Term life or whole life?
Here's the difference, in plain words.
I'm Zach, an independent broker licensed in FL, MI, NC, AZ, TX, GA, IN, and SC for health and life insurance. Term life covers you for a set number of years and pays your family a lump sum if you die during that time. Whole life doesn't end as long as you keep paying, and it costs more for the same amount of coverage. Which one fits depends on who's counting on your income and what you can spend each month.
I'm the one who calls, at the time you pick. I don't sell your information or pass it to other agents.
On the call I'll ask who depends on your income, what you could comfortably pay each month, and what your health history looks like — the company's review of that history is called underwriting, and it's what the company bases its decision on. It takes 30 minutes, and you don't have to decide anything that day.
Life companies
3 appointed
Mutual of Omaha, Illinois Mutual, and Americo. Appointed means each company has contracted me to sell its plans, so I can write a policy through any of them.
Licensed in
8 states
FL, MI, NC, AZ, TX, GA, IN, and SC. NPN 18181266 — you can look me up.
The call
30 minutes
On the phone, with me. You don't sign anything on a first call.
What each kind of policy actually is
These three come up on almost every call. Here's each one in a sentence — the plain version, not the brochure version.
Term life
Coverage for a set number of years. If you die during those years, the company pays your family a lump sum — that payment is called the death benefit. If the years run out and you're still here, the coverage ends and nothing is paid.
Whole life
A permanent policy. It doesn't end as long as you keep paying the premium, and for the same amount of coverage it costs more than term. Whether that trade is worth it to you is a budget question, and it's one of the first things I'll ask about.
IUL
Another kind of permanent policy, so it also doesn't end while it's paid for. People ask me about this one a lot, usually after reading something about it somewhere else. What it is and whether it fits your budget is a conversation I'd rather have with you on the phone than sell you on a web page.
How much, and for how long?
There's no rule I can apply to you from here, and I won't pretend otherwise. The amount of coverage and the length of the term come out of your budget: what you can put toward a premium each month without resenting it, who depends on your income, and how long they'd depend on it. That's the conversation, and it's most of what the 30 minutes are for.
Different companies for different situations
I'm appointed with 3 life companies, and I go to different ones depending on what you're trying to do:
- Mutual of Omaha — Children's life insurance
- Illinois Mutual — Term, including 30-year
- Americo — Simplified issue, where underwriting is the obstacle
Underwriting is the company's review of your health history. Simplified issue means there's no medical exam — the company asks health questions instead.
I'm the one who calls, at the time you pick. I don't sell your information or pass it to other agents.
Bring whatever you're already paying for, if anything, and a number you'd be comfortable spending each month. I'll go through which kind of policy fits that and which company I'd start with, and answer whatever you bring. You don't have to decide anything on the call.
The carriers I can place your coverage with
11 carriers across health, life, and supplemental coverage, plus the 5 PPO networks the private health plans run on. A carrier pays your claim. A network decides which doctors are covered. They aren’t the same thing, so I don’t list them as though they were.
Blue Cross Blue Shield
ACA marketplace · enrollment help
UnitedHealthcare
ACA marketplace · enrollment help / Private health, medically underwritten · appointment not active
Philadelphia American Life
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
MedMutual Protect
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
SGIC
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
Allstate Health Solutions
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
Mutual of Omaha
Life · appointed
Illinois Mutual
Life · appointed
Americo
Life · appointed
Aflac
Supplemental · appointed
Combined Insurance Company of America
Supplemental · appointed
Blue Cross Blue Shield
ACA marketplace · enrollment help
UnitedHealthcare
ACA marketplace · enrollment help / Private health, medically underwritten · appointment not active
Philadelphia American Life
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
MedMutual Protect
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
SGIC
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
Allstate Health Solutions
Private health, medically underwritten · appointed
Mutual of Omaha
Life · appointed
Illinois Mutual
Life · appointed
Americo
Life · appointed
Aflac
Supplemental · appointed
Combined Insurance Company of America
Supplemental · appointed
The PPO networks those private plans run on
These are provider networks, not carriers. They don’t underwrite anything and they don’t pay claims. They decide whether your doctor is in.
First Health PPO
Used by Philadelphia American Life, MedMutual Protect, SGIC
See if your doctor is covered
5 PPO networks, each with a lookup
A plan is only as good as the doctors it covers. Each private health plan runs on a PPO network, the group of doctors and hospitals that plan has contracted with, and every one of those networks has its own provider search.
See the networks and check your doctor8 states
FL • MI • NC • AZ • TX • GA • IN • SC
I can only advise you in a state where I hold a license. If your state isn't in that list, tell me and I'll say so rather than take the call.
The call is free
30 minutes, no obligation
I'll go through what you have now, what it covers, and how the other options compare. On a private plan the price depends on the insurance company's review of your health history. If you're better off where you are, I'll tell you that and leave it alone.
I’m appointed with the private health, life, and supplemental carriers above, except UnitedHealthcare’s private health plans, where my appointment isn’t active. Appointed means that company has contracted me to sell its plans. Marketplace plans work differently: there’s no appointment involved, so I help you enroll instead, through healthcare.gov or HealthSherpa, in FL, MI, NC, AZ, TX, IN, and SC; in Georgia, you enroll yourself at Georgia Access.
You deal with me.
Start to finish.
Here's what that actually means, so you know what you're getting into before you book anything.
No
call center.
You won't be handed off to someone reading from a script. You talk to me, and I'm the one who knows your name, your household, and what's actually on your policy.
We look at your coverage together.
On the call I'll pull up what you have now and go through your options with you, rather than leaving you to work through a PDF on your own. Ask me anything while we're on the phone.
You don't pay me.
The insurance company pays me a commission when you enroll. That's how I get paid. You don't pay me a fee.
What to expect from me.
I'm one licensed broker, and you'll deal with me start to finish.
What I tell you on the phone is what you're reading here.
Staying put is an option
no is a real answer
If the plan you already have is the better one, I'll tell you so and you'll keep it. I'd rather say that than move you into something you didn't need.
I'll say it plainly
no jargon
Deductible, network, subsidy - I'll tell you what each one means for your money before I use the word again. If something doesn't land, say so and I'll put it another way. You should finish the call knowing what you're buying and why.
Health and life only
the whole list
That's what I'm licensed for, and it's all I sell. Ask me about your car or your house and I'll tell you straight that I'm not the right person for it. You can look up my license before you ever talk to me.