There are days when you think things just can’t get any more ridiculous. That would not be in the world of advocacy groups. Webster defines advocate as “one that supports or promotes the interests of another”. Today one advocacy group advocated another advocacy group knowing full well that neither of them are doing a good job of advocacy for the groups the purport to be advocates for.
I have long railed on AARP for the way they mistreat their constituency when it comes to life insurance advice. AARP has been in bed with New York Life forever in an effective effort to sell poorly constructed, overpriced life insurance to old folks like us. I mean really!! If you are putting a product together to sell to people primarily in their 60’s, with today’s life expectancies really reaching into the mid 80’s, would you create the product so that it ends at age 80? That is AARP’s idea of good advice and it is New York Life’s idea of a cash cow.
Another advocacy group, the ADA (American Diabetes Association) purports to serve the needs of those with diabetes. Even though it has been brought to their attention on a multitude of occasions, the ADA won’t even talk about life insurance on their website. They don’t talk about how hard it can be for someone with diabetes to find fair rates. They don’t talk about what a person needs to do to find those rates. They don’t even acknowledge that one of the challenges faced by people with diabetes is obtaining life insurance to protect their family.
Well, today they hugged. It was one of those moments when you add two negatives and everything they taught you in school doesn’t come to pass. You still end up with a negative.
The ADA just spouts pure bunk with “Their contributions to the diabetes community and dedication to diabetes awareness directly support ADA’s mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people living with diabetes.” These two are up to something and you can bet it is not all about the good of their constituents.
Bottom line. Neither the ADA or AARP care if you have affordable, quality life insurance. AARP has 39 million members. I have no idea how many of those members they have talked into buying their life insurance, but if it is 1%, there are 400,000 people out their with truly bad life insurance contracts because of their advice. As agents we have to complete ongoing ethics education expressly geared toward our dealings with the elderly. Why isn’t AARP held to the same standard?
My 20 years of experience give me the knowledge and leverage to find reasonably-priced life insurance for people who have been declined or are paying more than they need to.
Recent Comments