Anthony Anderson’s Personal Story
You may know Anthony Anderson from his hit TV show black-ish and as host of Eating America. But this September he’ll be taking on a new role as the 2015 national spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month.
The annual campaign, which takes place in September, is coordinated by Life Happens to encourage the more than 100 million Americans who do not have adequate life insurance to get the coverage they need.
As spokesperson for the campaign, Anthony will share his personal story of how he and his family were directly impacted life insurance.
As a young boy growing up in Compton, Calif., Anderson saw the importance his family placed on life insurance. While his parents didn’t have much, they did have Mary—or as Anthony’s family called her, ‘The Insurance Lady.’ Mary was a fixture in the Anderson home, visiting the family throughout the year to review and update his parents’ life insurance policies. She even sold Anthony his first life insurance policy when he turned 18.
Now, a husband and a father, Anthony understands why his parents made life insurance a priority, and has made it a priority for his family to be protected.
“Even on their limited income, my mom and dad instilled upon all of us the importance of planning for the future and the fact that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone,” Anderson says. “I know how hard it is to lose someone you love. An accident took my brother when he was 26 and shortly after, I lost my father to diabetes, a disease I, myself, live with today. It was rough getting through those deaths, but the fact that they both had life insurance made it so much easier.”
Life Happens does not endorse any insurance company, product or advisor. ©Life Happens 2015. All rights reserved.
The annual campaign, which takes place in September, is coordinated by Life Happens to encourage the more than 100 million Americans who do not have adequate life insurance to get the coverage they need.
As spokesperson for the campaign, Anthony will share his personal story of how he and his family were directly impacted life insurance.
As a young boy growing up in Compton, Calif., Anderson saw the importance his family placed on life insurance. While his parents didn’t have much, they did have Mary—or as Anthony’s family called her, ‘The Insurance Lady.’ Mary was a fixture in the Anderson home, visiting the family throughout the year to review and update his parents’ life insurance policies. She even sold Anthony his first life insurance policy when he turned 18.
Now, a husband and a father, Anthony understands why his parents made life insurance a priority, and has made it a priority for his family to be protected.
“Even on their limited income, my mom and dad instilled upon all of us the importance of planning for the future and the fact that tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone,” Anderson says. “I know how hard it is to lose someone you love. An accident took my brother when he was 26 and shortly after, I lost my father to diabetes, a disease I, myself, live with today. It was rough getting through those deaths, but the fact that they both had life insurance made it so much easier.”
Life Happens does not endorse any insurance company, product or advisor. ©Life Happens 2015. All rights reserved.
Tonia Wachtel: Giving a Family What It Needed
Don Wachtel loved fixing and refurbishing things, so it’s no surprise that he built a thriving tile business, channeling that passion into clients’ homes.
When insurance agent Chris Manfredi met Don, he recognized a kindred spirit. They were both in their 30s, raising families and working hard to grow their businesses. That’s why he made it a priority to help Don get a term life insurance policy, although they hoped he’d never have to use it.
Unfortunately, about a decade after he bought his coverage, Don began to have severe headaches and forgetting things. After several months, doctors finally diagnosed the problem: an inoperable brain tumor.
As the disease progressed, Don was unable to continue working. That’s when the policy’s waiver of premium rider kicked in, so he no longer had to pay the policy’s premium. This is also when Chris discussed the policy’s accelerated death benefit with the Wachtels. Because Don was not expected to survive his cancer diagnosis, the Wachtels were able access up to 50 percent of the death benefit while Don was still alive.
That money allowed the family to take memorable vacations and pay for some day-to-day living expenses. In addition, his wife, Tonia, was able to take a leave of absence from her job so she could care for Don at home. It was there that Don died at age 47, just 19 months after being diagnosed.
The remaining death benefit helped Tonia pay for the funeral and to stay at home with her two daughters for several months as they grieved. And it continues to make a financial impact. “Without life insurance, I would have had to go back to work immediately, get a second job, and we surely would have lost our home,” says Tonia.
When insurance agent Chris Manfredi met Don, he recognized a kindred spirit. They were both in their 30s, raising families and working hard to grow their businesses. That’s why he made it a priority to help Don get a term life insurance policy, although they hoped he’d never have to use it.
Unfortunately, about a decade after he bought his coverage, Don began to have severe headaches and forgetting things. After several months, doctors finally diagnosed the problem: an inoperable brain tumor.
As the disease progressed, Don was unable to continue working. That’s when the policy’s waiver of premium rider kicked in, so he no longer had to pay the policy’s premium. This is also when Chris discussed the policy’s accelerated death benefit with the Wachtels. Because Don was not expected to survive his cancer diagnosis, the Wachtels were able access up to 50 percent of the death benefit while Don was still alive.
That money allowed the family to take memorable vacations and pay for some day-to-day living expenses. In addition, his wife, Tonia, was able to take a leave of absence from her job so she could care for Don at home. It was there that Don died at age 47, just 19 months after being diagnosed.
The remaining death benefit helped Tonia pay for the funeral and to stay at home with her two daughters for several months as they grieved. And it continues to make a financial impact. “Without life insurance, I would have had to go back to work immediately, get a second job, and we surely would have lost our home,” says Tonia.
How Much Money Do Kids Need to Feel Rich? You May Be Surprised.
Jennifer O'Neill
Writer
Yahoo Parenting
August 28, 2015
Writer
Yahoo Parenting
August 28, 2015