After selecting my life insurance policy, and the application process, I finally got a call from my insurance agent this week.  The underwriting was complete and my policy was ready.  When I picked up the policy packet, I found that I qualified for the “Super Preferred” rate.  My agent said not many qualify for this rate, so I feel good about the fact that State Farm doesn’t believe I will likely die in the next 30 years.  Woo-hoo.

Here are a few things I learned through this process to get the best rate for the best life insurance policy:

• Select a Term Policy:  These will have the best rates, and the best bang for your bucks.
• Select a Good Insurance Company:  Search for a good rate with a company that is well established.
• Tell the Truth on the Application: Remember the insurance company can get access to all your past diagnoses and treatment, so don’t lie (it’s illegal).  However, if they ask you about the last 5 years, only go back 5 years- no longer.  So tell the truth but don’t tell them what they aren’t asking for…
• Be Prepared for the Exam:
  • Fast 8-10 hours before the exam
  • Stay away from caffeine 24 hours before the exam.  This can elevate your blood pressure.
  • Stay away from alcohol 72 hours before the exam.  This can mess up your liver enzymes.
  • Try to stay away from pain meds, sinus meds, and any herbal medicines 24 hours before the exam.
  • Do not exercise in the day of your exam (before the exam that is).  This can cause increased protein in your urine.
  • Try your best at a healthy diet the week before the exam.  Lowering the salt and excess fatty-foods will help.
  • Do NOT go on a crash diet before the exam, this will just throw your body out of whack.
  • If you get sick, even a small cold, cancel the exam and reschedule when you are 100% well.
  • Just like all those college exams, get a good night’s sleep before.
  • If you haven’t already- STOP smoking.  (This should be done 6 months - 1 year before the exam)

One final thought- if you’ve been thinking about going to the Doctor for a problem, but haven’t made it there yet, wait to make the visit after applying.  Of course, if it is something serious- by all means, go to the doctor!  In my case, I had been having breathing trouble, but figured it was my life-long asthma that got out of control.  I waited until after this entire life insurance process was over before seeing a doctor and I am glad I did.  Now the doctor is saying it looks more like emphysema, which I am sure would have kicked me straight out of the Super Preferred tier.

Before Gustav even made landfall, we lost electricity.  Four hours into it, and all the usual wind/rain with nothing out of the ordinary.  The dogs went outside with no problem.  We were just waiting for it to finish passing then move on with our lives.  But then, all of a sudden the gusts started escalate.  The winds didn’t look so usual- more like a tornado - whipping trees all around, picking up huge limbs already on the ground and tossing them around like feeble matchsticks.  The storm went from “What a bore, when do you think the electricity will come back” to “Good Lord!  Please don’t demolish my home!”  We started to see shingles fly, one sheet … then two.. then an entire pile of twenty or so.

In the end, my home did make it out intact.  We had roof damage, two trees uprooted, and lost part of our fence.  When you look down my street and around the neighborhood, our loss was quite minimal.  Many houses have trees that tore gaping holes in the roof and we saw many homes with roofs that caved in entirely.

During the storm, as I saw each shingle fly off, I thought about that blasted hurricane deductible and I thought about how having to buy a new roof I wasn’t intending on replacing.  Of course we are fortunate that we can afford it, but it annoyed me that I might have to put other goals on the back burner for a while. 

Today, 6 days after the storm, my home is still without electricity.  We had to move temporarily to my in-laws, who have electricity.  It is estimated that it will take 3 weeks from now (4 weeks total) before my neighborhood has power.  Our area in town resembles a third-world country.  Long lines outside grocery stores, rationing of grocercies and gas, lines a mile long to get gas.  My husband has been working 12 hour shifts since the week before the storm, and got his very first day off in two weeks yesterday.  Today, Sunday, he is back at work.  Now all I can think about is having him here with me.  The deductible and the roof seem like distant memories that are of no concern any more. 

My husband will be taking home a nice overtime paycheck next week.  Usually, this would make me giddy with delight, but today I’d pay any price just to have him with me and forget about the stupid overtime.  My husband was the one that taught me how important family is and to never put money before family.  Today, I am reminded of this important fact.