"1 in 3 persons experiencing a disability of 3 months or more" How can that be?

All of you who are readers of my JamesOilerAgent Blogger page know that I've recently contracted with Illinois Mutual to offer Disability Insurance products to individuals and workplace groups. 

What you may not know is this means I'm obliged to read and understand about 600-800 pages of products guides and third party resource materials so I'm well versed in the products, common and less common uses, and technical aspects of these offerings...
Some of the statistics are blowing my mind. At first they are tough to believe but when I think about the sample of people that I know the stats start to ring true.
I found a concise guide to most of the materials I'm reading (sort of a Cliff Notes version) at the www.lifehappens.org web site. (linked below)
1 in 3 persons experiencing a disability of 3 months or more was tough to swallow at first until I started adding up my people. 
The next one I had to prove to myself was the greater risk for women. This one took less time to think through. I know quite a few women who are breast cancer survivors. In my own informal calculus they tip the scales very heavily toward supporting the greater risk for women.
Please find some time to download this 8 page "What You Need To Know About Disability Insurance" guide. It will be worth your time.
Anyone reading this that has substantial student load debt from undergrad and grad school please call me today if you don't have disability insurance. I'd rather serve my friends and family first.

What You Should Know About Disability Insurance

The Most Powerful Penny In Your Dollar

The Secret Insurance
Alright, Disability Insurance isn't exactly a secret. But as our nations attention is drawn so completely to "Healthcare Reform" Disability Insurance has gotten pushed so far out of view that for many people it is a forgotten, or maybe even 'new' concept (younger folks who have entered the job market in the last two years may not even know you can insure your paycheck).

Disability Insurance has been around for a good long while. It has long been known as a great value for protecting your lifestyle from life's hard knocks. But in our current economy many people assume that it is a product that will be priced out of their grasp.

The point I want to get to in this blog post is that a very strong Disability Insurance policy can be had for about 1% of most peoples income. I think it's fair to call it the "Most Powerful Penny in Your Dollar".

This is no stripped down 'starter' product either. For this 1% of your income we're talking about a plan that;
1. Will keep your major expenses from falling into arrears
2. 'Guaranteed Increase Option' to increase the value as your salary grows (with no new underwriting)
3. ADL (activities of daily living) rider.

I've heard several people in the last few days use the phrase "I got a lot of skin in the game". The economic condition of our country has made this phrase fit most everybody I know. Disability Insurance can be used to insulate your family from the trauma this economy is bringing to some households.

If I've peaked your interest in 'insuring your paycheck' reach out to me here.
(402) 250-2244
jamesoiler@cox.net
Let's talk more.

Anyone Interested in Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Savings?

Here's some text I paraphrased from one webpage which purports to be an authoritative source on buying Medicare Supplement Insurance:

"Since all the Medicare Supplemental insurance plans are standardized the supplemental coverages are all the same, your best bet is to just compare Medigap premium rates.... pick the cheapest plan that has the coverage you want."

Sounds true enough on its face but it is just a select slice of the truth presented as a 'whole' truth.

In a state where insurance carriers are allowed to issue Medicare Supplement plans only under the 'attained age' rate structure it's a true enough statement. But, that is rarely the case.

In most states there are usually two rate structures available and often three for Medicare Supplements. Your right (and it is a right) to pick the most favorable (more stable) rate structure can amount to tens of thousands of dollars in savings over the life of a Medicare Supplement policy.

Think "total cost of ownership". How much will a cheap plan today cost you in the years to come? This can really bite you if your health declines after your Medicare Open Enrollment has passed.

Furthermore, while the Medicare Supplement plans are uniform in the coverage details, the companies which fulfill the commitments made in those details are vastly different.

Things as simple as speed of claims payment or additional "added value" incentives should all be considered in your decision.

Please understand that you may have more options than the broker/agent is presenting to you.

Door Knocking in the Shadow

The weather here has just been amazing the last few weeks. I've been tearing up the streets door knocking around town. It's pretty fun. Get's a little dull when nobody is home.

So, I've been avoiding working in a part of town that had some really grim stuff happen last year. We're talking unsolved double murder in an affluent mid-town neighborhood.

So, there I am door knocking in this neighborhood. One of the only known facts from the double murder a little more than a year ago was that a person was seen approaching the front door to the house earlier in the day.

