When I am not busy protecting families with Life & Critical Illness insurance, I host a radio show on a Toronto radio station every Saturday night, and last week I played a song that got me thinking about what I do every day and why. The punch line to the song is “You’ve got to show me love”.

Everyone has likely heard the phrase “Charity begins at home” and the word charity is usually associated with giving. There are a plethora of charities in Canada that raise millions if not billions of dollars every year for very noble causes, and I applaud and support the efforts of these organizations that serve our society.

Recent tragic and heartbreaking events involving the deaths of children have resulted in an outpouring of emotional and financial support for their families. Trust funds have been set up to provide financial assistance to families that have lost their breadwinner; another example of the charitable hearts of Canadians.

Charity doesn’t merely mean giving; it also means “love”, therefore the nice catchy phrase “Charity begins at home” means love begins at home. What does this have to do with what I do every day? Everyone I speak to tells me that their family is number one on their scale of priorities; they love their families and their family is the reason they get out of bed every day and go to work. Everybody needs money, and this is exactly what life insurance is – MONEY!!

Families that are left destitute as a result of sickness or death of a family member, and have to resort to crowd funding and getting trust funds set up to support dependent children are in that position partly because someone who “loved” them did not show them love; but more likely because someone in my profession suffered from Shame of Selling (SOS) Life Insurance (a saying I borrowed from Jim Ruta – a stalwart of the insurance business). There is absolutely no shame in showing up and presenting a substantial cheque to a grieving family who lost a loved one, or to someone who got diagnosed with cancer. Each time I do that it means I helped someone make the words “Charity begins at home” meaningful.

Have you shown love to the ones you love (including yourself)? Do you have any life insurance? Do you have enough coverage? Has your agent reviewed your policies with you lately to ensure that they still suit your situation? If your answer is no then its time to deflate the elephant in the room; get a firm grasp of the meaning of the phrase “Charity begins at home” and show love to the ones you love by speaking with a licensed life insurance agent or broker.

About the Author

Karl Marshall is President of Marmac Financial Services Limited, an independent insurance and investment brokerage. He lives in the Durham Region and on Saturday nights he hosts The Party Mix on G98.7 FM in Toronto. You may contact him via email karl@karlmarshall.ca @marmacinsurance on Twitter or on Facebook.