Good Neighbor Stories

Gains from a Loss

Thu, 18 Jun 2015 00:00:00 -0500

Just as his professional football career was beginning to take off, Rob Sims—a 6’3, 320 lb. guard—took the blow of a lifetime when his father Mickey passed away.

“You can imagine, I [was] at the height [of success],” remembers Rob. “And then one call. Boom. It’s done.”

In the months and years that followed, Sims struggled with the void left by his father, who was also a professional football player, known in his playing days as the “Gentle Giant.”

“He was just the best person you would ever meet,” Sims said. “He would take anybody in. He would feed anybody, clothe anybody—anything he could do.”

In His Father’s Memory

He came to realize that the energy he spent grieving could be better used to help others also dealing with loved ones passing—the way his father would have done.

Sims now honors his father by making a difference in his community. Funds raised through an annual golf outing have established a scholarship program at the local community college and supported Cornerstone of Hope — a grief center for children, teens and adults.

Leave Your Mark

Sims reminds others what it means to be a father—creating memories with his wife and children, helping to provide financial security to his family, contributing service to his community—these will last long after a man is gone.

“Everybody’s got a time, everybody has got a day when it’s going to be over,” Sims says. “But you leave your mark, just by being the person you are while you’re here and setting your family up for the future.”

Survey: Appetite for Life Insurance is High, but Conversation Level is Low

Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0500

When Rob Sims was drafted to play professional football, he had some idea what to expect – his father, Mickey, had played professionally as well.

What came next, though, was unexpected.

Mickey passed away a month later, and Rob had to grow up quickly and be the man of the family.

But then Rob saw that Mickey had found a way to stand by him, after all. He saw how his father’s life insurance and other benefits helped his mom and sister, and it eased his mind to know they were provided for when he was away starting his football career.

That experience led him to make life insurance the foundation of his own financial plan. “Everybody should have life insurance,” Sims says. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

Making it a main dish

Rob’s opinion is shared by 34 percent of Americans who, when asked to compare life insurance to parts of a family meal, said it was the “main course” in their financial plan. Almost one in five, 18 percent, likened it to a nice-to-have dessert, 16 percent an appetizer for when you’re starting out, and 8 percent considered it a good-for-me-but-I’ll-pass vegetable side dish.

These results are among the key findings of a Harris Poll conducted on behalf of State Farm, which explored attitudes towards life insurance as part of a Life Insurance Awareness Month program in September.

Conversation plus action is key

Sometimes we’re shocked into awareness. When Sonia fell into a coma, her mother and young children had no idea what would come next and had to scramble to make ends meet. Fortunately, Sonia got a second chance. Recognizing the narrow miss when she recovered, she purchased life insurance to help ensure her family wouldn’t face such hardship again.

Sonia’s story reflects a number of realities in the insurance market today: People want to protect their families, but often aren’t taking action and discussing topics like life insurance and estate planning across generations.

A large majority (84 percent) of Americans believe life insurance is a smart way to care for their family’s future and 48 percent say it has been an important part of their family’s plan for generations. However, it is a difficult topic to discuss. Of those with living parents, only 42 percent of Americans have talked with their parents about life insurance and estate planning and 14 percent are planning to initiate a conversation.

Interestingly, despite generational differences, the survey revealed attitudes towards life insurance are fairly consistent across the generations – respondents in all age categories viewed life insurance as an important part of their financial mix and they tended to view it as an asset rather than as an expense.

This follows the overall trends in life insurance, said Mark Morris, a public relations consultant with life insurance industry group LIMRA. “Our research has shown that four in ten people buy life insurance because of a life event – getting married, buying a house or having children,” he said. “Ownership is pretty consistent [across generations] once they have that life event.”

The biggest difference, Morris said, is when the generations are having those events – generally later for Gen X and much later for Millennials than for the Baby Boomers decades ago.

Other key survey findings

Most Americans (76 percent) say their family would be financially protected if the unexpected were to happen to them.

The idea of purchasing life insurance evokes positive emotions (protected – 36%, confident - 22%, relieved – 21%) more frequently than negative feelings (confused – 17%, overwhelmed – 14%, stressed – 14%).

Many are unclear how financial products like permanent life insurance work – 46 percent were unsure if they could borrow against the cash value of a permanent life insurance policy, and another 11 percent incorrectly believed they could not.

While the survey found many similarities across generations in attitudes towards life insurance, the way people expect to interact with their insurance provider is evolving. LIMRA’s Morris noted that all age groups, especially younger generations, are interested in learning about and managing policies online and via mobile device.

“Are the needs of the different generations similar? Yes,” he said. “But their demands of insurance companies are changing.”

View and download full version of the What’s Your Family’s Appetite for Life Insurance Infographic

State Farm Life Insurance Company (Not licensed in MA, NY or WI) State Farm Life and Accident Assurance Company (Licensed in NY and WI) Bloomington, IL LIAM-1008.0

Rob Sims on Fatherhood, Legacy and Giving Back

Thu, 12 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0500

As a professional football player in Detroit, Rob Sims has taken and given out his share of punishment. But nothing could prepare the 6’3, 320-pound guard for the blow he took just a month after he was drafted in 2006 – the passing of his father Mickey, also a former professional football player from Cleveland.

“You can imagine, I’m at the height [of success], you know what I mean?” remembers Rob. “And then one call. Boom. It’s done.”

In the months and years that followed, Sims struggled with the void left by his father, known in his playing days as the “Gentle Giant,” whom Sims remembers as “a real country man” from Union, South Carolina.

“He was just the best person you would ever meet,” Sims said. “He would take anybody in. He would feed anybody, clothe anybody, anything he could do.”

Finding help, delivering a message of hope

Despite his success in the years following his father’s passing, Sims found himself feeling empty – until he was able to work through his long-standing grief and focus his attention back out to the community, living the way his father would have lived and helping others who suffer loss like he did.

Sims and his family have learned to take their love of Mickey and focus it outward. Now, Sims honors his father by helping others who are on the same journey and raising funds for Cornerstone of Hope so that it can help others find peace.

Cornerstone of Hope, in Cleveland, Ohio, was founded by Mark Tripodi and his wife, Christy, after the loss of their son. The organization is supported by State Farm.

“When we tried to find support in our town, in our community, it was exhausting,” Tripodi remembers. “I’m proud to say that we’ve been in the community for many years now. And all of our programs are geared towards serving grieving children, teens and adults.”

A father’s lasting legacy

And Sims reminds others through his words and deeds what it means to be a father and to leave a lasting legacy: from the memories of a life well lived that children carry, to ensuring the economic security of the family through life insurance and financial responsibility, to doing good works in the community that last long after a man is gone.

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