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So Little Time

Wake. Workout. Eat. Shower. Coffee. Makeup. Hair. Coffee. Clothes. Drive. Coffee. Work, Work, Work, Work. Eat. Work, Work, Work, Work. Drive. Eat. Makeup. Hair. Clothes. Drive. Socialize. Eat. Drive. Sleep. REPEAT.  (sometimes I forget about the whole eating and sleeping thing)

That is just a ‘normal’ day. That doesn’t include my to-do list.

Life is full of schedules, activities, appointments, routines – and then some.  If you are like me, then you know that slowing down is not an option.  I am working hard to build a career for myself and attempt to have something that resembles a social and love life.  I don’t have time to stop and a read bunch of paperwork or add additional appointments to my schedule.  I don’ want to be bogged down with information that is overly technical and that doesn’t give me exactly what I need in a few short bullet points or paragraphs.  When I need to get something done, I want to do it in the most effective and efficient manner possible.  Time is the most precious commodity.  MY most precious commodity.  I don’t want it wasted.

When it comes to purchasing an insurance policy, I need to know that whether it is for auto, home, earthquake insurance, flood insurance, jewelry, renters, condo, house, life, or health insurance the entire process with be efficient, knowledgeable, and straight to the point.  With our business, online, over the phone, or in person – purchasing the insurance YOU need insurance has never been easier.  There are numerous methods to find quotes and purchase inventory – online, over the phone, thru an app, and even in person (GASP!). With so many options, there really isn’t a time excuse.  You can choose what will best fit in to your schedule. I mean, I can choose what will best fit in to my schedule.

I know the importance of having the proper insurance coverage, which means I also know I need to make the time to get it!

I am busy.  You are busy.  Let Susman Insurance Agency do the work for you, so you can use your time for that crazy-busy schedule.

Nobody Has Time For That!
Nobody Has Time For That!
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Increase Productivity

We have all heard the saying “Work Smarter, Not Harder.”

Yeah.  Easier said than done.

We all want to be more productive and more successful, but how do we do that without working a million ours a week and forfeiting a huge chunk (if not all) of our social life?

Maybe these tips will help:

 

Once you have all the information you need, make small decisions in less than 60 seconds

Check email in the afternoon so you protect the peak energy hours of your mornings for your best work.

Set clear, well-defined deadlines for your projects.

Stop waiting for perfect conditions to launch a great project.

Mess creates stress.  Clean out the clutter in your office to get more done.

Say goodbye to the energy vampires in your life (the negative souls who steal your enthusiasm).

Win the battle of the bed- put mind over mattress.

Turn off the TV.

Knock your worst task out first thing, and clear it from your stack of work

Don’t do so many meetings.

Don’t say yes to every request.

Get into your absolute best physical condition – it creates explosive energy and focus

Drink more water.

Delegate.

Stop working overtime.

Use your commute time – listen to books on audio, podcasts and learning programs.

Get things right the first time.

If it’s not absolutely necessary, take it off of your to-do list.

Get lost – don’t be so available to everyone.

At the end of the day, laser in on one final task, finish it, then call it quits.

Review your progress each day and find ways to improve.

Sleep.

 

Productive

Sources:

www.robinsharma.com

www.inc.com

 

 

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Long Live YOU

When was the last time you had a physical, a medical exam or blood work? Your body is the most precious personal gift you own and you want to last as long as possible, right? Well, why not get the insurance coverage you need, so you can stay healthy and live longer.

If you are planning to buy your first home, or have a baby, you need to plan ahead. Life may throw you a few curve balls, you may not see coming, but you will be prepared when they arrive. Nevertheless, your insurance company may offer you lower premiums, more medical benefits and better coverage. Not having the right insurance is just as stressful as not having any insurance. You need to have the right insurance and combine it with living a healthy lifestyle.

Get a regular checkup, keep all doctor and dental appointments, avoid eating foods that are high in sugar and fat content, and put down the remote control, get out of the E-Z boy and jog down the street a few times a week. \

Just like you planned your wedding, your engagement, your anniversary and your baby shower, put the same precise planning to use when you are looking for health and life insurance. You deserve to live life to the fullest without any worry.

Put aside the pride, go to the gym, and watch a health fanatic workout. It might inspire you to appreciate the finer things in life, that money cannot buy, good health, peace of mind, and longevity.
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Best Face Forward

It seems like almost every day there is another celebrity revealing an update in their look. Sometimes this update involves a little nip and tuck. Whether you care for the celebrity or not, it is hard not to have an opinion when you see the changes and updates. Sometimes opinions turn into ridicule which can turn into extreme bullying. That’s unfortunate. However, in my opinion – if you are going to be in the public eye then you have to be prepared for harsh criticism when you change the structure of your face.

