Voluntary Benefits
Published by Jay Martin on March 20th, 2025
There are common misconceptions when it comes to life insurance, and even more so today with long-term care: that you don’t need these kinds of insurance if you’re young and healthy, if you have quality income, or that you simply won’t need it. But the reality is that everyone can benefit from life insurance. And often, just as my family experienced, you typically don’t understand the impact of these benefits until you have firsthand experience.
That’s the “hard way” to learn about life insurance; through a firsthand, painful experience. It’s also why we need to stress education for employers and employees — because learning about these benefits when going through enrollment is the “easy way.” Sure, it takes effort from all of us now, but it’s much preferable to the alternative.
While my story has a happy ending to it, that can’t always be said for others. So, it’s up to us to communicate to employers and employees just how important they can be.
I was only five years old when I lost my father — too young to understand the full impact on my family at the time, but in the following years and in adulthood, I’ve come to reflect on everything this loss entailed. My mother and father knew about life insurance at a very high level, and my father held a very small life insurance policy at the time. However, neither my mother nor my father fully understood the details of the policy, and my mother was ultimately shocked to discover just how little the policy covered. Like many people out there, they knew they had some form of insurance and thought that was enough.
My mother — a stay-at-home parent at the time — was left as a single parent in charge of providing both maternally and financially for two young children (my sister and I). While my father’s life insurance helped her get her bearings in the beginning, she was forced to go back to work, sometimes working two jobs to get by. In time, my mother was hired by a company that offered life insurance. Given her experience, she was very keen on learning about her benefits, specifically, how big of a policy she could get on her budget and understanding the ins and outs of the policy coverage.
After many years of being a single parent, my mother eventually met and married my stepfather. With their financial situation, my mother eventually was able to go back to being a mom, and then grandmother, full time. However, my mother was adamant that, before she decided to leave the workforce, she and my stepfather should hold life insurance benefits that would ensure their financial stability if either of them were to pass away.
Not only was she insistent on their protection, but she was also very clear that – when the time came – my sister and I would both hold policies of our own. For her, it was critical that she educated us on the importance of having a life insurance policy. While I’d like to think that I entered the industry for reasons of my own, I know that her enthusiasm and drive to help others see the importance of these benefits was a significant factor in my career path — to advocate for benefits that I knew firsthand could be life-changing.
It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that my stepfather sadly passed away. While nothing could take away the emotional loss from my family, especially from my mother, I was beyond grateful for the policies she and my stepfather held. Because of the way they set themselves up for financial success, my mother didn’t have to think about the financial loss of losing her husband, and it was reassuring knowing that she would be okay.
When I think about my parents, I am always reminded about the importance of benefits education and how my story can help others better understand the need for life insurance. I also think about how, for employers, finding time to educate their employees on their benefits offerings, including life insurance, may not always be a top priority. Despite stories like mine existing — and carriers today trying their best to help employers see the need for education — the industry as a whole is not nearly as effective in educating employees on their benefits as we would like. But this education is really “the easy way” to learn about the need for benefits.
Having spent time as a broker myself, I know firsthand that success is directly tied to how well you educate and engage your clients. By sharing compelling stories and part of your education strategy, you can help your clients see the real-life impact of their decisions, as well as turn complex topics like life with long-term care planning into relatable, actionable conversations. It helps them understand the stakes of the conversation and the need for education.
If you don’t have a story of your own, your carrier partners (like myself) are happy to help you craft your message, and share our stories, to help you create meaningful, long-term relationships, and ultimately help you be successful while creating empowered employees.
That’s the “hard way” to learn about life insurance; through a firsthand, painful experience. It’s also why we need to stress education for employers and employees — because learning about these benefits when going through enrollment is the “easy way.” Sure, it takes effort from all of us now, but it’s much preferable to the alternative.
While my story has a happy ending to it, that can’t always be said for others. So, it’s up to us to communicate to employers and employees just how important they can be.
My life insurance education
I was only five years old when I lost my father — too young to understand the full impact on my family at the time, but in the following years and in adulthood, I’ve come to reflect on everything this loss entailed. My mother and father knew about life insurance at a very high level, and my father held a very small life insurance policy at the time. However, neither my mother nor my father fully understood the details of the policy, and my mother was ultimately shocked to discover just how little the policy covered. Like many people out there, they knew they had some form of insurance and thought that was enough.
My mother — a stay-at-home parent at the time — was left as a single parent in charge of providing both maternally and financially for two young children (my sister and I). While my father’s life insurance helped her get her bearings in the beginning, she was forced to go back to work, sometimes working two jobs to get by. In time, my mother was hired by a company that offered life insurance. Given her experience, she was very keen on learning about her benefits, specifically, how big of a policy she could get on her budget and understanding the ins and outs of the policy coverage.
After many years of being a single parent, my mother eventually met and married my stepfather. With their financial situation, my mother eventually was able to go back to being a mom, and then grandmother, full time. However, my mother was adamant that, before she decided to leave the workforce, she and my stepfather should hold life insurance benefits that would ensure their financial stability if either of them were to pass away.
Not only was she insistent on their protection, but she was also very clear that – when the time came – my sister and I would both hold policies of our own. For her, it was critical that she educated us on the importance of having a life insurance policy. While I’d like to think that I entered the industry for reasons of my own, I know that her enthusiasm and drive to help others see the importance of these benefits was a significant factor in my career path — to advocate for benefits that I knew firsthand could be life-changing.
It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that my stepfather sadly passed away. While nothing could take away the emotional loss from my family, especially from my mother, I was beyond grateful for the policies she and my stepfather held. Because of the way they set themselves up for financial success, my mother didn’t have to think about the financial loss of losing her husband, and it was reassuring knowing that she would be okay.
Advocate for “the easy way”: employee education
When I think about my parents, I am always reminded about the importance of benefits education and how my story can help others better understand the need for life insurance. I also think about how, for employers, finding time to educate their employees on their benefits offerings, including life insurance, may not always be a top priority. Despite stories like mine existing — and carriers today trying their best to help employers see the need for education — the industry as a whole is not nearly as effective in educating employees on their benefits as we would like. But this education is really “the easy way” to learn about the need for benefits.
Having spent time as a broker myself, I know firsthand that success is directly tied to how well you educate and engage your clients. By sharing compelling stories and part of your education strategy, you can help your clients see the real-life impact of their decisions, as well as turn complex topics like life with long-term care planning into relatable, actionable conversations. It helps them understand the stakes of the conversation and the need for education.
If you don’t have a story of your own, your carrier partners (like myself) are happy to help you craft your message, and share our stories, to help you create meaningful, long-term relationships, and ultimately help you be successful while creating empowered employees.
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Written by Jay Martin
Regional Sales Director, Tennessee
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