Brigette Hunter was just 27, and a new mother, when she was widowed. Her husband, Matt, was killed in a car accident. To compound her pain, she had to borrow money from her parents to pay for Matt’s funeral, as he had no life insurance.

Just six months later, friends introduced Brigette to Anthony. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, but Anthony was persistent. “He could sell snow to an Eskimo,” Brigette says. They married and soon opened their own electrical business. With the business and three children to support, the couple bought small life insurance policies. Lisa Rinehart, an insurance professional who met them several years later, determined that they needed considerably more life insurance, and helped them through the buying process.

A year later, Anthony found a bump on his chin. He had recently walked through a spider web at a job site and assumed it was a bite. But it didn’t go away, and Anthony learned it was melanoma, a cancer he had battled as a teenager. It soon spread to his lungs, brain and bones.

Still wanting to provide for his family, Anthony invoked a provision in one of his life insurance policies that allowed him to access a portion of the death benefit, due to his terminal diagnosis. With that money, the Hunters were able to buy a nicer home while he was still alive. He oversaw renovations and was able to spend a month in the house before he died at 34.

The remaining money from Anthony’s policies helped Brigette pay off medical bills and meet her household expenses. It also kept the business afloat. She could make payroll and pay vendors while she and her foreman reassured clients that the business would continue. “Without the money I would have had to close,” she says.

Ver en español aquí.

It was close to 11 p.m. the December night when boxer Oscar de la Hoya lost his fight to Manny Pacquiao. The Virgens were saying goodbye to their extended family after watching the match together. Still basking in the glow of family and good food, they headed off to their house. On the way, their pickup was slammed by a hit-and-run driver. The truck rolled over, pinning Nicolas and wife Teresa inside. Son Gabriel and daughter Mayra managed to crawl out and were only slightly injured. When rescue workers arrived, Teresa was already dead. Nicolas had three broken vertebrae and multiple fractures in his arms. “In one second your life changes,” Nicolas says.

After their injuries were tended to, the Virgens started picking up the pieces. Thankfully Teresa had life insurance to help them do it. Initially the couple wasn’t convinced that Teresa needed a policy of her own since she did not work outside the home. As a building contractor, Nicolas saw the rationale for his own life insurance. But their insurance professional Irene Henry made the case that there would be expenses if something were to happen to Teresa. “Think of all the things that Teresa does,” Irene recalls explaining to them.

The life insurance allowed them to pay bills while Nicolas was out of work for nearly two years recovering from his injuries, including an amputated finger. It also helped with college expenses for Mayra and her older sister, Susana. If not for the insurance, Nicolas is certain that his family would have lost their home. “It’s like Teresa is still watching over us and taking care of us,” he says.

View in English here.

Eran casi las 11 p.m. de una noche en diciembre cuando el boxeador Oscar de la Hoya perdió su pelea contra Manny Pacquiao. La familia Virgen se despedía de sus familiares después de mirar juntos la pelea. Deleitándose aún en el buen ambiente de haber estado en familia y disfrutado de una buena comida, se dirigieron a su casa en Port Hueneme, California. En
el trayecto, su camioneta chocó con
un conductor que se dio a la fuga. El vehículo se dio vuelta dejando a Nicolas y a su esposa Teresa inmóviles en el interior. Sus hijos Gabriel y Mayra lograron arrastrarse hasta salir del auto y apenas sufrieron heridas. Cuando el equipo de rescate llegó, Teresa ya estaba muerta. Nicolas tenía tres vértebras rotas y múltiples fracturas en los brazos. “Tu vida cambia en un segundo”, dice Nicolas.

Tras haber sido atendidas sus heridas, la familia Virgen intentó reorganizarse. Afortunadamente, Teresa tenía un seguro de vida que los ayudaría en ese proceso. Al comienzo, la pareja no estaba convencida de que Teresa necesitara una póliza propia dado que no trabajaba fuera del hogar. Como contratista de construcción, Nicolas entendía la lógica de contar con un seguro de vida para él. Sin embargo, su agente de seguros Marina Nuño les explicó que si algo le ocurría a Teresa, esto generaría gastos. “Piensen en todas las cosas que hace Teresa”, recuerda Marina que les dijo.

El seguro de vida les permitió pagar sus cuentas mientras Nicolas estuvo sin trabajar durante casi dos años recuperándose de sus lesiones, incluida la amputación de un dedo. También ayudó con los gastos de la universidad de Mayra y de su hermana mayor, Susana. Si no hubiera sido por el seguro, Nicolas está convencido de que su familia habría perdido su casa. “Teresa sigue cuidando y velando por nosotros”, señala.

Army Major William F. Hecker’s long-range plan was to become a college English professor, but first he was committed to following in the footsteps of his family and serving his country. A West Point graduate, he was an officer in the 3-16th Field Artillery Battalion, and in late 2005 he was deployed to Iraq. Just six weeks into his tour of duty there, he was killed by a roadside bomb. Bill was just 37, and left behind his wife, Richelle, and four young children.

Nothing could have prepared Richelle emotionally for her loss, but she knew Bill had taken steps to ensure the family would be okay financially. The Army provides soldiers with a $100,000 death benefit, and Bill had bought additional life insurance offered by the military. But he knew even that wouldn’t be enough to cover his family’s needs. So he purchased additional coverage on his own. His individual policy even included an option to increase his coverage every three years regardless of his health status, a valuable feature for someone with a hazardous occupation. “He did all the right things,” says Samantha Hilliard, Hecker’s insurance professional.

Richelle and her children, now ages 3 to 11, recently resettled in Colorado Springs, Colo. With the insurance benefits safely invested, Richelle’s living expenses should be covered long after her Army survivor benefits have run out. That leaves her free to remain a stayat-home mom as long as she wishes.

Though Bill’s service to his country put him in harm’s way, that wasn’t the only reason the Heckers bought life insurance. “Obviously, he had a dangerous job, but there’s always a chance that any of us won’t make it,” says Richelle. “It’s just the right thing to do.”

Stephen Mayhle always wanted to become a police officer. When he was offered a job as a police officer, Stephen jumped at the chance. But moving with his wife, Shandra, and their two daughters from their home meant belt tightening.

One way to cut expenses, the couple thought, was to terminate a $50,000 universal life insurance policy that Stephen bought shortly after he and Shandra married. After all, they reasoned, Stephen’s group life insurance benefit through his employer more than doubled his existing coverage. However, their insurance professional Chad Gregorini explained that with a young family to provide for, Stephen needed more coverage, not less. For the same price, Stephen could buy a $250,000 20-year term policy. Stephen took his agent’s advice.

Eventually money wasn’t as tight. The couple was even able to purchase a home. Then the unthinkable happened. In the early hours of an April morning in 2009, several officers, including Stephen, responded to a domestic disturbance between a mother and son. When they arrived, the son opened fire. Stephen, 29, and two other officers were killed.

The killings left a young widow wondering how she would manage. As friends and family gathered at the Mayhle home, Chad stopped by, too. Shandra felt a huge sense of relief when Chad said, “Mrs. Mayhle, you’re going to be OK.”

The insurance money helped Shandra put financial worries aside. She paid off a car loan, started college funds for the girls, created a retirement fund for herself and continued paying her mortgage. Most importantly, Shandra can spend time with her daughters, now 7 and 5. “They need me right now,” she says. “They don’t need a babysitter.”