Why & How to buy Life Insurance?

If you’re young and in good health, you probably have never thought much about life insurance. But have you ever considered what financial obligations might still exist if you died? In addition to funeral costs and current bills, what about family living expenses, mortgage payments, long-term debt and college costs? The primary purpose of life insurance is to provide resources for all of these expenses.

With the economy still struggling, many Americans may have or have had to choose between paying bills and buying life insurance. The decision to go without life insurance could put families at financial risk during a time of emotional and financial stress, leaving them unprepared for the future.

According to a study done by LIMRA, three in 10 American households (35 million) are uninsured, and half say they need more life insurance. The survey also showed:

• 95 million Americans have no life insurance, and those who make between $35,000 and $100,000 a year represent the largest group of these households.
• Seven in 10 women agree having life insurance is a necessity and all people should have it.
• One-third of married women do not have life insurance, despite the fact that 7 out of 10 households are dual income.
• More than half of Generation X and Y households need more life insurance.

As you are facing the strain of today’s economy, think how your family or business would fare if you were to die leaving no income and unpaid financial obligations. This is a problem that can be solved easily and economically through the use of life insurance.

Contact your local SBS Insurance agent, a Trusted Choice® insurance professional about your specific needs for life insurance.

To access the Life Needs calculator please go to http://www.lifehappens.org/life-insurance-needs-calculator/ .  This is even available on your iPhone or IPad with a free download thru iTunes.

Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro is the spokeperson this year for Life Insurance Awareness

Life Insurance Awareness Month is observed every September. This year’s theme is “Life Happens,” something we hope you keep in mind when it comes to reviewing your life insurance coverage and becoming more educated about not letting life just happen.

The 2012 spokesperson is Buddy “the Cake Boss” Valastro. After losing his father and being forced to drop out of high school to keep the family business afloat, Buddy learned firsthand what happens when there is no life insurance protection. Buddy’s story is an example of many that are shared during Life Insurance Awareness Month.

A Challenging Path to Success

As a boy, Buddy Valastro’s dream was to work alongside his father in the family bakery to help make it a household name. But that dream was blown off course on his 17th birthday. That’s the day his father, 54, was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died just three weeks later.

Buddy lost his best friend and mentor. And his family lost its breadwinner. Buddy had to drop out of high school to run the family business. That meant 12- to 18-hour workdays, six days a week and overseeing 30 employees. “It was a huge amount of pressure,” says Buddy. “And there were many days I didn’t think I could pull it off.”

Buddy’s situation was made more challenging by the fact that his father didn’t have life insurance. “If there had been life insurance, I know things would have been a lot easier. I could have hired more people, worried less and had time to grieve,” says Buddy.

Always Have a Backup Plan

Today, Carlo’s Bake Shop is a household name. Much of that success is due to meticulous planning. Buddy leaves nothing to chance. A finished cake goes crashing to the floor? It may make for entertaining TV, but Buddy always has a backup plan. He has extra sponge cake and sugar flowers on hand to create something new, just in case.

He feels the same way when it comes to taking care of his wife, Lisa, and their four children. No one expects to die prematurely, but Buddy learned at 17 that it’s critical to have a backup plan for your family. Buddy bought life insurance when his first child was born and has increased his coverage as his family and business have grown. “If people depend on you, you have to protect them with life insurance,” he says.

Your family’s financial future is too important to leave to chance. Contact your local SBS Insurance Agent to obtain more information or to receive quotes for Life Insurance.

Information provided by http://www.lifehappens.org/ feel free to visit the website for Buddy’s video (http://www.lifehappens.org/its-life-insurance-awareness-month/) and additional information.

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month.. Insure your love today

Life insurance can do some pretty amazing things for people. It can buy loved ones time to grieve. It can pay off debts and loans, providing surviving family members with the chance to move on with a clean slate. It can keep families in their homes and pre-fund a child’s college education. It can keep a family business in the family. It can provide a stream of income for a family to live on for a period of time. Life insurance can do all of these wonderful things for your family…there’s just one small catch. You need to own life insurance.

There’s a growing crisis of too many Americans not having adequate life insurance protection. According to the industry research group LIMRA, 30 percent of US households have no life insurance whatsoever. Today there are 11 million fewer American households covered by life insurance compared with six years ago. Here’s the bottom line: A majority of families either have no life insurance or not enough, leaving them one accident or terminal illness away from a financial catastrophe for their loved ones.

What if you were suddenly gone and your family had to manage on their own? When was the last time you did the math to make sure your loved ones would be OK financially? Have you checked with your employer to find out what kind of life insurance benefit you have through work and whether you have the option to increase your coverage? When was the last time you had your life insurance needs reviewed by an insurance professional?

Your family’s financial future is too important to leave to chance.   Contact your local SBS Insurance Agent to obtain more information or receive quotes for Life Insurance.

Seat belts save over 13,000 lives every year

“No one can predict when they will be involved in a motor vehicle crash, yet almost all of us will be involved in an automobile crash in our lifetime. Last year, 382 people lost their lives on Kansas roadways and 50 percent of them were unbuckled,” said Cherie Sage, State Director for Safe Kids Kansas. “The single most effective means of protecting the lives of you and your passengers is wearing seat belts and using appropriate child restraints every time you ride in the vehicle – even short distances.”


According to the 2011 KDOT Safety Belt survey, only 83 percent of those surveyed ages 14 and older were wearing their seat belt. This is around the national average of 84 percent. In 2010, Kansas ranked 36th in the nation in seat belt usage.

“It is important that Kansans get the message that seat belts save lives,” stated Sage. “An average of 93 people die each day in motor vehicle crashes nationally; that’s an average of one death every 16 minutes. This is unacceptable.”

Here are the top 5 things you should know about buckling up:

1. Buckling up is the SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.

2. Air bags are designed to work WITH seat belts, not replace them.

3. Buckle up safely … Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck. Adjust the lap belt across your hips, below your stomach and NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.

4. FIT MATTERS -- before you buy a new car, check to see that its seat belts are a good fit for you. Ask your dealer about seat belt adjusters, which can help you get the best fit.

5. Everyone in the car should BUCKLE UP, regardless of their seat position.

For more information about safety belt or child safety seat use, visit

www.safekidskansas.org, www.safekids.org or www.nhtsa.gov