Annual Report
Message from the Executive Director
Life Happens’ nonprofit mission is to educate consumers about the importance of life insurance, disability insurance, long-term care insurance and annuities in a sound financial plan.
We do it for one fundamental reason: People will not buy what they do not understand.
Our goal is to bridge that barrier with unbiased educational material. Life Happens shares those messages via our website, press coverage, social media and public service announcements so we can directly reach the greatest number of people.
And most importantly, we partner with insurance companies like yours so you can amplify the messages through your channels and help people get the coverage they need. As a nonprofit, we do not sell anything, so our partnership with you is a crucial component to helping Americans get the coverage we know they so desperately need.
Last year also brought some great news for the industry. Life Happens, The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and the Society of Financial Service Professionals (FSP) came together as one organization under the NAIFA umbrella. The expanded organization leverages the strengths of each to create greater impact for the industry, financial service professionals and consumers.
Thank you for your continued support. We are looking forward to working closely with you this year, as we also share the successes of 2023.
Brian Steiner
Executive Director
2023 At a Glance
1.1+ billion
total impressions across all LIAM campaign touchpoints4.1+ billion
impressions garnered from media coverage in 485 articles
59+ million
total impressions garnered from Life Happens’ social media posts
444K+
total supporters on social media300+
educational assets created and made available to partners
361K+
total visitors to lifehappens.org including 84K+ to our Life Insurance Needs Calculator
Campaigns
Life Happens created and coordinates three major awareness campaigns each year to help achieve our mission of educating more people about insurance.
16.7 million
Life Insurance Awareness Month
1.1+ billion
Sirin Thada x Life Happens
We partnered with Thai-American artist Sirin Thada to create illustrations that reflect the theme, Life Insurance: For Anyone Who Lives.
“Life is unpredictable, but when you accept that unpredictability and face it without fear, and with a little bit of planning, you can appreciate those everyday moments with even greater ease and joy.”
Celebrating 20 Years, 20 Moments of LIAM
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of LIAM, we developed 20 Years, 20 Moments, a calendar of events for each weekday in September. From live virtual events with influencers to taking the Life Insurance Pledge, the calendar encouraged engagement from the industry and consumers.
Reaching Single Parents
We created new educational resources that speak directly to single parents as part of a special LIAM content collection in tandem with market research that revealed single parents’ thoughts on their financial challenges.
Insure Your Love
Insure Your Love (IYL) takes place every February to remind Americans that the basic motivation behind the purchase of life insurance is love.
Life Happens shared the campaign message: Life Insurance: For Anyone Who Loves. We created new resources for our partners focused on the idea that no matter who you love, life insurance means they’re protected financially if something happens to you.
We also hosted our first-ever Facebook Chat to raise awareness and discuss important questions about life insurance with the industry and consumers.
Disability Insurance Awareness Month
Disability Insurance Awareness Month (DIAM) takes place every May because disability insurance is arguably the most misunderstood of all major insurances.
Life Happens shared the campaign message: Disability Insurance: For Anyone Who Works. We created new resources for our partners focused on the idea that if you have a job and depend on your paycheck, then you probably need disability insurance.
Content Highlights
Annuity 101
Long-Term Care Insurance Awareness Month
During Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) Awareness Month in November, the industry comes together to share the message that getting long-term care insurance can help cover the cost of care when you need it most.
Hispanic Heritage Month
In the News
4.1+ billion
impressions garnered from media coverage in 485 articles
Program Highlights
Social Media + Influencer Partnerships
59+ million
total impressions garnered from Life Happens’ social media posts
444K+
total supporters on social media
4.4+ million
total video views on Instagram
153 times
more public engagements on Life Happens’ Facebook than the average of the biggest life insurers in the U.S.
Life Happens collaborated with three diverse single-parent influencers who shared their personal stories and how life insurance did—or did not—play a part in their family’s financial situation.
32
influencer posts, including 6 Instagram Lives
garnered nearly
500K
organic impressions
and
4K+
engagements
Michael Allio
@michael_alliol4
widower whose wife did not have life insurance
“I got life insurance when I became a mom, back when I was in a relationship. When I became a single mom it was the one bill I always made sure is handled and continue to do so!”
