For Scott Rider, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that running was his life. In college he was a three-time Big Ten Champion, two-time All American, and later competed in the Olympic trials. His running sustained him as he charted out his career in financial services. It was also a constant as he and his high-school sweetheart, Kelly, married and raised their three children.

Running is also how he found out his life was changed forever.

It began subtly, when Scott’s toes didn’t “work as they should.” It eventually interfered with his running, and after several years of being misdiagnosed, he learned he had Parkinson’s disease.

“I remember the day I found out. As I stood outside the doctor’s office, on the sidewalk on a warm fall day, I knew my life—and my family’s—was changed forever,” says Scott.

His day-to-day routines have changed drastically since being diagnosed at 47. Cognitive and physical limitations mean he had to give up the profession he loved. And he now relies on Kelly to help him with tasks most people take for granted, like tying his shoes.

One thing in his life has not changed, however. He and his family have been able to maintain their lifestyle, thanks to the disability insurance he purchased. He got it when he was just starting out in his career and added to it as his salary grew.

His disability insurance now replaces a significant portion of the income he once earned. It has allowed Kelly to remain a stay-at-home mom and now be a caregiver. Plus it helps them meet Scott’s growing medical needs.

In addition, the couple has been able to put their three children through college and give their daughter the wedding of her dreams. They’ve even reached a retirement goal of moving to a warmer climate. All of this was made possible by Scott’s disability insurance.

“Without it, I don’t know where we’d be,” says Scott. “I feel fortunate that I understood early on that my income was my most valuable asset, and that I needed to insure it.”

Keep your lifestyle as close to normal as possible with disability insurance. Get a quote today!

Disability Insurance: A Life Changed, a Lifestyle Remains – Video Transcription

Scott Rider: There was something inside me that always loved the feeling and the sensation of running. I’d be out on the road for a run and my toes would start restricting. It didn’t take the doctor very long at all to say, ‘Scott, you have Parkinson’s disease.’

And I remember I stepped outside on the sidewalk with Kelly and I cried. And I knew right then that my life was going to changed forever. What I loved so much was taken away from me.

One of the biggest ways was the loss of my career. Before Parkinson’s disease I worked for 30 years as a financial advisor to individuals and small business owners. Ultimately it became very clear that I couldn’t continue to work.

I understood early on that my income was my most valuable asset, and I wanted to protect it through disability insurance. It’s expensive to live and those bills just keep coming and without disability insurance I don’t think I could have afforded for my daughter’s wedding and I wouldn’t have money saved for retirement.

My disability insurance was a combination of insurance provided through my employer, but I realized that that alone wasn’t going to be enough so I acquired individual disability insurance.

Having Parkinson’s disease changes life enough, but disability insurance makes it as close to normal as possible. I’m so incredibly grateful that my income continues and makes life possible for my family. It would look so different without disability insurance.

The post Disability Insurance: A Life Changed, a Lifestyle Remains appeared first on Quality Quote Insurance Solutions.

Summer was much like her name: bright, bubbly and energetic. She was also hardworking. At 22, she was managing her own household, working full-time as a waitress, while attending school with dreams of becoming a doctor.

She would stop by the insurance agency each month to pay her auto insurance and was always greeted by insurance professional Christie Trahan. One month, Summer revealed that she was expecting a baby. Christie was thrilled for her, but also knew she had to talk to Summer about something more serious: life insurance. Summer listened carefully, but said she’d think about it. Money was tight for the single mom-to-be; she also wanted to discuss it with her mother, Coleen.

After asking her over the course of several months, Christie told Summer that she felt she needed to ask one last time: “Are you sure you don’t want to buy that life insurance?” At $12 a month, Christie felt that it was affordable even for a working student. Summer agreed, saying that she knew it was the right thing to do, even though her mother had advised her to wait.

That was a fateful decision. Just nine months after Summer gave birth to Nathan, she was struck by a car while walking and killed.

After the accident, Coleen called Christie to ask if Summer had gone ahead and bought the policy. Christie assured her she had. Relief swept over Coleen, as she now had funds to give Summer a beautiful funeral. The death benefit also allowed Coleen to take a leave of absence from her job to take care of Nathan.

Nathan is now a happy 5-year-old, and Coleen has officially adopted him. She set aside the remaining money from Summer’s policy for Nathan to use for college. “I’m so proud of Summer for making that wise decision for Nathan,” says Coleen.

This story is a stark reminder that no one is promised a tomorrow, so the best time to buy life insurance is now. There are policies to meet every budget, and an insurance professional can help you “find the money” for this important coverage. Get a quote today!

