Leaving a legacy consumer presentation

Editor's Notes

• #2 <Legal Disclaimer: This consumer presentation is part of AGLA's approved "Leaving a Legacy" Seminar Selling package. This presentation, or any other part of this seminar package, cannot be altered in any way without prior consent. Questions about this seminar package can be referred to AGLA's Consumer Solutions Support department.> Hello, and welcome to our seminar today on Leaving a Legacy. I’m (name) with American General Life and Accident Insurance Company. If you would like to know a little more about me, please take a look at the brochure I placed at your seat. It gives you information on my background and qualifications. I’d like to begin by asking you a question…
• #3 If you think back to your younger years and the things that were important to you then, how different are they from what’s important to you now? <If you get responses, briefly discuss how most people’s focus changes as they age. If someone says, “…the same things are important to me now,” simply acknowledge the comment and move on. The purpose of this question is to lead participants into the next section that covers the three stages of the Financial Life Cycle.> Our focus often changes with time, doesn’t it? In fact, we all tend to go through three distinct phases…
• #4 When we were in our 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s, we were mostly focused on accumulating things and savings, and building our lives. We got married, had children. Worked our way up the corporate ladder. Started a small business or joined a family business. Bought our first house and perhaps began making investments. Most people stay in the Accumulation mode until they retire and then, they enter a new phase…
• #5 Although most people want to keep accumulating, once they get close to retirement or actually retire, they naturally begin thinking about how to preserve what they’ve accumulated over the years. They want to be sure they can maintain their standard of living, or even live better in retirement than in their working years. They want to preserve what they have and make it last. Then, we all reach the stage where, if there’s anything left, we begin thinking about how to pass it on to the people who are important to us.
• #6 We begin considering the best ways to distribute our assets. We look at all the things we’ve accumulated over a lifetime and wonder how to pass them on to others. Often, when people reach the Preservation and Distribution phases of life, they begin to narrow their focus to just the things they feel are important. In my career, I get to work with people from all walks of life. In working with Seniors, I’ve found some common threads in the things that are important to them. These things are probably important to you, too…
• #7 Seniors like spending time with their family. They enjoy seeing family at reunions and holidays, or even simply eating dinner together during the week.
• #8 Many of today’s Seniors want to maintain good physical health and wellbeing. They do this through regular exercise such as walking, water aerobics, tennis, or through their hobbies and social activities.
• #9 It’s also becoming more common for Seniors to work. Some work at a place they enjoy, such as a golf club or a nursery. Some want to serve their community in a meaningful way so they do volunteer work. And some Seniors work simply for the extra income.
• #10 Seniors like to travel! Maybe by taking a cruise or going somewhere with a tour group. Some are fortunate enough to have a second home perhaps in the mountains or at the beach.
• #11 Most Seniors desire financial security so they can maintain – or improve – their current lifestyle and standard of living. Some have saved for their entire lives so they can live comfortably when they retire…and spend money spoiling their grandchildren!
• #12 And, for many Seniors it becomes important to be able to leave a legacy for the people who have meaning in their lives. What exactly do we mean by “leave a legacy?”
• #13 Well, many people often think you have to be a Rockefeller or a Walt Disney to leave a legacy. Either have billions of dollars or have made a positive impact on others like creating a Disney World or other lasting business. Yet, we know that you don’t have to do any of those things to be remembered by the people you love. Just about anyone can leave a legacy because…
• #14 A legacy is simply something of value that you want to pass on to family, friends or perhaps to a charitable organization. This can include property such as land or structures; family business interests; heirlooms like furniture, silver or antique jewelry; collections of art or other valuable items; or…it can include cash from savings accounts, investments or life insurance proceeds. In any event, when it comes to leaving a legacy, many people search for the most productive and efficient way to pass on what they’ve spent a lifetime accumulating. In many cases, simply having a Will takes care of items like grandma’s silver, or uncle Sam’s coin collection. Yet, when you want to pass on cash, it’s important to protect the money so the maximum amount is distributed to the intended heirs and not eaten up by income taxes and possible probate costs.
• #15 Now, imagine with me for a minute that you have $50,000 sitting in a bank account that you plan to pass on to your heirs. Wouldn’t it be great to leave $82,000 to your heirs instead? Plus be able to bypass income taxes and probate costs? While this may sound too good to be true, we have a product solution that can help you increase the value of your cash estate, protect the money from income taxes and other costs, and even provide you additional coverage in the event you suffer a critical, chronic or terminal illness or condition. It’s called AGLA Legacy Plus .
