Each day our business is about doing the right thing:

• Building meaningful relationships
• Listening and truly hearing
• Identifying financial and insurance gaps
• Providing top-notch service that clients can depend on
• Serving people ethically
• Doing the right thing

Here is my favorite story about doing the right thing:

About 25 years ago, I started working with a married couple who had their own business. It took many attempts to reach them. Those were the days before cellphones. Their wealth was tied up in their business, property and buildings. They had very few liquid assets.

My relationship was strong with the female business owner. Her husband never had any time to work on his financial plan. He was too busy running the business, and I had a hard time pinning him down. The man happened to be a former top national salesman and didn’t trust me because he thought I was just after the commissions. Yet, I persevered and learned a valuable lesson — don’t overlook the spouse. The good news was, he wasn’t in charge of the money — she was!

They were skeptical and not receptive; however, I remained persistent. It took many appointments and conversations to convince her that she needed the plan.

The biggest gap they had in their financial plan was liquidity. They needed a plan to pay for their impending health care needs. The wife knew she needed this policy based on her family health history.

Little did I know that the biggest challenge was yet to come. She gradually became receptive to the idea after reviewing a few companies. He, on the other hand, insisted his wife would take care of him and had no need for the policy; he was invincible.

Fortunately, she purchased her policy.

It took me three more years to convince him. He finally signed the form because he cared so much about his wife, and she made it clear that he had to sign the form — or else.

You see, the policies were about two things: keeping the family together and allowing the couple freedom of choice during this difficult time period. The relationships with their adult children mattered the most to the mother!

She didn’t want anyone arguing over the quality of care and finances. The business owners wanted to remain independent financially and not dependent on their adult children.

Well, here’s how the story ends. The invincible man who never thought he would go on claim was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 82. It was just as the couple was selling their business. No happy retirement. No travel in their future. Instead, they had many doctor appointments and several moves to memory care units. A vibrant man — gone!

That man had a new home in a private memory care unit. The claim lasted for five years and cost over half a million dollars. That man had the best possible treatment, and the claim allowed for both him and his wife to live in dignity until his passing. Additionally, it did not create any financial stress on any of the family members. It made me really sad, and it made me glad for him and her at the same time.

That man … was my father.

Are you doing the right thing?

Laurie Leja is an 18-year MDRT member who started her own practice 30 years ago with Northwestern Mutual. Leja serves on the board of Northwestern Mutual’s largest study group, Physicians Nationwide, and 2020 was her best year yet. She was also recently recognized as the first woman in her Chicago agency to qualify for the top 10 in premium ranking out of 144 advisors.