Life Insurance Is the Responsible Thing to Do – Video Transcription

Coleen Stokes (Mother): Summer was just the best daughter that you could ask for. Just easy going, laid-back, fun. Summer went to college in Latvia and worked full time as a waitress. She was going to college in the hopes of accomplishing a Doctor’s degree in the medical field.

Christie Trahan (Licensed Insurance Professional): Coleen had a long relationship as a client here at this office and so Coleen came in with Summer one day. Summer was a newly licensed driver so I helped set up Summer’s automobile policy and that’s I met her initially.

Coleen: She was doing everything on her own. She had her own house, her own car, took care of her own insurance. She got pregnant in 2007.

Christie: I started talking to Summer about the life insurance during her pregnancy right at the beginning when I first out that she was expecting.

Coleen: Christie had offered for Summer to purchase life insurance. She said ‘Wait, I want to talk to my mom about it.’ Came home and asked me I told her to wait to buy the life insurance ’til a later time cus I know she was just making it every month.

Christie: Summer then came in later. And I talked to her and I said, ‘Summer, I know that you’re wanting to put off buying life insurance but we have some products here that are very affordable and can get you started for $12 a month. So I talked to her again and she decided to buy the life insurance that day.

Just the motherly instinct already in her said, ‘This is something that I need to do for me and my child.’

Summer was walking on the side of the road near her home and was tragically hit by a car and killed.

Coleen: At the time of the accident was 22 years old and she left behind Nathan. He was 9 months old at that time.

I felt like a part of me was kinda just gonna be missing or gone. I was worried I wasn’t gonna be able to be myself again. And so I just kinda had to regroup. I think in my heart I believe she’s still here in Nathan. She’s still here so it’s like… I deal with it like that.

Dannon Stokes (Stepfather): I was very proud of Summer for having bought this life insurance policy because it made life a lot easier in a time of tragedy like this for Coleen and I to plan her funeral, take of debts. It was a god-send.

Coleen: Having gone through this with Summer now, I think my advice to her looking back would’ve been a whole lot different. I think life insurance is worth that little extra. There’s such a lesson for young people to realize there’s no promise of a tomorrow. There’s not guarantees and you have to prepare for those ‘what-if’s.’

The post Getting Life Insurance Is the Responsible Thing to Do appeared first on Quality Quote Insurance Solutions.

Mark and Juanita Flechsing were high-school sweethearts who had the good fortune of turning that young love into a strong marriage. Mark worked hard on Alaska’s North Slope oil fields, gone for weeks at a time, while Juanita worked full-time back home in Wasilla. As they looked forward to raising a family, they knew they wanted protection for the “what ifs” in life, and that’s what lead them to consider life insurance. Like many couples starting out, Juanita admits they didn’t have a lot of money, but they sat down with insurance professional Robert Barrett, Jr., and he helped them get life insurance policies that fit their budget.

Robert also suggested they get a waiver of premium rider on their policies. This would ensure if they became disabled and unable to work that they wouldn’t have to pay the premiums on their policies. The couple agreed, and it’s a good thing they did. When Mark reached his late 40s, what his doctors initially thought was reoccurring pneumonia was in fact a serious type of lung disease. Doctors said he would need a double lung transplant.

That’s when Robert reminded the couple of the living benefits of their life insurance. Because Mark was ill and unable to work, the waiver of premium kicked in, and they no longer had to pay the premiums on his policy. Additionally, because of Mark’s grave prognosis, they were able to tap into the policy’s living needs benefit. It allowed the family to continue on financially.

“We were able to use money from his life insurance policy while he was alive,” says Juanita. “It allowed me to pay the mortgage and bills we were falling behind on, as well as the mounting medical expenses.”

Unfortunately, despite the transplant, Mark died three-and-a-half years later. The remaining death benefit from the policy continued to help Juanita as she navigated her life and finances without her husband. “The life insurance helped us while Mark was alive, and continued to help me after he was gone. I can’t imagine what my life would be like now without it,” she says.

Protect the ones you love for the unforeseeable future with life insurance. Contact QQIS now to get a quote.

The Living Benefits of Life Insurance – Video Transcription

Juanita Flechsing: Mark was a stand-up guy and he was a great dad. We wanted to protect our family financially so we got life insurance. It was something I forgot about until Mark got so sick and needed to have a double lung transplant.

Because Mark’s prognosis was so bad we were able to sue the money from his life insurance policy while he was still alive.

I didn’t know that life insurance had living benefits to help pay our mortgage and the mounting medical costs.

Robert Barrett, Jr. (Insurance Professional): When Mark purchased his life insurance policy, it had two important features. One being the waiver of premium that will pay the premium if you become totally disabled. The other being the living needs benefit rider. Because of Mark’s prognosis we were able to tap into the life insurance policy and those proceeds were able to help his family carry on.

