LIFE Foundation Announces 2008 realLIFEstories Award Recipients to Illustrate Benefits...

LIFE Foundation Announces 2008 realLIFEstories Award Recipients to Illustrate
Benefits of Life and Disability Insurance
Insurance Professionals and Their Clients Featured in Newsweek and to be
Honored in San Diego

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Most Americans acknowledge that
insurance is important and necessary, but don't fully appreciate the need for
insurance protection until a major event occurs like a death in the family or
a serious illness or accident. When confronted with life's most challenging
moments, having a proper insurance program in place helps makes sure emotional
struggles aren't compounded by financial hardship.
To underscore the importance of proper insurance planning, the nonprofit
LIFE Foundation is once again sharing the stories of everyday people who have
benefited from insurance at times of great financial need. Today, LIFE
announced the recipients of its thirteenth annual realLIFEstories Client
Service Awards Program, which honors insurance professionals for their
outstanding service to a family or individual.
The individuals receiving this year's awards are featured in a special
advertising section that appears in the current edition of Newsweek, the
September 8, 2008 issue. Additionally, they will be honored alongside their
clients at LIFE's realLIFEstories Client Service Awards Banquet, held on
September 7, 2008 during the annual convention of the National Association of
Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) in San Diego, Calif.
"These stories prove how necessary insurance is and are a testament to the
critical role that insurance advisors and employers play in helping people
remain financially secure, even in life's most trying times," said Marvin
Feldman, CLU, ChFC, RFC, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation. "These
stories remind people that none of us knows what the future will bring, and
that's why preparing for the unexpected through proper insurance planning is
so vitally important."
The 2008 realLIFEstories honorees are:
-- Michael Tokushige, Financial Representative, Principal Life Insurance
Company, Honolulu, Hawaii. Jim Winand, a boat captain and firefighter for the
Honolulu Fire Department, took out his first life insurance policy before
marrying his future wife, Remle, and significantly increased his coverage
after the couple had two children. In 2007, Jim died of cancer at 38. Jim's
foresight and Tokushige's expert planning ensured that Remle and the kids did
not suffer financially after Jim's passing.
-- Lynne D. Crittenden, Insurance Agent, State Farm Life Insurance
Company, CPCU, Altavista, Va. Unable to work as the result of a disabling
accident, single mother Lauri Turnes had difficultly making ends meet. Lauri
would sometimes turn to the accumulated dividends from her whole life
insurance policy to pay the bills. When her budget became extremely tight,
insurance agent Lynne Crittenden convinced Lauri not to cancel her policy, but
instead take out a loan on it to ensure that her daughter's financial future
would remain protected. When a car accident took her life in 2006, that wise
decision meant her daughter Jessi, who now lives with her grandparents, would
have money to help pay for college or perhaps a down payment on a home when
she is older.
-- Bob Arensberg, Insurance Agent, New York Life, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF,
Wichita, Kan. After a disabling accident, Frank Ames was unable to work and
had difficulty qualifying for more than a small amount of life insurance.
However, his wife, Laura, a school teacher, qualified for preferred rates and
purchased a sizable policy. Weeks later, Laura was diagnosed with a cancerous
tumor in her abdomen. With the help of insurance agent Bob Arensberg, she was
able to invoke a provision on her policy that allowed for an early payout to a
terminally ill policyholder, and used part of the proceeds to buy land and
build a home. Laura lived in the home for two years before passing away at age
42. Though still unable to work due to his disability, Frank is able to remain
in the family home and provide for his two children thanks to smart insurance
planning.
-- Kassie Bennett, Account Manager, CIGNA, Charlotte, N.C., and Jan Cox,
Human Resources Manager, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Spartanburg,
S.C.Ashley Tew was at the start of her nursing career when she was diagnosed
with multiple sclerosis, rendering her unable to work. Forced to take
disability leave, Ashley thought her nursing career was over. Fortunately, her
employer, Spartanburg Regional Hospital, had worked with CIGNA Group Insurance
to put in place a strong employee benefits package that offered much-needed
support to Ashley. Short- and long-term disability coverage replaced a portion
of Ashley's income to help her make ends meet while she couldn't work. Through
its "return to work" program, CIGNA assigned Ashley a vocational counselor to
help her get physical therapy and assistance in finding a new job in her
field. After six months, Ashley successfully found a new job as a chart
auditor at Spartanburg Hospital's heart center, and her life and career are
back on track.
To be considered for the realLIFEstories Client Service Award, insurance
professionals must submit an application and essay describing how insurance
benefited one of their clients at a time of great financial need. After an
initial screening process that determines the top 20 finalists, an independent
panel of judges chooses the four stories that get featured in Newsweek.
About LIFE
The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) was founded
in 1994 in response to the public's growing need for information and education
on life, health, disability and long-term care insurance. LIFE also seeks to
remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping
families and businesses safeguard their financial futures. To learn more about
these topics, please visit www.lifehappens.org.
About Life Insurance Awareness Month
Life Insurance Awareness Month was created by the LIFE Foundation in
response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack
adequate life insurance protection. According to LIMRA, 68 million adult
Americans have no life insurance. Those who own life insurance have an average
of four times their annual income in coverage, which is considerably less than
most experts recommend. Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is
an industry-wide effort involving hundreds of leading companies and tens of
thousands of agents. More information about the campaign can be found at
www.lifehappens.org/liam.

CONTACT: Katharine Carver
212-445-8210
-or-
Tai Green
212-445-8239

SOURCE Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE)

Katharine Carver, +1-212-445-8210, or Tai Green, +1-212-445-8239, both for
LIFE