The Perfect Pilot Life Insurance?
Wouldn’t that be nice? Kind of like the Progressive commercials where every kind of insurance is in a separate box. “Here’s your perfect private pilot life insurance. Will that be all today?”
Does Your Life Insurance Agent Really Understand Private Aviation?
Probably not! It would be simple if somehow you could get rid of all of the life insurance agents who claim to know what they’re doing with private pilots, but don’t really. Life insurance is one of those occupations that I’m finding has employed nearly everyone at some point, but very few careers are made here. New life insurance agents are desperate for sales and will often just flail away at any case that comes their way. That’s a problem. If they don’t know aviation and which companies love you and which don’t, there’s a good chance they’ll be wasting your time.
I talk to pilots all the time who really believe that because they’ve chosen to fly, they’ve cooked their own goose when it comes to finding affordable life insurance. From student pilots to private pilots with VFR or, IFR ratings, commercial pilots and even instructors, if they run into an agent that really doesn’t know aviation, well, get out the airsick bag!!
Just about every serious private pilot is qualified for preferred or preferred plus rates from highly rated life insurance companies. Even curve balls like pilots over age 70 are underwritten based on their experience and proficiency. Most agents would tell a 72 year old pilot to just take an aviation exclusion because no one is going to insure them for private aviation at that age. Wrong!
Types Of Life Insurance
Once you’ve found a life insurance agent that can get you good rates as a pilot, like everyone else, you need to decide what life insurance product fits you best.
Term life insurance is the most common and most affordable. The term refers to the number of years that your policy has a level death benefit and premium. Terms of 30 years or longer are common.
Whole life insurance refers to a policy that has a level death benefit and price for life. It can also build cash value, but buyer beware. The price is huge compared to term and if you tap the cash value you can ruin the policy.
Universal life touts itself as a flexible premium permanent life insurance policy. Again, buyer beware. That flexibility can get you in trouble and being permanent isn’t always guaranteed.
The Great Things About Pilots
What most agents don’t get, along with everything else about aviation, is that pilots are great business. They are far healthier than the average population because, unlike the rest of us, they have to get regular flight physicals. Not having to work through the gauntlet of health issues and impaired risk underwriting makes pilots really fun to work with. But most life insurance agents don’t last long enough in the business to learn how to best serve private pilots. That’s why far too many pilots are paying far more than they need to.
Bottom line. There are fair prices out there for every pilot. The more experience and proficiency you bring to the table, the better the rates get. If you think you’ve been misled on life insurance for pilots, call or email me directly. My name is Ed Hinerman. Let’s talk