This leads me to think about plastic surgery. I am not against plastic surgery in any way, but like most things, it should be used carefully and in moderation. There are significant risks associated with plastic surgery – all of which should be research prior to going through any procedure. If you are considering plastic surgery, please make sure you sign-up for a life insurance policy or update your current one. We can’t control the outcome of your physical changes, but we can make sure you are covered just in case the unthinkable happens.

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HIV Life Insurance

Well, here we are again. It’s time to discuss our favorite topic; insurance. Okay, honestly, it’s not our favorite topic. To most people, dealing with insurance is like going to the dentist. Although no one wants to talk about it, insurance is a vital element of financial stability and crisis management.

Another topic that no one wants to talk about is HIV. HIV is like the bad word of health conditions. Now, I have been asked to discuss both of these topics in one post. Somebody somewhere loves me, or maybe not.

The research and subsequent data on HIV has moved us light years from where we began when the disease first surfaced in America. There was a time when those who were diagnosed with HIV could not get life insurance. Those days are a thing of the past.

HIV is a term that will make you think. I cannot remember anything that struck fear into people like HIV. I remember in the late 1980’s and the early 90’ when the HIV/AIDS scare was in full swing. Here I was with my analytical mindset. HIV had become so significant that it had replaced my continuous obsession with the person that keeps setting the brush fires in California. If this is your first time reading my posts, you are probably wondering what in the world that is all about. I have this theory that all of the annual brush fires in the state of California is the work of one man. That is another story for another time. The important thing is the HIV epidemic had my attention.

I was so consumed with the growing numbers that I had become an HIV actuary. That’s right I was crunching HIV numbers like they were going out of style. I had convinced myself that I could predict who would become infected with 98.9 percent accuracy. My prediction ratio would have been higher, but he CDC (The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention [somebody please tell me how you get all of that out of a three letter acronym]) kept switching up the criteria.

During that time, there were a lot of people that were wondering why I was giving them the side eye. Little did they know that I had crunched the numbers and the outlook was looking pretty bleak for them. The truth of the matter was that there were certain people that were a part of a certain high risk group and there were others that were a part of multiple high risk groups, yet they escaped that era unscathed. On the other h and, there were those that did not meet any of the high risk criteria that contracted the disease. It simply serves to show that life and death moves on their own accord and they play by their own set of rules. We can take all type of precautions and measures, but we have very little say in the end.

As research caught up with the panic and people realized that HIV was not a death sentence, it changed the l andscape of the American culture on so many fronts. People became more tolerable of those who were HIV positive. Insurance companies offered life insurance policies to those who contracted the disease. Most of all, my family’s toleration of me increased.

Update: Life Insurance now available for HIV+ people living with HIV – https://lifeinsurance.rocks/life-insurance-for-people-living-with-hiv-2/

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The Exciting Life of an Agent

When people think of insurance, they think of a stuffy office with an agent who sits at a desk and does nothing more than take their money and fill out an endless barrage of forms full of legal terms no one underst ands. In some cases, that may be true, but there are some agents who prefer not to confine themselves to the office. They underst and how important it is to meet the people they serve and interact with them in their own environment. Customers appreciate that and are more likely to buy from an agent who is willing to meet with them on their terms.

Residents who live in Southern California and along the coastline live diverse lifestyles. No matter where they go, agents are bound to see something they will not see anywhere else. Insurance agents are likely to encounter just about anything they can imagine over the span of their career.

Small surf shops to Beverly Hills boutiques, people from every walk of life need insurance of some type. Homeowner’s, auto, life and commercial, an insurance agent has to meet the needs of the people they serve even if that means meeting them at home or wherever it’s convenient. A beach side meeting with a client can offer a beautiful view, as well as a few hours of much needed sunshine and relaxation.

An agent who is willing to help a busy livestock rancher by meeting them at home will be more of an asset than one that makes him leave his duties. The farm is his job and it has to be treated like any other place of employment. An insurance agent that is ready to pay him a visit and share that wonderful "country air" is more likely to earn the man’s respect than one who takes offense to it.

California is a never ending kaleidoscope of individuality. One day an agent could be meeting with an up and coming actor, while the next day they may be called to file a claim for someone who was involved in an accident in the suburbs. With such a vast amount of diversity, it’s to the agent’s benefit to keep track shoes close at h and. The environment can be just as diverse as an agent’s clientele.

An agent must be adaptable to their surroundings. People want to be able to trust the agent they choose. Agents who can maintain a mixture of complete professionalism and a down to earth personality will do well when working with clients from all walks of life. Unless an agent specializes and chooses to cater to only a select group of individuals, their client base can include individuals from professional athletes to pig farmers.

For agents who like the thrill of meeting new people, a diverse clientele allows them to experience a wide range of personalities. They aren’t confined to the normal 9 to 5 grind and can work in an environment that is constantly changing and providing new opportunities. An agent life doesn’t have to be boring. It can be as exciting as they want it to be.