• #16 Legacy Plus , from American General Life and Accident, is part of our Quality of Life…Insurance series of products. It’s designed to help you easily and efficiently pass on a portion of your estate to your heirs and provide protection to you while you’re still living. Basically, it’s a single premium life insurance policy you don’t have to die to use. I’d like to show you a short video of how this works, so let’s spend the next few minutes viewing a presentation on how a LegacyPlus policy can help you maximize your estate. The video includes real people talking about real life events. <Show only the “LegacyPlus” portion of the DVD. Once the video is finished, refocus the group by asking the following question.> So, I’m interested in your opinion. What idea or concept from the video caught your attention? <Pause for responses and briefly discuss.> Many people who view this video are amazed that a LegacyPlus policy can increase the cash they can pass on to their heirs as well as provide protection in the event of a critical, chronic, or terminal illness. A LegacyPlus policy can also solve three problems people often face when it’s time to distribute money to heirs.
• #17 Those three problems are probate, income taxes and family concerns. Even if you’re not exactly sure how probate works, you’ve probably heard other people say, “…avoid it if you can!” Probate can be a lengthy – and costly – legal process that takes place after someone dies. The person’s estate must be appraised, then debts, taxes and legal fees are paid, and anything remaining in the estate is distributed to heirs. There are also family concerns to consider. What do I mean by that? Some issues could be around the death of a spouse. Will the surviving spouse have enough money to maintain his or her standard of living? What if someone develops a long term chronic condition that requires paying for additional care? Are there children with special needs who will require care upon the death of one or both parents? And, after family concerns are taken care of, will there be any money left to leave a legacy for loved ones? Because life insurance benefits are not subject to income taxes and are not typically involved in probate, a LegacyPlus policy can help you pass a portion of your assets more efficiently to your loved ones. And, because a LegacyPlus policy can provide funds to help cover the added costs of a critical, chronic, or terminal illness, it could mean the difference between getting additional care or having to struggle without it.
• #18 So, essentially, a LegacyPlus life insurance policy can provide living benefits...benefits you don’t have to die to use, and it can help take care of your family once you’re gone. What questions do you have at this point? < Answer questions from participants, if any.> One question we need to address is, “What if I don’t quality for life insurance through LegacyPlus…then what?”.
• #19 We know that, for various health or occupation reasons, not everyone can qualify for life insurance. For those of you who have these concerns, we also offer another solution that can accomplish many of the same goals as the Legacy Plus life insurance product…an AGLA Single Premium Deferred Annuity.
• #20 Let’s go back to the video presentation and watch a short segment on an AGLA Annuity to see how it can also help you leave a legacy. <Show the AGLA Annuity section of the DVD. When it is finished, ask the group the following question to refocus them on your presentation.> How many of you have ever thought of using an annuity to leave a legacy for your loved ones? <Address comments as appropriate,>
• #21 Most people usually think of an annuity simply as a way to create a guaranteed income they can’t outlive. While that’s an excellent use of an annuity, as you saw in the video, you can also use an annuity to pass assets on to loved ones without the hassles and costs of probate. And, with an AGLA Annuity, you can grow your money – tax deferred – at competitive interest rates! So, with AGLA, you have some great options that can help you leave a legacy…
• #22 Our Legacy Plus life insurance product helps you easily distribute a portion of your assets, maximize your money by providing a death benefit amount significantly higher than your single premium payment, provide living benefits in case you develop a critical, chronic or terminal illness, and provides a guaranteed death benefit that will be paid to your heirs – avoiding probate costs and income taxes – upon your death. An AGLA Annuity can also help you easily distribute assets, provide a guaranteed income you can’t outlive, and grow your money through tax deferral and competitive interest rates. So, how do you know if an AGLA Legacy Plus life insurance policy or an AGLA Annuity is a good option for you? It all depends on how you answer these questions…
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• #25 <Read Slide> If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, then I hope you will allow me to meet with you and talk further to see if an AGLA LegacyPlus life insurance policy or an AGLA Annuity would be right for you. And, we can meet with confidence because I represent a company with a strong foundation and a long term commitment to its customers.
• #26 American General Life and Accident Insurance Company has been around for more than 100 years and provides life insurance, supplemental health insurance, and annuity products to over 3 million customers. As a company, we are changing the way Americans think about, purchase and use life insurance by delivering superior products and services that are focused on the needs of today’s American consumers.
• #27 I know your time is valuable and I hope you have found value in our seminar today on Leaving a Legacy. Before we close the seminar, I would appreciate you taking just a moment to fill our this Interest Card. The Interest Card has space for your information at the top and asks a few questions about our seminar today. It also has a place at the bottom for you to fill out if you would like to meet with me to talk about what you learned today, or any other question you may have about life insurance, annuities or other products and services I offer. The information you put on this card will be held confidential. <Distribute the Interest Cards to the group.> Again, I’d like to thank everyone for coming out today. I hope to have the opportunity to meet individually with each of you to see how American General Life and Accident can help you leave a lasting legacy!