The Benefit of Life Insurance 

It isn't often that we get to celebrate the impact that we have on the lives of people in our communities, but February's Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM) is the perfect time to do just that—celebrate the fact that RJames Associates Benefit and Insurance Brokers help thousands of people safeguard their families' financial futures through proper life insurance planning.

 

It's not easy getting people to consider their mortality and to contemplate how their loved ones would manage financially in their absence. But it's extremely important that we have these conversations because each year nearly 600,000 Americans die in the prime of their lives.

 

To help Americans understand the profound impact that life insurance can have on a person's life, the life insurance industry has turned to a celebrity whose life experiences have taught him this valuable lesson. This February, Lamar Odom, former Los Angeles Lakers forward will serve as the national spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month.

 

Despite his all-star image and the celebrity lifestyle he enjoys today, Odom's journey began humbly in a single-parent household in Queens, N.Y. Even though his mother, Cathy, earned a modest income working as a corrections officer, she sent him to Catholic school because of concerns about the public schools in the South Jamaica neighborhood where they lived. When Odom was 12, his mother died of colon cancer. Because she had life insurance, Odom was able to continue his Catholic school education.

 

When Odom graduated high school at 18, life insurance again made a difference in his life. Odom was considered to be one of the best young basketball players in the country, but knew it would be best for his career if he did not pursue a professional career right away. Because he and his grandmother, who raised him through high school, were financially stable, Odom did not need to immediately earn a paycheck and attended college for several years prior to turning pro.

 

"I'm sure my mom didn't think she would die at age 35, but that didn't stop her from doing the responsible thing and buying life insurance," says Odom. "Her wise decision gave me the foundation to move on in my life, and played a big role in making me the person I am today."

 

That's what our industry does. We make promises to be there for people at their time of greatest need. But for every person who has the peace of mind of knowing that they've planned properly, there are probably several others who have not taken the same steps to secure their families' financial futures with life insurance. That's why LIAM is so important. It's our opportunity to reach out to the people in our communities to remind them of the importance of life insurance in a sound financial plan.

 

LIAM provides you a perfect opportunity to start a life insurance discussion with families members or people in your community at a time when life insurance may already be on their minds.