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Universal Life Insurance

My introduction to the concept of life insurance came years ago before the Internet made it much easier to educate yourself on all of the intricacies and issues of selecting and buying insurance. As a new father, I read an article in one of the magazines about the importance of life insurance. Coming from a blue collar family, I had never really been exposed to this as a basic financial planning requirement.

At any rate, the article motivated me to check out the issue and I started in the yellow pages. For the youngsters, those are big, cumbersome books printed on yellow paper with all the phone numbers listed. Today I guess strong men still tear them in half, but back then they were an important resource. My search produced several companies I had heard of and I called three of them to get in touch with an agent.

Over the next few months I became somewhat knowledgeable on the ins and outs of life insurance. I learned about term and whole life, cash value, and even a then-new affordable option called universal life. Money, of course, was pretty tight at that time but the wife and I figured out an amount we could afford monthly and started the process of choosing a policy.

I was pretty new to sales myself, but one of the agents filled the bill of the classic professional insurance salesman. I still smile thinking about him. He had a pitch that was as polished as a classic automobile’s paint job. He was confident without being arrogant and it was quite evident he expected to sell us as large a policy as we could afford.

In the end, it came down to him with a whole life policy and another agent that offered both term and universal life insurance options. The older pro simply dismissed both as unworthy options for a young family. Cash value was his theme and he wanted us to buy a policy that would help pay for the new baby’s education when the time came. (Of course, back the, an education at a good college was an unbelievably huge financial burden of around $5,000 for all four years. When the time came, I think we spent that amount just on four years of pizza).

Since that time, I have learned about residual incentives and all the other insights to insurance sales. Back then, however, it was a struggle to dismiss the fatherly insistence of the Pro over the clear advantages presented by the younger agent. Finally, however, we settled on the more flexable universal policy. Well, when I called our whole life guy to let him know, he absolutely insisted on a meeting before he accepted my no.

It was impossible to not grant a final sit down so he came over and we spent an hour or so reviewing all the facts and information again. When he finally accepted that I wasn’t going to be swayed, he sighed in a very sad manner, pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it to me across the table. When I asked what it was, he explained that he almost never lost a sale but when anyone failed to follow his advice, he asked them to sign this letter. It allowed him, he said, to come back to any new widows and explain he had done his best to make sure they were provided for, but the fault was with me, not him.

To this day, when I encounter or think of a truly persistent salesman, I remember our insurance pro and smile.

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Rejected for Life Insurance

Recently I received a great testimonial from a client, Julian Aston.  He was having difficulties obtaining Life Insurance and came to me for assistance. He was told by many agents that he was uninsurable and may never be able to get life insurance!  Ridiculous I said, and I was able to get him a great policy at a great price. Here are Julian’s exact words:

Due to some unexpected, difficult health issues in recent years, I struggled to find some life insurance protection for my family..until I came to Karl Susman for some advice and direction. Karl not only provided me with some insightful recommendations, he was also able to secure the life insurance I was told I would not be able to obtain…maybe for the rest of my life. Perhaps needless to say, I would recommend Karl to anyone seeking an expert for life insurance, and if you have health difficulties like myself, don’t even bother looking around…Karl is your agent!

Julian Aston

Julian, it was a pleasure working with you and I’m glad I could help!

Karl Susman

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Life Insurance—How Much Is Enough?

You are probably aware of the importance of having enough life insurance coverage to h andle the financial contingencies that may affect your family in the event of your death. However, determining the necessary amount of life insurance can be complicated. One general rule of thumb is that you should have enough coverage to equal five to seven times your annual salary. However, you may want to determine the “right” amount of life insurance coverage with a careful “needs analysis,” rather than using an arbitrary formula.

The needs analysis approach incorporates an evaluation of your family’s most important financial obligations and goals. This leads to planning insurance coverage to help address mortgage debt, college expenses, and future family income, as well as to provide liquidity for meeting future estate tax liabilities.

Mortgage Debt

The first point worthy of consideration is whether your life insurance proceeds will be sufficient to help pay the remaining mortgage on your home. If you are carrying a large mortgage, you may need a sizable amount. If you own a second home, that mortgage should also be factored into the formula.

College Expenses

Many people want life insurance proceeds large enough to help cover their children’s college expenses, and possibly, graduate school. The amount needed can be roughly calculated by matching the ages of your children against projected college costs adjusted for inflation. This calculation should be revised periodically as your children get closer to college age, and it may be a good idea to be as conservative as possible when estimating long-term savings goals.

Continuing Income for Your Family

The amount of income you will need to help provide for your surviving spouse and dependents will vary greatly according to your age, health, retirement plan benefits, Social Security benefits, other assets, and your spouse’s earning power. Many surviving spouses may already be employed or will find employment, but your spouse’s income, alone, may not be sufficient enough to cover the monthly expenses of your family’s current lifestyle. Providing a supplemental income fund can help your family maintain its st andard of living.

