Advisor Today - April 2009

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Thanks to What We Do,
Lives Don’t Change
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Recently, I was reviewing my notes from the best summit meetings my company has ever had. Among the many great ideas and thoughts that were shared were those by Jeff Jarnes in his powerful presentation, “Eat Your Own Cookin.’”

Jarnes observed that our company’s vision, “Changing Lives Forever,” is ironic because if we do our jobs properly as financial advisors, lives don’t change. The emptiness in our hearts

can never be filled when someone close to us dies, but it does not have to be amplified by the stress of an uncertain and confusing financial future.

What I witnessed for two days was a group of dedicated professionals who share a value system that allowed them to take a difficult yet rewarding path in life few ever would. They have decided to:

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Dedicate their lives in a servant-leader capacity and have the courage to help their clients plan for the future and confront the brutal fact that one day they will not be in this world.

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Ensure that they have taken the necessary steps so that their clients will achieve their goals, dreams, aspirations, responsibilities and obligations, regardless of what happens because they love others and are loved by others.

The value of what we do

As advisors, we can generate great incomes, receive recognition and win awards and trips, but we know that the greatest reward of all is the knowledge that, as Jarnes so eloquently put it, lives are changed because lives won’t change.

When it comes to shaping my company’s future, the choice to focus

on the amount of life insurance in-force and on the number of life insurance cases we write holds true to our vision of changing lives forever and to our miracle of life insurance culture, which is what our company was founded on.

During this summit meeting, our CEO, Phillip Richards, presented some sobering facts about the increasing population in America and the decreasing number of life insurance policies sold. We know that in the majority of cases, life insurance is not bought—it needs to be sold. We also know that the definition of a sale is when one person has the ability to transfer his beliefs and enthusiasm about something to another.

This was evident during the two days when we shared our belief in the miracle of life insurance and its ability to change lives forever by making sure that our clients’ lives stay the same as much as possible when that stability is most needed. For this, I am grateful to be with you on this journey and to be part of such a worthy cause.

Edward Deutschlander, CLU, CLF, is co-president and COO of North Star Resource Group, a Minneapolis-based financial-services company. He is also immediate past-president of GAMA and a recipient of Advisor Today’s “2008 Four Under Forty” award. Contact him at Ed.deutschlander@northstarfinancial.com.

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