Protecting a Growing Family - Thrivent€¦ · Protecting a Growing Family A self-described planner...

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8 Thrivent March 2018 Thrivent.com The Issue A few hours after his second daughter, Olivia, was born in March 2017, Seth DeBartolo called rivent to buy her a life insurance contract. DeBartolo, who lives with his family in Naples, Florida, had purchased life insurance for his older daughter, Norah, shortly after she was born in 2015. He wanted to do the same for Olivia. “I’m a planner,” DeBartolo says. “When I think of life-changing events, I think of covering my family with the care they deserve.” DeBartolo reached Ben Mielke, a rivent Financial Guidance Team representative. Mielke helped DeBartolo apply for a $50,000 whole life contract for Olivia, the same type and amount of coverage he had purchased for Norah. e whole life insurance can last for the girls’ entire lives, as long as premiums are paid. And it can build up a cash value. Once they finished Olivia’s application, Mielke recommended that DeBartolo take another look at his own contract. Seth, who is 30, and his wife, Christina, who is 31, each had a $100,000, 30-year term contract from rivent. (ey are lifelong rivent members.) Term insurance expires at a set date and typically has lower premiums than whole life insurance. The couple, who met when Seth was a seminary student in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Christina was singing in the community choir, plan to buy a house within the year. And with two young kids, the family would be financially stressed if Seth, the primary earner, were to suddenly die. Mielke suggests young families with children hold enough life insurance to cover 10 times their annual income. “It’s most important to have enough insurance when you have a mortgage and kids at home,” Mielke says. “While $100,000 might sound like a lot of money, Protecting a Growing Family A self-described planner works with the Thrivent Financial Guidance Team ® to make sure his young daughters have the coverage they need. By Amy Merrick PHOTOS BY BRIAN TIETZ handled with care Christina and Seth DeBartolo with their daughters, Norah and Olivia

Transcript of Protecting a Growing Family - Thrivent€¦ · Protecting a Growing Family A self-described planner...

Page 1: Protecting a Growing Family - Thrivent€¦ · Protecting a Growing Family A self-described planner ... indicative of future performance or success. Insurance products issued or offered

8 Thrivent March 2018 Thrivent.com

The IssueA few hours after his second daughter, Olivia, was born in March 2017, Seth DeBartolo called Thrivent to buy her a life insurance contract.

DeBartolo, who lives with his family in Naples, Florida, had purchased life insurance for his older daughter, Norah, shortly after she was born in 2015. He wanted to do the same for Olivia.

“I’m a planner,” DeBartolo says. “When I think of life-changing events, I think of covering my family with the care they deserve.”

DeBartolo reached Ben Mielke, a Thrivent Financial Guidance Team representative. Mielke helped DeBartolo apply for a $50,000 whole life contract for Olivia, the same type and amount of coverage he had purchased for Norah. The whole life insurance can last for the girls’ entire lives, as long as premiums are paid. And it can build up a cash value.

Once they finished Olivia’s application, Mielke recommended that DeBartolo take another look at his own contract. Seth, who is 30, and his wife, Christina, who is 31, each had a $100,000, 30-year term contract

from Thrivent. (They are lifelong Thrivent members.) Term insurance expires at a set date and typically has lower premiums than whole life insurance.

The couple, who met when Seth was a seminary student in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Christina was singing in the community choir, plan to buy a house within the year. And with two young kids, the family would be financially stressed if Seth, the primary earner, were to suddenly die. Mielke suggests young families with children hold enough life insurance to cover 10 times their annual income.

“It’s most important to have enough insurance when you have a mortgage and kids at home,” Mielke says. “While $100,000 might sound like a lot of money,

Protecting a Growing FamilyA self-described planner works with the Thrivent Financial Guidance Team® to make sure his young daughters have the coverage they need.

By Amy Merrick

PHO

TOS

BY B

RIAN

TIE

TZ

handled with care

Christina and Seth DeBartolo with their daughters, Norah and Olivia

Page 2: Protecting a Growing Family - Thrivent€¦ · Protecting a Growing Family A self-described planner ... indicative of future performance or success. Insurance products issued or offered

Thrivent.com March 2018 Thrivent 9

Life insurance is set up to give you freedom not to worry, to allow you to sleep easier at night.” —Thrivent member Seth DeBartolo

it often will only cover a year or two of someone’s income, and then it’s gone.” The SolutionAfter they talked, Seth decided that he wanted to buy more life insurance for himself.

The good news was that because he is young and healthy, he has a preferred rating for his insurance contract. The rating is based on factors such as his height and weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. This means he

gets charged less for premiums than someone in poorer health, and it’s easier for him to increase his insurance coverage.

Seth decided to increase his term life insurance contract from $100,000 to $250,000. While that change didn’t bring the family all the way up to covering 10 times their annual income, it got them closer while keeping premiums affordable. Because Christina is not the primary earner, she kept her own contract at $100,000.

The final step, after Mielke submitted the paperwork, was for Seth to schedule a nurse to come to his home for a 15-minute physical exam. About a month later, the additional coverage was approved.

“Life insurance is set up to give you freedom not to worry, to allow you to sleep easier at night,” Seth says. n

Amy Merrick teaches journalism at DePaul

University in Chicago. Her work has appeared

in The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker

online and the Chicago Sun-Times.

The members’ experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients. This story is also not indicative of future performance or success.

Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Not all products are available in all states. Thrivent financial representatives are licensed insurance agents/producers of Thrivent. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures.

THRIVENT FINANCIAL GUIDANCE TEAMThe Thrivent Financial Guidance Team® can handle all your questions via phone, email and mail. Team representatives are licensed, experienced professionals who work with members over the phone to tackle simple questions or help develop and execute a financial strategy.

Call 888-834-7428 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, or email [email protected] to connect with a representative.