[Rick Lee]

I don't know what it feels like to be 75 and poor. I remember what it was like long ago, but I knew then I was going to keep on earning more and more. Once you're on a fixed income and you know that's all you're ever going to earn, that has to be a different mindset and I just don't have it. I also don't have kids. But I have met plenty of 75 yr olds who, even if they say their kids are well off, also say they don't want anyone having to go out of pocket for their funeral expenses. Maybe at that age sleeping well at night, knowing they're covered is worth what they pay each month. I don't know. I'm not going to try to talk them out of it if they want it. But 90% of them already have it. So if I can save them some money or get them more or better coverage for the same money, how is that a bad thing?

I wrote a Navajo woman yesterday who was 78. She was in good health and told me she had a savings acct with $8k in it for her funeral expenses, but that her kids and grandkids were irresponsible and did not get along. She is still putting $200/mo into that savings account. Obviously, that money can be wiped out by a single emergency, if not stolen by one of her kids who got hold of her bank card. Would she be better off with a life insurance policy, naming one responsible beneficiary who will honor her final wishes? Once I'm done explaining how stuff works, I sit there quietly. That's when they say, "Ok, let's do it."