I was working in this neighborhood a good solid 3 hours. It all went well enough. I even talked briefly with one neighbor who was retired from a competing insurance company.

The pall cast from this grim event in the neighborhoods recent history was really something to experience.

The thing I took away from this experience is that we really do meet these people where they stand today. It might be a great day in their life or it might be the worst of the lot.

Step up to the plate and do the best job you know how. You can't expect to succeed by backing down from the challenges.

Break in the Insurance Action

Took a little detour off of my regular insurance agent path to have a new baby.

My wife did all the real work on this project of course.

Here is a photo of our other kidos (Rachel, Robbie, Lily) greeting the newest member of our group (Vivian).

Baby born July 31, 2009 9lbs and change healthy, happy, eating well.

Thanks to all who have wished us well, offered prayers wisdom and strength.

Life insurance plans are being shaped accordingly.

Thank you God!

Good Day To Be Working The Streets

So, we were door knocking in Bellevue NE this morning.
We being myself and another new agent named Marc.

We pulled a half dozen names off of our list of people who are having a 65th birthday in September and started ringing door bells.

I walk up to a door and knock. The gentleman comes to the door and I induce myself. He looks kind of surprised and flustered. Says to me, ?But, I just saw the commercial for your company. I wrote the number down and I was gonna call in a few minutes. You?re here already??

I just started laughing. ?We are known to be very responsive but this is a coincidence.?

Talk about a great icebreaker. Sharing a hearty laugh about something fluky really works great.

This was a fine morning to be meeting people. Bright blue-sky morning, slight chill in the air, many people home and in a light mood? This is fun work when people are glad to see you.

This Is Not The ‘Self-Service Lane’

“Well, I don’t see a reason you can’t give me the information over the phone.”

This is a phrase I’ve heard a several times recently. I’ve also read a similar variant in the context of email.

The scene plays out like this usually; the caller or emailer is contacting an agent (me) and requesting the “details” for this insurance product or that one.

The request, if taken at face value seems reasonable. ‘I’m a busy and intelligent person. Give me the details I need to make up my own mind and I’ll get back to you if I like the “details” you provide me.’ Streamlined, efficient, respects the persons autonomy... But, as a practical reality, it is a poor way to help people make insurance buying decisions.

When I’m pressed for a response to the phrase that begins this blog post: “Well, I don’t see a reason you can’t give me the information over the phone.” The shortest answer goes like this: “I understand your request. However, I am not able to offer any more details in the context of a phone call. There are legal and company guidelines that I must conform to.

The long-form answer I know in my heart is: People all have a complex set of conditions, concerns, history, finances, knowledge, resources… To manage a good fit between the specific condition of a person and the vast array of insurance options is a task that benefits greatly from the technical skill and care of a professional.

Our training makes us experts in the ‘details’. But even more important are the interviewing skills to discover the weaknesses in the current insurance program and prioritize them in a logical order. There is no way to cover this vital step if I just hand off the ‘details’ to you and let you ‘go it alone’.

Can you imagine going to see a doctor for some medical problem and the doctors shows you to a room full of medical reference books and a pile of prescription drugs and tells you to “help yourself”? Bad plan, really bad plan!

The products we sell are complex and the details are exacting and precise. But that complexity pales in comparison to the complexity and infinite variation in the people and what is happening in their lives.

Why does it have to be so complex? Why can’t the choices be simpler and easier for the consumer to sort out on their own? It’s not that way. I’ll write some thoughts on that ‘side’ question in a future post. One short and durable answer is “The insurance has to work when you need it.

On the whole, we agents are in this profession to help people. We lend a high level of technical and professional skill to persons who do not have the time to make the investment in building these skills in themselves.

When I am approached by a person who wants to reduce my role to that of “The man behind the curtain” in a fictional “Insurance Search Engine” of sorts, I worry that the person has a flawed understanding of what we agents (and myself specifically) have to offer. They sure don’t understand that I have obligations as an insurance professional.

The truest answer to the statement at the top of this blog post: “I can’t do that because I care about you.” If I didn’t care what really became of you and the people you love I’d be delighted to just shovel “details” out to you.

This is not the ‘Self-Service-Lane’.

I don’t shy from telling people the truth on this question. I won’t give you the details and let you sort it out for your self because you and your loved ones matter to me. I want to be sure that you and your loved ones get good value in your insurance buying.