A Lesson From Career Day - Life Insurance Awareness Month

Every September our industry recognizes Life Insurance Awareness Month. Yes, there is a Life Insurance Awareness Month. It is an opportunity to collectively amplify the message about how valuable life insurance is, and to celebrate the life insurance profession. On a personal level, it is a reaffirmation of why I do what I do and always reminds me of a story…

I'll never forget the day my daughter returned home with a flyer for her first career day.?The school invited kids to come to work dressed in a job they'd like to do in the future. A conversation that night with my daughter stopped me in my tracks and prompted me to begin viewing my job through the eyes of a kindergartener.

"Why aren't you a nurse or a teacher?"

"Well," I decided to help people in a different way. Why do you ask?"

"Because they are important."

I got it. With certainty, I can say life insurance professionals aren’t top of mind when teaching children about noble careers.?Honor, generosity, and courage are words that come to mind when you consider a noble profession.?

Doctors, nurses, teachers, and first responders are often those we think of first, and rightly so. The medical profession teaches us about our health, cares for us when it fails, and educates us on ways to improve our long-term wellness.?Teachers prepare the next generation of skilled professionals and workers like engineers, police officers, educators, and legislators, thus installing community around us. And, of course, there are the first responders who put our safety before their own.

Does life insurance have a place in a conversation about noble careers?

I certainly believe it does. Here's why:

• Achieving financial security takes dedication, with a long-term, multi-layered approach, and life insurance is one tool financial professionals use in financial planning. Often the relationship between a consumer and an agent spans decades.
• There is a higher reward in a life insurance profession, knowing the benefits we provide serve our clients and communities and have a far-reaching economic impact.?In 2021, Life insurance benefits and claims totaled $790.8 billion.1
• Insufficient life insurance coverage has severe consequences for many American families. 42% of Americans would have immediate trouble paying living expenses if their primary wage earner died. 2? Protecting Americans’ financial security and reducing the burdens on federal programs is a noble task.?

Life insurance is not just about the monetary impact; it has a much deeper value that's not as easy to measure — peace of mind.?If you know a life insurance agent, ask them about the first time they delivered the proceeds of a claim.?That moment is profoundly impactful and emotional.?Delivering on the promise to protect remains one of the strongest gratifications of this profession.?It's the moment dedication and passion collide. It's the time when they feel a deep connection to those they serve, allowing families to stay in their homes, children to attend college, and business doors to remain open. That’s what life insurance is all about.

We must continue to act as guardians and attract new talent to our profession as the reality is millions of American families are not adequately prepared for their futures. Forty percent do not own life insurance.2?That means our work is far from done and we need a new generation of professionals to help us carry out our mission and deliver on our promise to protect for years to come.

So, what did my daughter dress up as that career day? A life insurance professional, just like her mother.

Ashley, now 21 and a senior in college focused on a public relations and media career, finds interest in exploring John Hancock's solutions like?Vitality to understand how they are resonating with today’s consumers and helping our profession reshape the life insurance conversation.

Sixteen years ago, her career day taught me two valuable lessons.

1. Kids are impressionable at a very young age, and it is incumbent upon us to teach them about many types of professions.
2. Life Insurance has an image problem, and as an industry, we need to fix that.

It takes a whole host of professions to keep us safe, educated, healthy and protected. I am proud to serve in an industry where I see a tremendous potential to make a tangible and meaningful impact on people’s lives.

When I look around at my colleagues, I see the same unwavering commitment to deliver for our customers that fuels me. It’s that passion and drive we must impart to those who aspire to join our industry because there is more work to be done — more families to keep in their homes, more kids to send to college, and more businesses to keep open.

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1. Source: NAIC data, sourced from S&P Global Market Intelligence, Insurance Information Institute Benefits and Claims | III
2. Source: The 2021 Insurance Barometer Study, by Life Happens and?LIMRA

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?Insurance policies and/or associated riders and features may not be available in all states. Insurance products are issued by: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA 02116 (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY 10595.

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