Juanita: The lung transplant gave us three-and-a-half years. We got to make memories.

The life insurance helped us while Mark was alive and it continues to help us today. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it.

The post The Living Benefits of Life Insurance appeared first on Quality Quote Insurance Solutions.

Topher Otake talks about the valuable lesson he learned about life insurance.

“My mother was my best friend. She was my mentor and my companion. Despite the 400 miles between my school and hometown, we remained close and spoke every day about my new experiences as a first-year college student.

Then came the morning of Parent’s Weekend. I was excited to hear that my mom was arriving, but instead I received a call from a state patrol officer. My mom had a heart attack in the car and had been rushed to the university’s hospital. Later that evening I held my mother’s hand as she took her last breath.

The months that followed have been the hardest of my life. In addition to the extreme emotional, intellectual and physical turmoil that comes with the loss of a parent, I was caught in a very difficult financial situation. My mom didn’t have any life insurance, so the financial burden of her death fell onto the shoulders of my brothers and me.

I was forced to move out of my college dorm room and get a job that offers housing and a meal plan, as well as a job serving tables to pay for school expenses and bills. I work 50+ hours a week while attending school full time. Now I worry whether I’ll be able to afford school next year.

The experience has taught me a valuable lesson. While we could never prepare for the profound emotional pain of losing a parent, we could have been better prepared for the financial burden. Life insurance would have eased the transition of life without my mother by taking the financial weight off of our shoulders.”

Getting life insurance is vital for your child’s future. Learn more about life insurance and contact QQIS today to get a quote.

A Valuable Lesson Learned About Life Insurance – Video Transcription

Topher Otake: My mother was my best friend, my mentor, and my companion. I was excited for her to come to my first parent’s weekend at college, but on the way a heart attack took her life.

Because she had no life insurance I had to move out of my dorm and now work 50 plus hours a week while attending school full time.

While my brothers and I could have never prepared for the emotional pain of losing our mom, with life insurance we could’ve been better prepared for the financial burden.

The post A Valuable Lesson Learned About Life Insurance appeared first on Quality Quote Insurance Solutions.

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.

It just makes sense to insure the stay-at-home parent. For example, a stay-at-home mom juggles almost 95 hours of work a week, according to Salary.com. It would take $112,000 to replace all she does—from caring for the kids, to managing the house, to juggling schedules. Contact QQIS today to protect your loved ones with life insurance.

Still Watching Over Them with Life Insurance – Video Transcription

Nicolas (Husband): I met Teresa in 1989 at church. She was a great singer. We spent about a year before we married.

Mayra (Daughter): My mom she was very caring. She loved to laugh, always laughed til she was like crying practically.

Gabriel (Son): Well my mom she expected us to do good in school. Really get a lot of good grades.

Irene (Insurance Agent): I met Nicolas and Teresa approximately 10 years ago. Initially we just wrote Nicolas’ life insurance.

Nicolas: I work, I get out of the house every day, driving all the time. Be on ladders, you know, ladders and scaffolding every day, so I decided to just get it for myself.

Irene: We look at educating policy holders. We want them to make well informed decisions. Nicolas’ original comment was “Well, Teresa, she’s a stay-at-home mom why does she need life insurance?” I said “Well you have three kids. If something happens to Teresa are you suddenly gonna stay home and be a stay-at-home-dad and do all the things that Teresa does?”

Nicolas: Finally Irene convinced me to get Teresa’s life insurance. Hispanic people we don’t want to get insurance because we think it’s for… we’re gonna leave the money for the wife or the kids. But I was wrong, I was wrong.

That day I received a call from my brother Pedro. He wanted to have a barbecue in the house. So, we barbecued. We had a good time. So I decided it’s time to go.

It was about 100 meters before the green light so I stepped a little bit [on the pedal] to pass the green light. Then somebody hit us. And you lose everything, you don’t know what’s going on. I see Mayra and Gabriel screaming, so I helped them to get out of the car. And I saw Teresa. She wasn’t talking. I knew she was dead already because she wasn’t moving or anything.

Pedro (Brother): He broke his neck. He got his hand really, really bad.

Irene: He lost his income by the fact that he became disabled. He had to stay-at-home and be with his kids as well. The life insurance continued to provide the opportunity to keep a roof over their kids’ heads.

Nicolas: To buy insurance policies is the best decision in my life.

Mayra: The life insurance has really help me go to college and accomplish my goals. My mom’s greatest wish would be for us to go to school, have a good job, not be out there wondering, you know, wrong paths with the wrong people. Just be good people in general, stay united as a family, and I think most importantly be happy.

