your file and determine which companies can offer you the best coverage and rate. You make the final decision as to the coverage and company from which you wish to get insurance. You will be kept in the process from the beginning of our work together until your policy is delivered.

I will be available to answer any questions you may have or assist in the claims process.

Insurance companies look at your lifestyle, habits and activities in determining whether to move forward with your application. Insurance companies are also taking income, current assets, and liabilities into account when considering whether your request warrants both the issuance of an insurance policy and its benefit payable. After all, the insurance company is the one on the hook if you make a claim.

A claim will probably pay out more than the premiums that you paid. The insurance company wants to be sure that the premium you pay reflects your health, lifestyle, habits and activities.

If you are a non-smoker in excellent health with no hazardous activities, you should expect to pay less than someone who smokes, has COPD and skydives. If the insurance company doesn’t have a clear picture of who you are, you become “average”.

I work to make sure the insurance company has a deeper understanding of who you are in order to get the best rating possible for you.

Should you need to make an insurance claim, it’s important to know what paperwork is required. Every company has its own requirements and time frames for completion.

I will assist you in knowing what the insurance company wants, when they want it, what might hold up your claim and also the results of your claim request.

It pays to thoroughly review your benefits package to understand the qualifications and limits of your group insurance policy. Some companies require you to undergo medical exams; some offer guaranteed issue insurance regardless of medical history. Group insurance ends when you cease employment.

The group life insurance portion may be convertible to a new permanent life insurance policy at a personal level, but the cost will be set at a much later date (i.e. at the time you reach a certain age). The cost of insurance is directly related to your age- the older you get, the more it costs. This is why I recommend having your own individual policy purchased at a younger age and reviewed frequently to determine its adequacy.

Your employer’s group disability insurance is limited, based upon your age and occupation. Once you qualify as being “disabled”, you will receive only a percentage of your base pay. The question becomes, does this cover your current expenses and more importantly, how long does that income last? A certain number of years? To a certain age?

I seek out the best disability company based on your needs and health to obtain the right coverage for your needs.