Adam Page – Living a Whole Life
Sandy and Norm Page decided to buy whole life insurance policies in their early 20s. A few years later, their son Adam was born with spina bifida, a malformation of the spinal cord. The cash value from their policy helped pay for many items that were not covered under their health insurance, like special braces that Adam needed to walk. Their life insurance also helped fund Adam’s participation in sled hockey. Adam excelled at the sport and at 18 he was a member of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team that won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Vancouver. View full story
Ann Reynolds – Insurance Brings Freedom
When Ann Reynolds’ husband, Mark, died in 2003, he left behind what seemed like a very modest life insurance benefit. But it has made a world of difference for Ann, who is confined to a wheel chair because of a degenerative back condition. The life insurance money, along with disability insurance benefits from her employer, helped Ann purchase a lift-equipped van which allows her to maintain her independence. View full story
Brigette Hunter – Keeping a Family and a Business Afloat
Brigette and Anthony Hunter were business owners when Anthony discovered that the melanoma he had battled as a teenager had returned. He invoked a provision in one of his life insurance policies allowing for an early payout to a terminally ill policyholder and used part of his death benefit to buy a home for his wife and children. The remaining death benefit helped Brigette pay off medical bills, meet household expenses and keep the business running. View full story
CindyLu Rowe – Persistence Makes the Difference
Michael Rowe had very little discretionary income, so it took quite a bit of convincing by agent Craig Miller to get him to buy a universal life policy to protect his wife and five children. He even tried to cancel it a number of times because his business was strapped for cash. Instead, his agent persuaded him to use the policy’s accumulated cash values to keep the coverage in force until his financial situation improved. Two years later, Mike was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and had peace of mind knowing that if he lost his battle with cancer, his family would be provided for. After his death, the proceeds from the insurance allowed his wife to eliminate debts, make home improvements, and pay for counseling services for one of her sons who had a very hard time coping with his father’s death. View full story
Clara Bix – The Greatest Gift
Jim Bix was a newlywed when he was diagnosed with an incurable lung disease. While his health remained stable for two decades, his condition finally began to deteriorate, leaving him unable to work. With a wife and two daughters, Jim and his family relied on disability insurance he had through work to help pay for their daily living expenses, as well as the added medical bills. When Jim died, it was his life insurance coverage through work that allowed his wife to pay off debts, keep their girls in private school and remain in the family’s home. View full story
Connie Hobson – Insurance Preserves a Family’s Way of Life
Bill Hobson led an active life until Lou Gehrig’s disease robbed him of much of his muscle function. When he could no longer work, disability insurance through his employer helped his family make ends meet. After Bill finally succumbed to the illness, life insurance that he had purchased through work and on his own has provided his wife, Connie, and their three daughters with financial security. View full story
Dan Claus – Insurance Allows Dad to be a Dad
Peggy Claus ran her own computer consulting business and was responsible for managing most of the day-to-day affairs of her household. When Peggy died at age 48 of breast cancer, she left behind four sons and a husband who commuted 140 miles a day to get to his job. Peggy’s life insurance helped pay off debts and half of the mortgage on the family home. It also allowed Dan to accept a lower-paying job closer to home so he can tend to the daily needs of his sons. View full story
Dean Hoskins – A Timely Change of Heart
It took Dean Hoskins considerable time and effort to convince her husband, Bryan, that he needed to purchase life insurance. Just a few years later, Bryan was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. He died six months later at age 32. With the proceeds from Bryan’s insurance policy, Dean was able to invest in her own business as well as schedule her work hours around her young twin daughters’ needs. View full story
Dennis Danduran – Valuing Mom’s Contributions
Jodie and Dennis Danduran decided to purchase life insurance shortly after adopting the first of their five children. Though Dennis was the primary breadwinner, they wisely determined that Jodie, a stay-at-home mom, also needed a considerable amount of coverage because of what it would cost to pay someone to perform all her functions. That planning made all the difference when Jodie died suddenly of an aneurysm at 39. The insurance money has allowed Dennis to switch to a job that gives him more time to take care of the kids, and has also been used for living expenses and to set up college funds. View full story
