Luckiest Man Alive
“So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”
These are the final words from Lou Gehrig’s famous “Luckiest Man Alive” speech he gave following his diagnosis with ALS 84 years ago.
I write today with two stories with the same message as that from Lou Gehrig:
- Disability insurance, and
- The Petersen International Underwriters ALS Golf Classic
On a daily basis, people must balance what they must have with what they should have and what they want to have.
We all know what we MUST have to live – food, clothing and shelter. From a financial perspective we then monitor these things with how much and what kind we can afford. There are some other expenses in this category for living in the world today. Utilities, taxes and a few other items fall in here.
Then we have the things we WANT to have. Recreation, toys, cars, etc. These items only come when we have balanced the MUST haves with some savings.
Then there is this category of SHOULD have. This is the category which people will consider, if they feel they can afford it, or if they see the impact to others from the lack of something in this category. This includes most insurance (life, medical and most-importantly Disability insurance).
Of all of the insurance available today, ONLY ONE insurance type allows ALL other expenses in the MUST have and the WANT to have (if they already have items from this category) to continue uninterrupted!
Disability insurance is not about getting sick or hurt, it is about LIVING! It is about keeping the family and keeping the MUST haves in check!
Why do I (you) need disability insurance? Because once upon a time, 84 years ago, an incredibly healthy athlete named Lou Gehrig was, overnight, diagnosed with a disease that would alter his and his family’s life within a very short time! Disability insurance should be in the MUST have category!
This leads us to our next story – The Petersen International Underwriters ALS Golf Classic.
10 years ago, my brother-in-law, a healthy successful attorney, and a business associate here at Petersen International Underwriters was stricken with ALS. In less than a year from diagnosis his life ended. This had an impact on his family as well as our business. ALS was no longer, “somewhere else”, it was here…in our midst.
The Petersens and PIU have been sponsoring the annual golf classic to help raise funds for the Golden West Chapter of the ALS Association. The Golden West Chapter provides services and assistance to those afflicted with ALS and maybe even more importantly, to the families.
There are many, many great charities and we respect and appreciate anyone and everyone who contributes time or money to them.
If you would like to contribute to this charity and/or play in or be a sponsor of the upcoming PIU ALS Golf Classic on September 11th, we would love to have you join us. Give us a call at (800) 345-8816 for more information.
Disability Insurance and the PIU/ALS Golf Classic both have a lot to live for!