The Order’s portfolio of top-rated products includes a variety or term and permanent plans that can be custom-tailored to meet the needs, goals and budget of every Catholic family. Among these is our Annual Renewable Term (ART) plan, which provides the maximum amount of insurance protection per premium dollar.ART provides life insurance protection for a specific, temporary period of time. Many have likened it to “renting” life insurance protection. It is appropriate coverage when the life insurance need is temporary in nature, such as to provide mortgage protection or to cover a business loan. Among the advantages, in addition to the economical premium, is that ART
can be converted to a permanent plan of protection – with no additional
underwriting required – at any time prior to age 65. In a sense, ART
can be used to guarantee your insurability. If you need protection for
your entire life, but the premiums for permanent insurance just aren’t in
the budget right now, purchasing an ART plan with the intent to convert
might just be the way to go.
I will be happy to meet with you at your convenience to discuss how Knights of Columbus ART life insurance, or any other of our top-rated portfolio of products, can help you meet your needs and goals.  Field Agent-Byron"Todd"Walker E-Mail MeCall Me Let's Talk-757/986/4636 | |
Be ReadyIt seems like just yesterday… Any parent reading this will quickly come up with countless ways to complete that last sentence. The point is – time flies, and tomorrow will (has!) arrive quicker than expected. Will you be ready? If you meet annually with your professional Knights of Columbus agent, and address the needs that his analysis uncovers, the answer – at least financially – will be ‘Yes.’ During that annual visit, he’ll take the time to review your needs, goals and budget. And he’ll recommend a program of life insurance, long term care insurance and guaranteed income annuities that will help you rest easy at night. Paying for college for your children may be one of my family’s current needs. Or you may be concerned about a comfortable, worry-free retirement. Or about needing costly long term care that could deplete your hard-earned assets. Or about having something to leave for your children or grandchildren. Whatever your needs, whatever your concerns, I can help.
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Easy To put OffBuying life insurance is something that’s easy to put off until tomorrow. And with the busy lives we all lead, tomorrow can easily become next week, next month, or even next year. For the sake of those you love, don’t let that happen. I consider it my fraternal obligation to make sure that every Knights of Columbus member has the opportunity to protect his family with the Order’s top-rated insurance products. I’ll work with you to put a plan in place that will help your family when that help is most needed.We all know someone whose health, instantly and seemingly out-of-the-blue, changes. You may think this can’t happen to you. Think again. And keep in mind that no one will ring a bell warning you that your health is about to change. Medical technology has turned many diseases previously termed “death sentences” into very treatable conditions. What medical advances haven’t changed, however, is that being diagnosed with one of these diseases will dramatically affect your ability to purchase life insurance coverage. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Your Knights of Columbus insurance program is second to none. Knights of Columbus life insurance represents a safety net for Catholic families that’s unsurpassed, and I’m proud of that. I’m also concerned. Why? Because so many of our brother Knights have no life insurance with the Order. I suspect that, for many of them, tomorrow has become next week, next month or next year. Don’t be one of them. Don’t wait for the bell to ring. It isn’t going to.
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Grass Seems GreenerWe all know the old adage – the grass seems greener on the other side of the fence. When it comes to replacing your existing Knights of Columbus life insurance with coverage offered by another company, the adage holds true. Perceptions are deceiving. A move to the other side of the fence might seem like a good one, but it can leave you with less green in your wallet – in some cases, a lot less. That’s why it pays to remember another old saying – Read the fine print.There are many reasons to keep your existing coverage in force, whether that coverage is with the Knights of Columbus or with another company. I’ll focus on the potential pitfalls of replacing coverage here – pitfalls that an agent trying to convince you that the grass actually is greener might neglect to mention. First, all life insurance contracts contain a contestability period, which allows the insurer to contest claims made for a period - typically two years - after the contract is issued. Chances are this is no longer an issue with your current coverage. Second, it’s unlikely that you can obtain the same amount of coverage, for the same premium, that you were able to obtain with your existing contract. The two factors that determine how much you’ll need to pay for life insurance coverage are age and health. Certainly, you’re older now than you were when you took out your current coverage. There’s no way around that one. And you have to ask yourself, has your health changed during that time? Is your blood pressure the same? Your cholesterol? Have you gained weight? All these factors affect the amount of coverage you’ll get for your premium dollar. If someone encourages you to replace – or worse, drop - your existing coverage, please call me. I’ll show you how your existing coverage is working for you and why replacement is rarely in your best interest.