Estate Taxes

Life insurance has long been recognized as an effective method for establishing liquidity at death to pay estate taxes and maximize asset transfers to future generations. However, this use of life insurance requires qualified legal expertise to help ensure the proper results.

Existing Resources

If your current assets and retirement plan death benefits are sufficient to cover your financial needs and obligations, you may not need additional life insurance for these purposes. However, if they are inadequate, the difference between your total assets and your total needs may be funded with life insurance.

There are many factors to consider when completing a needs analysis. In addition to the areas already mentioned, some other questions you might want to address include the following:

1. How much will Social Security provide and for how long?

2. How do you “inflation-proof” your family income, so the real purchasing power of those dollars does not decrease?

3. What is the earning potential of your surviving spouse?

4. How often should you review your needs analysis?

5. How can you use life insurance to help provide retirement income?

6. How do you structure your estate to reduce the impact of estate taxes?

7. Which assets are liquid and which would not be reduced by a forced sale?

8. Which assets would you want your family to retain because of sentiment or future growth possibilities?

As you develop an insurance strategy, remember to analyze your existing policies. Calculate the additional coverage you may need based on your family’s financial obligations and any other resources, such as retirement benefits and savings. Remember, having the proper life insurance coverage can play a major role in any family’s financial protection.

This article appears courtesy of Karl Susman.  Karl Susman is a representative of the New Engl and Life Insurance Company. He focuses on meeting the individual insurance and financial services needs of people on the West Coast.  You can reach Karl at the office at (424) 785-4337. New Engl and Life Insurance Company, 501 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

 

MetLife, its agents, and representatives may not give legal or tax advice. Any discussion of taxes herein or related to this document is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be complete or cover every situation. Tax law is subject to interpretation and legislative change. Tax results and the appropriateness of any product for any specific taxpayer may vary depending on the facts and circumstances. You should consult with and rely on your own independent legal and tax advisers regarding your particular set of facts and circumstances.

Copyright © 2011 Liberty Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

L0410101464(exp0411)(All States)(DC)

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Life is one of the cornerstones of financial planning

In this issue of the “Insurance Reporter,” we explain the principal types of life insurance and why you should choose one type of product over another. We also put forward the benefits of whole life insurance in these challenging economic times. It is now out-performing the stock market much of the time in the cash value it builds, not to mention the simultaneous benefit of protecting one’s family. Read the six reasons why you need life insurance, get some help in determining how much life insurance you really need, and more.

What Are The Principal Types Of Life Insurance?

There are two major types of life insurance-term and whole life. Whole life is sometimes called permanent life insurance, and it encompasses several subcategories, including traditional whole life, universal life, variable life and variable universal life. In 2003, about 6.4 million individual life insurance policies bought were term and about 7.1 million were whole life.

Life insurance products for groups are different from life insurance sold to individuals. The information below focuses on life insurance sold to individuals.

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How Should I Choose What Type Of Life Insurance To Buy?

You should consider term life insurance if:

  • You need life insurance for a specific period of time. Term life insurance enables you to match the length of the term policy to the length of the need. For example, if you have young children and want to ensure that there will be funds to pay for their college education, you might buy 20-year term life insurance. Or if you want the insurance to repay a debt that will be paid off in a specified time period, buy a term policy for that period.

You should consider permanent life insurance if:

  • You need life insurance for as long as you live. A permanent policy pays a death benefit whether you die tomorrow or live to be 100.

  • You want to accumulate a savings element that will grow on a tax-deferred basis and could be a source of borrowed funds for a variety of purposes. The savings element can be used to pay premiums to keep the life insurance in force if you can’t pay them otherwise, or it can be used for any other purpose you choose. You can borrow these funds even if your credit is shaky. The death benefit is collateral for the loan, and if you die before it’s repaid, the insurance company collects what is due the company before determining what’s goes to your beneficiary.

The Benefits Of “Whole Life Insurance” In This Economy

With the unemployment rate topping 8.5 percent, and with more layoffs and job cuts still expected, many households are forced to create a strict budget, even as their debts continue to rise. People are definitely more worried than ever about their financial well-being, and, if they are also worried about the financial well-being of their family, they should invest in whole life insurance; a life insurance policy that pays their loved ones after their untimely death, with some added benefits.

Even if you are retired or feel strongly that your income stream is safe, you might want to consider in these times of volatile stock and bond markets some stable long-term savings options found in many insurance plans. Here’s why:

A whole life policy can act as a buffer against estate taxes and probate costs and provides a death benefit along with a living cash benefit-a unique feature. In addition, a whole life policy allows someone at the time of retirement to remain insured while spending the other assets they’ve accumulated or pursuing a more aggressive investment strategy for those assets.

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