Nicolas: She’s been watching us. I told her I’ll be taking care of my kids the way you wanted. Just go about yourself and go rest in peace, and don’t worry about the kids I’ll be taking care of them.

The post Still Watching Over Them with Life Insurance appeared first on Quality Quote Insurance Solutions.

Life, however, intervened again. Judy learned that the breast cancer she thought she had beaten had returned and spread to her bones, which doctors said was terminal.

Insurance professional Melissa Mlasko met with the couple to help them with an immediate task at hand. They needed to transition to Medicare from the health insurance coverage they had through Judy’s work, which was due to end in several months when she retired. That’s when Melissa learned about Judy’s condition. As she explored the couple’s entire financial picture, it occurred to her that she might be able to offer additional help. She researched the group life insurance policy that Judy had through work and found that her coverage included an accelerated death benefit rider.

Given that her diagnosis was terminal, the rider allowed Judy to access 90 percent of her policy’s death benefit while she and Jim still had time together. That gave the couple incredible peace of mind, knowing that their last days together would be free of financial worries. Judy was also grateful that her husband would be well cared for financially, as the life insurance proceeds could supplement his retirement income.

“Without the life insurance, I would have had to sell our home,” says Jim. “There would have been no way to do it on my own financially. Life insurance is so important, because you never know when something is going to happen.”

Get a Life insurance quote today and see how easily it can improve your quality of life.

A Welcomed Benefit – Video Transcription

Jim Stacherski: Judy and I were childhood sweethearts. When I went in the army, I told her that I could be going to Vietnam so I don’t really want her worrying. And when I got out, she was already married. Then, apparently, she got divorced and I was divorced. And 30 years later she called me up and came to see me and 30 days later we were married. Yeah, that was meant to be.
We had been together for 8 years. She had a mammogram and it showed a tumor. She got breast cancer.

Marcia Emerson (Family Friend): She had the double mastectomy and she was clear for a while of the cancer. And then it came back.

Melissa Mlasko (Insurance Advisor): When Judy came to me, she knew she didn’t have very long to live. They were transitioning from Judy’s employer plan and then going on to Medicare.

Jim: Judy had life insurance through a group policy at work. So, Melissa said, ‘Well, does it have an accelerated death benefit.?’

Melissa: The accelerated death benefit rider is very important because a person is able then to obtain the money prior to passing away.

Jim: If Melissa hadn’t found that I would’ve had to sell our house immediately. So having that made it more comfortable so we were able to spend a lot of time together.
The doctor gave her two months to live. She asked God for eight years. That’s what she got, eight years.

Marcia: Judy died on December 7, 2013. I know it was so hard on Jim. And I know he felt like a part of his life had just been cut away from him.

Jim: Judy’s loss is hard enough let alone dealing with financial problems. And a life insurance just made it a whole lot easier.

Marcia: If he didn’t have that supplemental income that he was able to have from it, he would’ve had to sell their house and to move. So it’s made it possible for Jim to stay in the home and continue to have a place where he has these wonderful memories with Judy and do the gold mining that he loves so much. She’s still blessing Jim even though she’s not here physically.

The post A Welcomed Benefit of Life Insurance appeared first on Quality Quote Insurance Solutions.

A mutual friend with a new dog brought Stephen and Katie together. Stephen had headed to his friend’s house to meet the new furry member of the family, and when he got there, he saw Katie playing with dog in the backyard.

“Katie was so outgoing,” says Stephen. “She was the nicest person you’ll ever meet.” That first meeting led to beach outings and concerts, and over time to getting married and thinking about starting a family. It was Katie who suggested they get life insurance.

Stephen admits he wasn’t too happy about the idea. They were young and healthy, so he didn’t see the point. Katie, however, convinced him to sit down with insurance professional Rose Goheen, who walked them through the process and presented them with affordable options. They both decided to get life insurance coverage.

When the couple welcomed Chase, they decided to reevaluate their life insurance. Given their expanding family and responsibilities, they both bought additional life insurance.

It was during her recovery from giving birth to Reid that Katie realized something was wrong. Her doctor confirmed her suspicion that the abdominal lump she felt was something much more serious. In fact, it was an aggressive form of cancer.

Katie, with the love and support of her family, valiantly fought the disease, but just over a year later it claimed this young mom’s life. She was just 30.

No words can capture the devastation that Stephen and his boys felt at Katie’s loss.”It’s horrible to lose your soul mate and best friend,” he says. “But I have two boys to support, and I want them to know their dad can carry on.”