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I Already Have Insurance“I already have insurance at work.”Many jobs offer some form of group term life insurance. Often, this insurance is an employee benefit provided at no charge, or for a small co-pay. Knowing that this coverage exists may convince someone that he doesn’t need to discuss personally owned life insurance with a professional agent. That would be a mistake. Most forms of group life insurance are limited in amount. That amount may be tied to salary or some other benchmark, but often there is a cap. That cap may be dangerously low for your family’s needs should you die. In fact, in the absence of a detailed needs analysis (which I’ll be happy to provide, free of charge), any employer-provided coverage may be completely unrelated to needs at death. In addition, the amount of group insurance offered is almost always reduced – and sometimes dramatically – when you retire. Especially today, there is the very real possibility that you could change employers or lose your job. Or that your benefits could be reduced. In either case you could – one day - find yourself without coverage. If your health has changed in the meantime, you might also find yourself unable to secure individual protection. While group life helps, it does not replace the need for individually owned life insurance. I’ll be happy to meet with you and provide a free, custom-tailored needs analysis, so that you’ll know exactly where you stand.
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IMSAFor the past several years, your Knights of Columbus insurance program has been certified by IMSA – the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association. What does this mean to you?Simply – it means that your trust in the Order is well-placed.
IMSA promotes high ethical standards in the marketing, sale and service
of individually owned life insurance, long-term care insurance and annuity products.
The IMSA logo, which we use in our advertising and promotional materials,
demonstrates our commitment to ethical market conduct.
Our IMSA membership is further evidence of our dedication to high marketplace standards. When you choose to do business with the Knights of Columbus, you are selecting a company that holds itself to the highest of standards.
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Is This All There ISHow is your life going? Are you happy with your daily activity – the work that you do? I know I’ve read somewhere percentage of our lives we spend at work, but I don’t remember the exact number. It’s a big one, though. If you’re happy with what you’re doing during those working hours – really happy – you can stop reading now, and accept my congratulations for making a good choice in your life. But if you have a small twinge of discontent, or a grating feeling in the pit of your stomach that says “Is this all there is?”, then read on. And – if you know someone who you suspect might be feeling that twinge - give this article to him. You have nothing to lose by talking to me about a career with the Knights of Columbus. We have openings in the {GA Last Name} Agency for field agents – life insurance salesmen – and it just might be the career you’re looking for. One that let’s you do well for yourself while also doing good for others. Where the amount of work you do allows you to earn without limit. Where you can give the job the time it needs and deserves, and still not miss your child’s next soccer game or school play. Where you make a difference in the lives of those you meet…you really do help. Where, when you lay your head on the pillow at night, you can be comforted by the fact that world is a better place because of the work you do. Not a bad place to be. The job is not for everyone. Sometimes those who talk to me decide that they would be better served elsewhere, and sometimes I make that decision. Either way, you haven’t lost anything by finding out if maybe there might be a better way to spend your working life. So what do you think? If that feeling is there – is this all there is? – drop me an e-mail and I’ll get someone in touch. Just a conversation. Nothing to lose.
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Joy From ChildrenIf you’re like me, you derive great joy from your children. It’s a great feeling when a teacher, coach or fellow parent compliments you on your child. We all know that raising children these days is no easy task, especially when the values we’re trying to instill in them – concern for others, accepting responsibility for their actions, saving money rather than spending it – seem to run counter to what society is trying to teach them. Yet these are exactly the values that tend to draw compliments from teachers, coaches and fellow parents. We also know that the best way to teach is by example. If you carry enough life insurance to protect your family, and if you share - with those of your children old enough to understand - why that’s important, you’re exhibiting and imparting many of the values you hope your children will absorb. You’ll show them by example that you love them and are concerned about their welfare. You’ll show them that you take your responsibility to provide for your family seriously, and that you want to make sure they’re provided for even if you’re not around. And you’ll show them that investing money in your life insurance protection is more important than the new set of golf clubs you might want, the newest and best home theater system you’ve had your eye on, or whatever else you might be sacrificing to pay the premiums. Sure, they’ll probably roll their eyes at you as you’re explaining this, and they’ll certainly moan and groan if they can’t get the newest CD, video game or piece of clothing. But they learn from what you do – just like they learn from what you don’t do. What lessons do you want to teach them? I want to meet with you to review your existing coverage. Based upon that review, and on the comprehensive needs analysis that I’ll perform, free of charge, we’ll be able to put a plan in place that will meet your needs, goals and budget.
