Ver en español aquí.

Roberto Loera would do anything for his family. That included leaving his homeland of Mexico and living and working in Colorado so he could provide a better life for his wife, Maria, and two boys, Roberto Jr. and Abel. He spent years working in the ski resorts during high season, and traveling back to Mexico to be with his family during the downtime.

Finally, he got word that his family’s visas had been approved. Roberto shared that joy with his insurance professional, Leila Martinez. She knew how long and hard he had worked for this opportunity, and asked if he had thought about life insurance to protect his family’s financial future. Roberto was quick to understand how important this coverage was, given that Maria would not be working. He was able to put a policy in place for less than $20 a month.

Less than a year after the family was reunited, Roberto learned that the terrible headaches he was having were the result of a brain tumor. While doctors weren’t able to remove it completely, Roberto was able to return to work. However, just nine months later, he learned the tumor had reappeared and spread, and neither surgery nor treatment was effective. The doctors gave him only months to live.

One of the proudest days of his life was when he received his citizenship, and it was just two weeks later that Roberto died at age 47. The community that loved him gave the family the emotional support they needed. And Roberto’s life insurance policy gave them the financial support they also needed. It allowed Maria time to grieve and to give Roberto the funeral he deserved. It also paid medical bills and provided for day-to-day expenses while Maria looked for work. She also set money aside for Roberto Jr. and Abel’s college dreams. “Roberto’s life insurance was such a blessing,” says Maria. “It’s something every family should have.”

View in English here.

Roberto Loera haría lo que fuera por su familia. Eso incluyó dejar su tierra natal de México y vivir y trabajar en Colorado para poder ofrecerles una mejor calidad de vida a su esposa María y a sus dos hijos, Roberto Jr. y Abel. Pasó años trabajando en los centros de ski durante la temporada alta y regresando a México para estar con su familia durante la temporada baja.

Finalmente, se enteró de que estaban aprobadas las visas de su familia. Roberto compartió esa alegría con su profesional de seguros, Leila Martínez. Ella sabía todo el tiempo y el esfuerzo que Roberto le había dedicado a esta oportunidad, y le preguntó si había pensado en un seguro de vida para proteger el futuro financiero de la familia. Roberto entendió de inmediato la importancia de esta cobertura, debido a que María no trabajaría. Y logró contratar una póliza por menos de US$ 20 mensuales.

Menos de un año después de que se reunió la familia, Roberto supo que los terribles dolores de cabeza que tenía provenían de un tumor cerebral. Si bien los doctores no pudieron extraerlo por completo, Roberto pudo regresar a trabajar. No obstante, tan solo nueve meses después, supo que el tumor había reaparecido y se había diseminado, y no fueron efectivos ni la cirugía ni el tratamiento. Los doctores dijeron que solo tenía unos meses de vida.

Uno de los días en los que se sintió más orgulloso fue cuando recibió su ciudadanía, y tan solo dos semanas después, Roberto falleció a los 47 años. La comunidad que lo amaba le dio a la familia el apoyo emocional que necesitaba. Y la póliza de seguro de vida de Roberto le dio el apoyo financiero que también necesitaba. Eso le dio a María tiempo para superar el duelo y le brindó a Roberto el funeral que se merecía. También pagó las facturas médicas y cubrió los gastos diarios mientras María buscaba trabajo. Ella también logró ahorrar dinero para los sueños universitarios de Roberto Jr. y Abel. “El seguro de vida de Roberto realmente fue una bendición”, destaca María. “Es algo que cada familia debería tener”.

Running a bakery—with crack-of-dawn start times and seasonal crunches—can be tough, but Sherri and John Horsley loved their small business. It offered them the right fit. Sherri’s boundless enthusiasm made her the perfect up-front person, and John gravitated to the behind-the-scenes baking. Plus, running their own small business allowed them to spend time with their two young sons, Nate and Dave.

While it was still a new operation for them, the couple met with insurance professional Greg Call to make sure that both their business and their futures were financially secure. And, indeed, Greg saw a gap in Sherri’s life insurance coverage, which she addressed. Plus, the couple understood the wisdom in starting retirement plans. As the business grew, Sherri and John sat down for an annual review with Greg and did a new life insurance needs analysis. They discovered they needed more, so they increased their coverage.

Then, just as the holiday rush was upon them, Sherri discovered a lump, which doctors told her was breast cancer. While continuing to run the bakery and go to school for her Master’s in family counseling, she bravely battled the disease. While she did experience a period of remission, the cancer returned. Sadly, it was the devastating disease that took her life at just 45.

As John says, “The life insurance has made all the difference in the world to us.” It gave him time to grieve, as well as find a buyer for the business so he and the boys could move closer to family. John has also secured the boys’ college education and his own retirement.

“We knew life insurance was important, but didn’t understand the value until now,” he says. “I can say in hindsight that the sacrifice of putting money aside for life insurance—to give you peace of mind and less stress—is totally worth it.”

Christy and Daryel Dunaway’s love story began as a friendship and stayed that way for more than a decade until, as Christy says, “I understood that love was about having someone who loves you as you are—heart and soul.”

Daryel also understood at a deep level that he needed to protect his love for Christy on a financial level, as well as an emotional one. He and his friend John had started a business together, Handicapable Vans, which adapts vehicles for people with disabilities. It’s something both men knew about from firsthand experience. Daryel had become paralyzed from the chest down in a diving accident at 15; John was a quadriplegic as well.

The partners arranged legally for the business to pass to the other if one were to die, but Daryel knew he also needed to ensure his wife would be taken care of financially. Culpepper Webb, an insurance professional, worked hard to get Daryel the life insurance he needed and made sure he increased it as his business grew.

It was fortunate that both men were so adamant about getting—and increasing—that coverage. Daryel faced his life with joy and optimism, despite his physical limitations, but it was eventually his body’s inability to shake off a series of infections that took his life at 57.

Christy was overwhelmed with grief in the wake of his death. She credits Daryel’s life insurance with giving her time to grieve, and then being able to move on with her life. “It meant I didn’t have to sell our home, which we had adapted to meet our needs,” says Christy. In addition, she has opened her own consulting firm, which had been a joint goal for the couple. “Life insurance has allowed me to take action on our dream,” she says.