AppMan^© Presents: "What is LTCiAM?"
 

Well today is November 4th. Do you know what happened on this date? Well AppMan^© knows.

In 1842, Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, IL. On this date Abraham Lincoln was 33, and Mary Todd was 24 years young. In the 1840s the average age for a woman to marry was approximately 21. In today's world with advanced medicine and long life expectancy, these two would be considered young. However, with the average life expectancy in 1840 at 49 years, they were middle-aged members of society.

As you can imagine, they did not need to plan for their elder care. As of 2008, according to the CIA World Factbook, Americans have an average life expectancy of 78.14 years. We have 29 more years to plan for than did Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary. Today it is not uncommon for people to reach their 90s or even achieve centurion status at age 100.

So, what does this have to do with LTCAM?  LTCAM is Long-Term-Care Awareness Month. AppMan^© calls this month LTCiAM or Long-Term-Care Insurance Awareness Month. After all, that is what the buzz is all about; paying for care, and Long-Term-Care Insurance (LTCi) is the best way to pay for it with insurance carrier dollars!

According to the AARP men have a 44% chance and women have a 72% chance of becoming ADL disabled or cognitively impaired at some point in their life. This is a fact that will not go away by ignoring it. LTCi is something the majority of us will need at some point in our life.

Most, but not all persons in need of long-term care are elderly. Approximately 63% are persons aged 65 and older (6.3 million); the remaining 37% are 64 years of age and younger (3.7 million). [Source: Rogers, S., & H. Komisar. Who needs long-term care? Fact Sheet, Long-Term Care Financing Project. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003.]

YOU are in a unique position to help with this health care crisis. Families are losing wealth, assets and style of living to pay for Long-Term-Care needs, but they can protect against this. LTCi is the only adequate insurance coverage that will pay a person while they are chronically ill. First, you need to own one. AppMan^© often times will speak with a producer about how important the need is that all Americans should have some level of LTCi. But when the conversation focuses on his or her coverage, the answer is often times "I have not yet purchased an LTCi plan."

One producer AppMan^© met in Kansas City uses a very powerful brochure when presenting an LTCi plan to his clients. His close ratio is very high, and that is, in part, due to the success of this brochure. He had the brochure custom designed by an insurance company special with his name and a full, detailed explanation of the benefits of LTCi. Each time he presents an LTCi plan with a client, he places this brochure on the table or desk where they are sitting. He does not specifically mention the brochure until they ask. Normally a few minutes into the interview, the client will inquire about the brochure sitting in front of them. What is so powerful about this custom brochure you ask? It is the producer's LTCi policy that he purchased on himself. He explains that this coverage is so important, he wants them to own this valuable protection also. If you are reading this and do not own your LTCi policy yet, November 2009 is your month to get a plan in place.

Once you own your own LTCi plan, it is time to start spreading the word to your clients. Here are some helpful tools that you can use to peak interest in your clients:

Awareness E-card
Send an impactful E-card to clients and prospects.
Completely private from you to them.
Replies sent directly back to you.
Click Here to Begin

Awareness Month Flier Art
Create your own personalized Awareness Month
promotional flier to use at seminars or for mailers.
Click for PDF
 

Awareness Month Marketing Letters
You may print copies or download directly. Personalize and follow the rules that apply to your state or insurer.
Click one of the two documents to the left.

Above documents thanks to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

How many of your clients do not own LTCi? I am sure you can list three right now? After you own an LTCi plan for yourself, arrange an appointment with them right away.

Financial Markets, Inc. offers three leading LTCi carriers -- Prudential Financial, Genworth Financial and Mutual of Omaha. Financial Markets, Inc. offers the ability to quote these online in side-by-side comparisons. To run a quote today, visit www.fm-inc.com, click on Quotes, then Long Term Care On-Line Quote Comparisons.

LTCiAM is here and a great time to submit LTCi applications. Get involved and help your clients plan for an uncertain future with Financial Markets, Inc. top LTCi carriers!

Written by: AppMan^©