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Lazy Days Of SummerHave you ever heard the expression “lazy days of summer?” While the hot weather may encourage a slower paced life, in many ways summer can be the busiest time of the year. Especially for parents with school-aged children. And being busy, it’s easy to forget about such things as reviewing your life insurance coverage.The purpose of this column is to encourage you to meet with me before the end of the summer. Whether or not you have life insurance with the Order, I’ll be happy to meet with you and make sure your coverage continues to meet your needs and goals. If you’ve had any life changes since you last bought a policy (new home, new child, new job, etc.), chances are your life insurance needs to be updated. I’ll work with you to make sure you have the coverage you need at a price you can afford. When we meet, you’ll discover that the time we spend together will be time well-spent. Let’s get together soon. Because summer is not only busy, it’s also coming to an end.
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Life Ins.Awareness MonthSeptember is Life Insurance Awareness Month. To help educate consumers about the need for and value of adequate life insurance protection, the Life Insurance Market Research Association (LIMRA) has published the following five facts. These statistics are certainly worth considering.Fact 1: Nearly three-fourths of North Americans agree that life insurance is the best way to protect against premature death of the primary wage earner. Fact 2: Twenty-four million households have no life insurance protection at all. Almost one third of adults have no life insurance protection. Fact 3: Forty-four percent of all households either don’t own life insurance and believe they should, or own life insurance and believe they need more. Among those that already own some life insurance, 40 percent believe they don’t have enough. Fact 4: One-fourth of primary wage earners feel they do not have a plan in place to provide a decent standard of living for their family if they died tomorrow. Twelve percent of families would immediately have trouble meeting everyday living expenses and another 15 percent would have difficulty keeping up after several months. Fact 5: People would like to discuss life insurance with a qualified professional agent. They believe that buying life insurance is an important and complex financial decision. Half find it difficult to decide how much to buy, and 43 percent worry about making the wrong decision. I’d like to meet with you in your home, at your convenience. I’ll work with you to make sure your family is protected. As a brother Knight you can trust, I’ll take the stress and worry out of the buying decision.
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Many Fine CompaniesThere are many fine life insurance companies in the marketplace today. So why should you entrust your life insurance needs, and those of your family to the Knights of Columbus? In their rating report on the Knights of Columbus, Standard & Poor’s states that it’s ‘AAA’ rating is based upon the following strengths: extremely strong capital, very strong competitive position, extremely strong liquidity and historically strong profitability. I would suggest that a principal reason that we were able to achieve those accolades, along with what S&P described as ‘a distinct competitive advantage, a loyal customer base and a unique rapport with clients’ is because we remain steadfastly committed to the vision of Father Michael J. McGivney, ‘Protecting Families for Generations’ by means of ‘life insurance by brother Knights for brother Knights.’ That commitment is an essential core value of the Knights of Columbus, and our core values permeate all levels of our marketing program. Our ‘Marketing Code of Ethics’ is modeled after the Ten Commandments and includes statements such as ‘Thou shall present honestly and accurately, all facts necessary to enable a member to make an informed decision.’ Our ethical principles for marketing are summed up by our Golden Rule: ‘In all my professional relationships, I pledge myself to the following rule of conduct: I shall, in light of all conditions surrounding those I serve, render that service which, under the same circumstances, I would apply to myself.’ That’s what you can expect from me, your professional Knights of Columbus field agent. I welcome the opportunity to present to you and your wife, honestly and accurately, all facts necessary for you to make a sound life insurance decision. I will render that service which, under the same circumstances, I would apply to myself.
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Annual Renew Term