09/02/2026
Why will we insure a $1,000 phone…but hesitate to insure our family's future?
We buy a car → we insure it. We buy a house → we insure it. We buy a phone → we insure it.
We don't think twice about protecting the things we buy.
But mention life insurance on ourselves or our children and suddenly the conversation becomes uncomfortable. Why?
Nobody wants to think about dying—especially when talking about our children. But permanent life insurance can be about much more than what happens when someone passes away.
Think about your child 20 or 25 years from now:
"Mom, Dad, I need help buying a car." "I need money for school." "We're getting married." "We want to buy our first house." "I want to start a business."
Where does that money come from? Often, Mom and Dad's savings—when they should be concentrating on retirement.
Now imagine a permanent life insurance policy established years earlier that has built cash value. Your adult child potentially has an asset they can borrow against for life's opportunities and unexpected expenses instead of turning to Mom and Dad.
It's a concept wealthy families have understood for generations: life insurance can provide protection AND become a financial asset that can be used during life.
Now think about your house. You wouldn't own a $500,000 house without homeowners insurance. But what makes the mortgage payment?
Your income.
If you didn't come home tonight, could your family stay in that house? Would your spouse have to sell? Would your children have to move or change schools?
That's what I want families to think about.
Protecting a mortgage doesn't require permanent insurance for the entire balance. Term insurance can protect a large temporary need. Permanent insurance can provide lifelong protection while accumulating cash value. Sometimes a combination makes sense.
And it doesn't have to start with a huge policy.
For a child, I'd rather see a family start with something affordable than avoid the conversation because they think they need hundreds of thousands of dollars of coverage.
Maybe we should stop thinking about life insurance as:
"Money my family gets when I die."
And start asking:
"How can I protect my family today while creating financial options for tomorrow?"
We insure our cars, homes, and phones.
Maybe protecting our family deserves the same conversation.
If you've never looked at life insurance this way, let's talk. I'll show you how it works, what it costs, and whether it makes sense for your family.
— Anthony Wallace, Ph.D.
Financial Representative, New York Life
Whole life insurance provides guaranteed death benefit protection and guaranteed cash value accumulation, provided required premiums are paid. Policy loans accrue interest and reduce available cash surrender value and death benefit. Dividends are not guaranteed. Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuer.