Ebony and Shanna Blanchard – A Mother’s Wish
When Jackie Blanchard’s husband died at 28 with barely enough life insurance to pay for his funeral, she purchased enough coverage for herself to ensure that her young daughters, Ebony and Shanna, would be fine if something happened to her. Two years later, she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Jackie used her policy’s accelerated death benefit provision to finance a home and a car for her daughters and to fund their future education. Today, Ebony, a recent college graduate, and Shanna, a high school senior, live in the home their mother purchased for them. View full story
Frank Ames – Amid Grief, Many Silver Linings
With two young children, Frank and Laura Ames knew life insurance was a must. Frank was only able to qualify for a small policy due to health challenges, but Laura got preferred rates and a much larger policy. Ironically, it was Laura who was diagnosed with cancer shortly thereafter. Laura succumbed to the disease several years later, but smart insurance planning has left Frank and the kids with a legacy of long-term financial security View full story
Jill McCarthy – Keeping a Roof Over Their Heads
One week after Bob and Jill McCarthy filled out applications to increase their life insurance coverage, Bob was killed in a trucking accident. Jill, mother of four, didn’t know how she would handle the bills, when her agent called to tell her Bob’s claim would be paid even though the new policy had not yet been issued. The insurance benefit allowed Jill to stay at home to care for her children, and to purchase the home she and Bob had always dreamed of owning. View full story
Joe Tyler – Easing a Family Tragedy
Right after Joe Tyler’s daughter was born, both Joe, a consultant, and his wife Caroline, a stay-at-home mom, purchased life insurance. Less than a year later, Caroline died of cancer at age 33. With the insurance proceeds, Joe reduced his mortgage and hired a nanny. Soon, wishing to devote more time to raising his daughter, he used the equity in his home to purchase a Connecticut farmhouse and begin a new career as an antiques dealer. Insurance helped Joe transition to a lifestyle that allowed him more time with his young daughter. View full story
John Butcher – His Guardian Angel
Kara Butcher was just 37 when she died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition. Thankfully for her husband John and 6-year-old son Tre, Kara had purchased life insurance through work a year earlier. The insurance money provided John with a financial cushion, helping him transition to the role of a single dad. View full story
Kathy Custead – A Fresh Look Proves Timely
Mark and Kathy Custead enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle, but their financial obligations were considerable. So with their agent’s help, they completed a life insurance needs analysis, which showed that both needed to substantially increase their coverage. They each made life insurance purchases, something neither had done since their first child was born 17 years earlier. That spring, Mark was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died five weeks later. Proceeds from his insurance helped to pay funeral expenses, medical bills and credit card debt, and have allowed Kathy to set aside money for the kids’ college costs. View full story
Lissete Montes de Oca – Building and Protecting a Life Together
Children of Cuban immigrants, Lissete and Felipe Montes de Oca purchased life insurance to ensure their mortgage and family would be covered should something happen to one of them. When Felipe was diagnosed with leukemia and was unable to work, his long-term care insurance helped provide financial support. Felipe died at age 47 after a three-year battle with the disease, but his death benefit helped Lissete maintain the standard of living the couple had worked hard to achieve and will enable their two boys to attend college. View full story
Melissa Knoll – A Life Lived Fully but Wisely
Greg Knoll was 38 when he died of a rare form of stomach cancer. Fortunately for his wife, Melissa, the life insurance he owned through work and on his own paid off debts accumulated during the illness, funded college savings for the two daughters, and has enabled Melissa and the girls to stay in the family home. View full story
Melissa Wandall – Keeping His Spirit Alive
Being a financial services professional, Mark Wandall understood the importance of insurance and the need to protect himself and his wife, Melissa. Sadly, at age 30, Mark was killed in an auto accident by someone who ran a red light. The life insurance has allowed Melissa to remain in their home and be a full-time mom to their daughter, who was born two weeks after the accident. Melissa has kept Mark’s spirit alive by creating two important causes, The Mark Wandall Foundation that raises money for worthy causes in her community and the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act that, if enacted, would stiffen criminal penalties for red-light running in Florida. View full story