– @daartistznt
Kim Williams
@singleblackmotherhood
single mom with life insurance coverage
“I just got my own life insurance policy outside of my employer this week it’s term life just to start but I will be exploring whole life once my finances are in better shape.”
– @xodani_mo
Brandon Janous
“Two smart kids got life insurance we never thought we’d need 18 years before my husband died. Because of that decision, I was able to pay off my mortgage and stay in my house when he died of cancer at 46 years old. Do. It Now.”
– @kim.kenney
Real Life Stories
Our Real Life Stories program shares how real people have benefited from life, disability or long-term care insurance and annuities. These emotional stories show the value of different types of policies, as well as the insurance professionals who helped their clients get coverage. In 2023, we shared a new Real Life Story featuring Jeanie Kazemier:
Jeanie Kazemier
For Jeanie Kazemier, life insurance did everything that her husband had planned for it to do. Jeanie and Tom had an idyllic life: a strong marriage and two children. But when Tom was tragically killed in a snowmobiling accident at just 45, the world collapsed for Jeanie and the kids. Grief overwhelmed them, but thanks to Tom’s life insurance, financial tragedy did not.
watch
her story
watch
his story
Mike Sizemore
A decade ago, Mike Sizemore was crossing the street when a drunk driver ran a red light and hit him. His injuries were so severe that doctors were unsure if he would survive. After countless surgeries and rehabilitation, Mike improved immensely, including being able to walk and talk again.
Life Happens first met with Mike in 2015, three years after the accident. This year, we had the opportunity to follow up on his story.
“My fiancée and I just bought a house, and I’ve been able to give my son the childhood he deserves. Disability insurance has been a lifesaver.”
– Mike Sizemore
Peg Ogonowski
Coleen Stokes
The Hoskins Family
Life Lessons
The Life Lessons Scholarship Program was established by Life Happens in 2005 to help students facing financial hardship due to the death of a parent with little or no life insurance.
Since its inception,
815 scholarships totaling $3.4+ million
have been awarded to students at more than 400 schools.
Mya Stinson
Christopher Johnson
Nathan Cruz
When most 17-year-olds hear the phrase ‘planning for the future,’ they immediately think of prom, graduation and choosing a college. Because of my dad’s unexpected death, I know planning for the future has a much broader meaning.
We will start accepting applications for this year’s scholarships on February 1, 2024.
Research
2023 Insurance Barometer Study
The 2023 Insurance Barometer Study, conducted annually by Life Happens and LIMRA, revealed that younger Americans have the greatest need and desire to buy life insurance.
Key findings:
- Gen Z and Millennials express greater financial concerns than older generations.
- A quarter of Gen Z and Millennials say that not knowing how much or what kind of life insurance to buy stops them from getting coverage.
Additionally, this year’s study looked at the growing single mothers market and found that just 2 of 5 single moms (40%) own life insurance. That said, 6 in 10 know they have a life insurance need gap, equaling about 5 million single-mom households.
Single Parents and the Financial Future
This new study released in August 2023 by Life Happens showed that single parents certainly have one thing that’s weighing heavily on their minds: their children’s financial future.
Key findings:
- The average single parent says they’d need a minimum of $332,705 in savings to feel at ease about raising their child.
- 52% of single parents bought life insurance to provide financially for their children if they were to die unexpectedly.
- More than a quarter of single parents say they’d expect money from a crowd-funding site to support their kids financially if they died.
Partner Spotlight
280+
Awards
Life Happens received several prestigious awards in 2023 for our 2022 Life Insurance Awareness Month campaign, Life insurance—an easy decision.
Davos Communications Awards
Gold Winner for Best Influencer Marketing Campaign
Communicator Awards
Award of Excellence for Integrated Campaign
Award of Excellence for Nonprofit Campaign
The Drum Awards
Finalist for Social Purpose: Integrated Campaign — Not-For-Profit
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For partnership inquiries: partnerships@lifehappens.org
For media inquiries: lifehappens@kwtglobal.com