Why I Don't Need Alex Trebek to Tell Me the Truth About Life Insurance

I hope this isn’t too heavy for folks, but as a straight shooter, I only speak the truth.

A while back, I was working at a huge senior retirement center off Dr. Carver Road in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was helping a lady set up her life insurance, going over her beneficiaries and making sure she had her policy in hand.

Seniors look out for each other, and the lady across the hall kept an eye on me while I worked. Eventually, she asked me what I was up to, and we got to talking. Her name was Loretta Morton.

I’ll never forget Miss Morton. I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, and it turned out she was from Toledo, too! We hit it off immediately. The only thing we didn't see eye-to-eye on was basketball—she was a LeBron James fan, and I am a Michael Jordan guy.

As we became friends, she told me she had a life insurance policy through Colonial Penn. Now, back when I was brand new to the insurance world, I thought all insurance companies were created equal. But I quickly found out the truth about the companies you see on TV.

Miss Morton asked me to look over her policy. What I found made me sick.

She was paying $163.10 a month for only $10,000 worth of coverage. But that wasn't even the worst part. She was on a 3-year waiting period. That meant if she died within the first three years of paying that outrageous premium, her family wouldn't get the $10,000.

I told her, "If you get a DWI, your car insurance still covers you. You can't ride around paying for something and not have coverage right away. That’s not insurance, that’s a scam."

I called Colonial Penn on her behalf while I sat there with her. I asked them one simple question: "If Miss Morton dies in a car wreck tonight, how much money will her family get, and how quick will they get it?" Because that is the only thing that matters. People don't get buried for free.

They were incredibly rude. They actually threatened to call the police on us just for asking questions about her own policy! I finally had to threaten to get the Insurance Commissioner involved just to get a manager on the phone.

The manager finally admitted what we already knew: she was on a waiting period. But then they tried to blame Miss Morton! They said she "opted out of health questions," so they put her on a waiting period. It was all a big lie to trap her in a terrible policy.

Let's look at the math, because the math doesn't lie.

I showed her how to cancel that Colonial Penn policy. I moved her over to TransAmerica.

• Her new premium: $68 a month.

• Her new coverage: $25,000.

• The best part: She had DAY 1 COVERAGE. No waiting periods.

By switching, I saved her money every single month and got her family an extra $15,000 in real, tax-free money. Remember, this isn't Monopoly money—this is the money families use to survive.

A year and two months later, my friend Miss Morton went to sleep and never woke up again.

I thank the Lord every day that I was there to help her. If she had stayed with Colonial Penn, her family would have gotten a phone call stating she "didn't outlive the waiting period," and they would have been left with the bill for her funeral. Can you imagine the heartbreak?

Instead, because we fixed it in time, her family received a $25,000 check to honor her legacy properly.

This happens every single day. Seniors are being taken advantage of by 1-800 numbers and TV commercials, and we have to fix this. It is not right.

You don't need a celebrity on TV to tell you what's best for your family. You need a neighbor who will sit at your table and fight for you.

I am here to help every family. Monday through Sunday.

Call or text me today at 704-762-0687. Let's make sure your family has real Day 1 Coverage, not a waiting period trap.

Steve Bradshaw Synergy Insurance Group: Local. Licensed. Loyal.