Life insurance has helped with that process. “Nothing can bring Katie back, but having life insurance meant we didn’t lose everything,” he says. “I don’t earn enough alone to afford living in our house. Life insurance has eased my financial worries on so many levels.”

Thinking back to that first meeting with Rose, Stephen says: “Katie was the smarter one. She knew to plan for the future—our future—with life insurance.”

Contact QQIS today to protect your future with our Life Insurance products.

Protecting the Future – Video Transcription

Stephen Miller: I love my two boys. They’re my whole world. They’re everything to me, but being a single parent at my age was never a thought of mine.

My wife Katie she as the nicest person anyone could ever meet. We started our life together. We got married. When we started our family Katy wanted life insurance, but being young and healthy I didn’t think we needed it. It’s a good thing Katie got her way on that.

Shortly after our second son was born, Katie contracted ewing sarcoma cancer. No matter what we were positive, “You’re gonna make it.”

A year and a half after our second son was born, cancer took her life.

Rose Goheen (Insurance Professional): Katie was adamant about getting life insurance for her family. Some people think that because they’re young and healthy that they don’t need life insurance, but they do. Now Stephen can raise his sons without having to worry about money.

Stephen: Although nothing can bring Katie back the life insurance has afforded us to be able to keep the life that we had before she passed.

The post Protecting the Future appeared first on Quality Quote Insurance Solutions.

Steven and Ngoc Anh Tang left Vietnam to pursue the American dream: They wanted their children, Jimmy and Nancy, to have a better life. Their insurance professional Annie Vu also helped them secure their children’s financial future in case the worst were to happen. The couple purchased permanent life insurance for both Steven, who worked for an hourly wage, and for Ngoc Anh, who was mainly a stay-at-home mom.

It was on a trip with her mom and sister that Ngoc Anh was involved in a car accident. Her life-threatening injuries meant she was in and out of the hospital, but because her policy had a disability waiver of premium, she no longer had to pay for the policy. However, Ngoc Anh never fully recovered, and later died of a stroke. Again, her life insurance policy came through. Annie had advised the Tangs to get an accidental death rider, and because Ngoc Anh’s heart condition was a result of the accident, the family was entitled to double the original amount of the policy.

Now that he was a single father, Annie encouraged Steven to get additional life insurance to protect his children, which he did. Unfortunately, tragedy struck just three years after his wife had passed away. Steven learned he had liver cancer and died soon after his diagnosis. Nancy, a senior in high school, and Jimmy, who had graduated from college, were now on their own.

Thankfully, Annie and the money from the life insurance were there to shepherd them on their way. Nancy is now attending college, and the siblings have bought a house near campus so Jimmy can help his sister as they start a new chapter in their lives. They credit life insurance for that opportunity. “It’s vital for parents to have life insurance,” says Jimmy. “It means if you do die, your loved ones can go on without worrying about money while they get back on their feet.”

Contact QQIS today to protect your children from the unpredictable future with our Life Insurance products.

Securing the American Dream – Video Transcription

Nancy Tang (Daughter): My family left Vietnam for a better life for themselves and for their children. I think they bought life insurance because they thought they were at that age where anything could happen.

Annie Vu (Insurance Professional): The policy I sold to them had two riders, waiver of premium and accidental death.

Jimmy Tang (Son): My mom’s car accident, it was a serious one. They said there was little chance that she might make it.

Nancy: But somehow she was able to pull through with it.

Annie: After the accident she felt ill and couldn’t work or anything.

Phung Ngo (Insurance Professional): They also had to waiver a premium rider meaning she didn’t have to make payments on her policy anymore. The company made the monthly payments for her.

Annie: Ngoc Anh passed away about two years after she was involved in an accident, but the company still paid the accidental death benefits rider anyway.

Phung: They determined the cause of death was due to the injuries sustained from the accident.

Jimmy: After that my dad actually sat me down and said, “Look we had life insurance for your mom and we’re gonna to use that to basically get back on our feet.”

Phung: Annie and Steven decided that he needed more life insurance because now that he was a single father and if something happens to him then the kids would need an additional supplement money. So he purchased another policy for himself.

Nancy: When my dad got sick it was near the beginning of my senior year.

Jimmy: He would said his stomach hurt too much to the point where it brought him to tears. That’s when they diagnosed him with stage-4 liver cancer.

Nancy: It hurt a lot when he left. A couple night before, he saw me like stressing out. He’s like, “Well, don’t worry about me I’ll be fine.” Well next thing you know he’s not fine.

Jimmy: And then he was gone. Ted and Annie counseled us what to do with our life insurance. Life insurance policy has allowed me to basically provide for my sister so she can go to college and as well as me being able to get back on my feet and be strong for my sister.