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, yet 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

LGBT families that are left destitute as a result of sickness or death of a family member, are in that position partly because someone who “loved” them did not show them love, or felt they couldn’t qualify for life insurance because of a medical issue ,which is totally false. It is more likely because someone in my profession suffered from Shame of Selling (SOS) Life Insurance, a saying I borrowed from a stalwart in the insurance business. There is absolutely no shame in showing up and presenting a substantial cheque to a grieving spouse who lost their partner, or presenting a tax free lump sum cheque to someone who got diagnosed with cancer, making getting better the only thing they need to focus on. Each time I do that it means I helped another LGBT family 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 to any of these questions is no then it’s 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 your partner by speaking with a licensed life insurance agent or broker.

About the Author

Karl Marshall is President of lgbtinsurance.ca (a division of Marmac Financial Services Limited) and specializes in serving the insurance and financial needs of the LGBT Community. On Saturday nights he hosts The Party Mix on G98.7 FM in Toronto. You may reach him at 416-554-0892, www.lgbtinsurance.ca, @insurance4lgbt on Twitter or on Facebook.