Michele Krzewina – Keeping a Farm in the Family
Paul Krzewina, a third-generation dairy farmer, wanted to keep his farm in the family. With assistance from his agent, he purchased life insurance to protect his family and growing business. When Paul was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he was able borrow against his policy’s cash values to pay his health insurance deductible and hospital expenses. After he died, the death benefit proceeds allowed his wife, Michele, and the couple’s four adult children to continue operating the farm. View full story
Missy Junk – Overcoming Unimaginable Loss
Sadly, Missy Junk’s first encounter with life insurance came at age 14 when it paid her father’s funeral expenses. Her next encounter came all too quickly. A year and a half later her mother was diagnosed with cancer and died soon afterward. “You can’t take for granted tomorrow’s going to come; you have to make sure the future is safe,” says Missy, now 26 and wise beyond her years. View full story
Natira Tedesco – The Kids Are Alright
Small-business owner and father of six, Steven Tedesco was just 28 when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. He died two years later. Fortunately, several months prior to the diagnosis, Steven purchased life insurance to cover a loan for his business and to protect his family. Thanks to his timely planning, Steven’s partner was able to pay off the business loan, and his wife, Natira, has been able to remain at home with her children while several are still quite young. She was also able to buy a home big enough for her large family, and set aside money for education and retirement. View full story
Nicolas Virgen – Still Watching Over Them
Nicolas, a self-employed painter, had life insurance for himself but was reluctant to buy a policy for his stay-at-home wife, Teresa. But his insurance agent was persuasive and convinced him to cover her too. When a terrible car accident killed Teresa and left Nicolas badly injured, the money from her policy is what paid the bills and kept the family in their home until Nicolas could return to work. View full story
Peg Ogonowski – When the Unthinkable Happens
John Ogonowski was both a farmer and a pilot. On September 11, 2001, John was piloting American Airlines Flight 11 when it was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center. Because John had life insurance, his wife, Peg, was able to pay off the mortgage, retire debts, set aside college money for their three girls and keep the family farm. View full story
Remle Winand – A Firefighter Who Was Prepared
Jim Winand was 28 when he purchased his first life insurance policy. He taught parasailing for a living and was fit and muscular, but he had recently gotten engaged and wasn’t the type to leave anything to chance. Several years later, Jim bought more life insurance for himself and his wife, Remle, as their family grew to include two children. That planning proved crucial when Jim was diagnosed with colon cancer. He died just days before his 39th birthday, but Remle and kids are financially secure because of his wise planning. View full story
Richelle Hecker – Serving Country and Family
With a wife and four children, Army Major William F. Hecker knew that the $100,000 life insurance benefit provided by the military wasn’t sufficient for his family’s needs. So he bought the maximum amount of supplemental term life insurance offered by the Army, and purchased additional permanent life insurance coverage on his own. Just six weeks into a tour of duty in Iraq, a roadside bomb took Bill’s life. The various life insurance policies Bill owned have allowed his wife, Richelle, to be a stay-at-home mom as long as she wishes. View full story
Sarah Lewis – Mission of Love
Each year Dr. David Lewis, a pediatrician from Wisconsin, spent time in Ecuador providing healthcare to indigent children. David died of a heart attack during one of his trips, but his decision to purchase life insurance meant that Sarah would have time to grieve and provide her three young children with the attention and support they needed. The funds provided by the policy also allowed her to keep the family home, and hire a nanny to help with the kids. View full story
Shandra Mayhle – Rebuilding After a Devastating Loss
Stephen Mayhle wanted to cancel his individually owned life insurance when he got a job with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police that provided a good life insurance benefit. But after speaking with his insurance agent, Stephen was persuaded to keep his private coverage to protect his wife and two young daughters. Stephen died in the line of duty at age 29, and his decision to hold onto his individual coverage has made a big difference for the family he left behind. View full story