THE ALLSTATE STAND
Topping the list at #3 (was #2 last year) is Allstate. When I'm making sales calls, many of my potential clients tell me I sound like the "Allstate Man" (Dennis Haysbert) and actually mistake the company I work for that very reason. Most folks recognize Haysbert as well as Dean Winters (The Mayhem Guy), but may not know much about the history of one of the more reputable insurance companies.
Allstate at a glance:
- Founded by General Robert E. Wood in 1931 (Sears, Roebuck, and Co).
- Trained women to be insurance agents in 1942 (military leave for men).
- Opened first claims office in 1952.
- Allstate Foundation started grants program to train driver's ed. instructors.
- Neighborhood Office Agent Program launched in 1984.
- Began publicly trading in 1993.
- Currently #92 on the Forbes Fortune 500; $123.5B in total assets.
- 12,000 Agent offices in the US and Canada; 70,000 employees/staff.
- Allstate branding includes Encompass and Esurance.
IS YOUR FAMILY PROTECTED?
At least five to ten times per day, I have a conversation (albeit usually very brief) with someone regarding life insurance and the potential need their family would have in the event they suddenly don't make it home for dinner.
I totally understand that most people cringe at the thought that one day they will no longer live and breathe as they currently do, but one thing is for certain we all get a "certain" amount of time here and that time can't be figured out by any algorithm I've ever been privy to.
The name of the game is making sure your family can continue their same lifestyle should either of the main bread winners make an early, unexpected exit from this life. Having life insurance at work is a GREAT start! You usually get a pretty good price (if not free) on the coverage and usually one to two times your yearly salary.
Sounds like a sweet deal on the surface, but the moment you leave that position you no longer have coverage and if you stayed three to five years, you are now that much older when it comes time to rate you for your next life insurance plan.
How do you combat this issue? Make sure you have permanent life insurance outside of your employer and make sure you begin that coverage as early as you can to take advantage of the best possible monthly premiums. Also, be sure you speak to an insurance agent about your options for coverage: term, whole, universal, term vs. whole, whole vs. universal, etc.
