My goal is for us to work together as a team! Many years of experience has shown me your help and cooperation is most important in the entire process. Your time and effort working together with me will be rewarded with a valuable policy that gives you the peace-of-mind insurance provides and financial security you desire.
It is important from my point-of-view to listen to you, answer your questions, discuss, educate, determine the financial problem you want me to help you solve, and offer the best approach to take with an insured solution.
You will never hear me tell you it is simple or easy to get approved. I will always tell you that it is worth your time, energy and effort to follow me and let me take you through the entire process of getting a policy for you.
The Independent Difference
I’m an INDEPENDENT INSURANCE ADVISOR and represent many fine insurance companies who offer different types of insurance policies. I’m not obligated to any one company for insured solutions. I’ve learned one size does not fit all. Consider, a company may have great life insurance products but does not offer long-term care insurance. Another may provide disability insurance but does not write long-term care insurance, or one is competitively priced for term life insurance but does not offer a good product for term conversions. Many companies do not write whole life insurance. In addition, insurance companies move in and out of a marketplace depending on their underwriting expertise or a product’s profitability. This is the INDEPENDENCE DIFFERENCE developed over years of experience and working with many different companies.
Everyone is Unique, Special and Different
We’re all unique and special. My job is to put the pieces of your puzzle together and get it to the right puzzle acceptor. The insurance company. Puzzles can be simple to put together and at times they’re challenging and complicated.
Managing Your Expectations
Managing your expectations is key in the world of processing an application for insurance. By doing my job properly, I will have advised you in advance about any underwriting issues prior to submitting an application. This is also where many years of experience counts.
My goal is to match the anticipated offer with the actual offer. This is what I call an underwriting success!
The Premium
NO HIGH PRESSURE FROM ME, THE PREMIUM IS WHAT YOU WANT TO PAY.
I’ve learned the ideal insured solution is typically the one that best fits your budget. Now the premium may not be an issue at all. However, I will provide you with proposals designed to fit your personal situation and budget based on what you want to pay. Regardless, no high pressure from me, the premium is what you want to pay.
Basically, if you can health qualify for the desired insurance, the premium can be whatever you want it to be.
The Application Process
I normally submit an application without a premium and for consideration only.
This means you or the insurance company are not obligated during the processing of your application until you are formally approved, you have accepted the offer for coverage and the company has received your initial premium to put the policy in-force.
A conditional receipt is issued to you the insured when a premium is paid at the time of application. A conditional receipt offers you temporary coverage during the processing of your application. A conditional receipt will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Premiums can be paid via bank withdrawal, or with a premium notice mailed quarterly, semiannually or annually. I can discuss with you the premium options that best meet your personal situation at the time of application or policy delivery.
It is important that you review the application and make sure all answers are correct and complete before it has been sent to the insurance company. If something isn’t correct, I will advise you to notify me immediately so I can inform the insurance company right away. Once your application is submitted, it normally takes 1 to 8 weeks depending on the insurance applied for to receive an offer from the insurance company.
I will follow your application closely and contact you during the entire process with updates of your status and notify you immediately when a formal decision has been made regarding your application for insurance.
IMPORTANT!
Underwriting doesn’t stop until a policy is in-force.
Please don’t go in for a check-up or physical exam prior to or during the processing of your application once we have started working together. You don’t want a diagnosis that an underwriter may want or need to see prior to an offer or delivery of a policy. Hold off until after a policy is in-force.
The insurance company must be notified if you have any change in health or visit a doctor during the processing of your application or subsequent to the delivery of a policy. This means office visits to a doctor must be reported to the insurance company before a policy can be delivered even if you have been approved for the insurance. Try to hold off from going to the doctor for any reason if you can. A life-threatening emergency is obviously an exception.
Common Underwriting Delays You Can Avoid
Telephone Interview: Once your application has been submitted a telephone interview may be required. This call is to confirm the answers on your application and ask detailed medical questions. The medical questions should not be any different than the medical information you provided on the application. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Take the interview seriously. Completing the required telephone interview as soon as possible helps to expedite this important underwriting requirement.
Medical Tests / Requirements: Depending on your age and the amount of insurance applied for with the company. Body measurements, para-medical exams, an ekg, blood, and home office specimen tests are required and paid for by the insurance company. It is important to complete these medical tests as soon as possible. They are completed by a third party vendor who will call you to schedule a convenient time to provide these medical tests at either your home or office. I recommend an early morning examination.
The most accurate results are when the applicant has fasted the night before and not exercised the day before your exam date. Exercise and foods can elevate certain test numbers and alter your results. Remember the company is looking at you one time. Give them your best profile. You have the right to request your test results once the underwriting of your application has been completed.
Medical Records: Medical record delays can occur if the insurance company cannot get your medical records copied from your attending physician in a timely manner.
(1) Your doctor may have their own authorization form required before they release medical records.
(2) Make sure medical records are being searched under your correct name or maiden name – records may be under one or both names.
(3) Doctor’s don’t always make it a priority to allow your medical records to be copied in a timely manner.
(4) Doctor’s may want more money from the insurance company to have your records copied.
Getting in contact with the doctor’s office regarding any of these issues and having them allow your medical records to be copied as soon as possible expedites the underwriting process and helps prevent delays.
Staying the Course
You have completed your telephone interview, all medical tests and medical records have been received by the insurance company.
Are there still delays in processing an application? Yes! Are there procedures the insurance company must follow? Yes! Are there humans involved that have to process and evaluate all of the information before they can make a decision? Yes!
You must STAY THE COURSE with me during the entire time it takes to receive an offer for a policy.
Your Policy Is A Contract. Important! Read It.
You have purchased a contract between you and the insurance company with the intention of paying some type of benefit should you have a claim. READ YOUR INSURANCE POLICY CAREFULLY FOR THE SPECIFIC BENEFITS, PROVISIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND EXCLUSIONS. The right time to clear up any issues or concerns is at the time of policy delivery.
The Policy Delivery And Ongoing Services
Your policy can be delivered traditionally with a face-to-face meeting, via mail or e-delivery depending on the company. Once your policy is in-force, please contact me anytime you have questions about your policy or require any additional service. I will get back to you quickly. Your policy will be tracked for an annual review or any follow-up changes in your personal situation. I will always assist you with the appropriate forms should a claim arise.
How Am I Paid?
You are not billed for my services no matter how much time it takes to get you an offer and put your policy in-force. I get paid commissions for my professional services from the insurance company based on the premium you pay. My commissions are built into the premium. You cannot purchase an insurance product currently without a commission being paid to an insurance agent.
I will ask you for a brief review or testimonial regarding your
experience working with me to be posted on my website.
WOM! Word-of-mouth introductions to other associates, family or friends allows me to help more people in a favorable way. Your recommendation of my professional services will be greatly appreciated, and I will always do my best to help others and share my expertise with them.
