“Everything I learned, I learned from watching the movies.” — Audrey Hepburn
Who doesn’t like movies. They entertain and make us feel a range of things — thrill, happiness, sadness, intensity, comfort, shock, nervous all these roller-coaster of emotions.
Movies let us escape and take us to magical places. They also provide a visual answer to many “what if” questions we might have. They allow us to watch situations we’ve never been in and let us observe how different people respond to the situation.
More importantly, we learn from movies, not just scholarly information but also several life lessons. After a film we can find ourselves with more knowledge and insight than we had before watching it. And that is the best thing I love about watching them.
Interestingly, the movies also teach us a few things about the value of life insurance. Here’s some of those films.
- Double Indemnity
The 1944 film features the idea that the murder of the husband, if done right, will allow the wife to cash in on a special clause in his life insurance policy that allows for double payment of benefits.
Such an insurance provision still exists now as riders that can be added to a policy. But most financial professionals are dismissive of such special accidental death benefit payouts since the circumstances would have to be especially unlikely and not worth the extra money added on to the premium.
The key takeaway is that it’s all about the policy and crime does not pay.
2. A Raisin in the Sun
The 1961 film is a classic, but it also provides agents with an insight into how life insurance can change lives. The plot is that of an African American family of five, the Youngers, living in a small apartment on the South Side of Chicago. After the death of the family patriarch, they await for a check from the insurance company for $10,000 (which was a big amount at the time). Each family member wants to use the money for a different purpose. Eventually, the Youngers move out of the small apartment.
The film reminds us of the importance of family and that life insurance can help the family fulfill their dreams.
3. Back to Burgundy
This 2017 French film is about three siblings who tries to reconnect after their father dies and leave them with a vineyard, they inherit jointly. They owe a large amount for inheritance tax and must decide on the future of the property. The problem is they do not have money to pay for it. Finally, a complex leasing arrangement is reached that satisfies all three siblings.
The film explores the family dynamics set in wine country. As a life insurance agent, the key takeaway here is if only the father in the story had life insurance, it would have provided liquidity for the heirs to pay the estate taxes without the need to sell or lease the property.
4. The Incredibles
In the animated movie, the couple Bob and Helen are forced to live a quiet, normal suburban life after the government banned their superpower activities. Upon his wife’s encouragement, Bob took on a job as an insurance claims specialist helping people with their insurance issues. Helen says in this way he can rescue the world — one policy at a time. The company he works for however is only interested only in making money for their stockholders making him very unhappy on the job.
In the end, the Bob goes undercover and uses his superpower to rescue people. But soon he discovers that his real power comes from the family unity, rather than his superpowers.
The movies are entertaining, but they do not give a comprehensive detail of the benefits of life insurance to your personal situation. Or tell you about features like living benefits to provide protection in case you get an illness or injury. Your life is a movie… direct it well.
To learn more about life insurance and what kind would best suit your needs, email me at info@susyzinn.com. Let’s talk.
