Whole Earth Insurance

You are in the market for life insurance. A salesman comes to your office to present his wares. You start off the conversation by asking him what type of insurance he usually recommends to his clients. Is it term? Is it whole life? You think you know the answer (all life insurance salesmen have a certain bias, right?), but want to hear it from him. He of course says whole life, as you expect; but then he surprises you. When you ask why he recommends that product, he answers, “Because it’s good for the planet.”

What on earth could he be talking about? (excuse the pun – couldn’t resist). You ask him to explain.

“It’s simple,” he says. “I am an environmentalist. I believe in the long-term sustainability of life on this planet. In order to accomplish this, we humans need to have a conservation ethic. We must use our natural resources in a way that ensures future generations will be able to make use of them as well.”

“Short-term thinking preempts that,” he continues. “If all we are concerned about is the present day, we stand the chance of depleting them. Nature may restore them eventually, but in the meantime our children and grandchildren could suffer.”

“This mode of thinking applies to the purchase of life insurance. If you keep buying term, then over the long run you will spend more money than if you had bought permanent insurance initially. And, you always run the chance of not being insurable when you want to buy later on in life – just when you need the coverage.”

He concludes: “The consumer who makes smart use of his insurance dollar is the same person who will make smart use of the environment.”

You are pleasantly surprised and think to yourself, “Wow! I guess there are some ethical insurance guys out there after all!”

Happy Earth Day (for yesterday)! Here are some planetary fun facts for you.