Sponsored: Meet ValoraLife, a new, simple and affordable way to safeguard your family’s financial future

This blog post is part of a sponsored campaign in collaboration with ValoraLife. All opinions are my own.

Why I became a “fan” of all types insurance

I became a head of household in my mid-twenties. It was quite sudden and didn’t happen in a way that you would consider the “normal” way (by having children). It happened because I had to take charge of the welfare of my family when my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Suddenly, all my decisions affected so many people: what job I took; how much money I made; whether or not I got sick.

One of the first things I did was sign up for the maximum on all types of insurance available to me through work (health, accident, cancer, and life). Insurance was something that I never considered until I was unexpectedly supporting a family. Then I was consumed with the thought that something would happen to me and my family would suffer because of it.

It would be many years before I had to use any of those supplemental insurances. And when it became necessary, when a health issue forced my temporary absence from work as well as increased medical bills … then they did exactly what they were supposed to do. They ensured that my family’s financial wellbeing wasn’t impacted.

A reality about Hispanics and money

The Hispanic community in the U.S. is so diverse that we as Hispanics often scoff when we’re lumped together as one big group with the same values and beliefs. It’s as if “they” believe that all our cultures, nationalities, and sources of heritage are all the same. Each family is unique, with different circumstances and challenges.

Despite all that, one of the things that I think we can all agree on is that we are family-oriented, with a strong desire to provide a better life for our children than what we enjoy ourselves. And this often means that we make sacrifices, pull together, and make choices that will safeguard our families. It means that we want to build a better future.

Unfortunately, many studies show that Hispanic consumers lack financial literacy. For all our struggles and hard work and good intentions, we just aren’t accumulating wealth at the same rate as many other segments of the community. What does that mean? It doesn’t mean that we aren’t getting rich as the same rate (though I’m sure that’s true); it means that, all things being equal, we don’t understand how to use the financial tools available to build up/save our capital.

Meet ValoraLife

The knowledge that we (as Hispanics) can, and should, do better financially is one of the reasons why I’m so happy to be working with MassMutual on their launch of ValoraLife. It’s one of their newest innovations; it was created specifically to offer Hispanic families a simple and affordable way to buy life insurance online, helping people provide a financial safety net. In fact, MassMutual created ValoraLife because of the insights garnered about Hispanics and our need for simple financial tools.

And when ValoraLife promises simple, they mean simple. The online process takes 5 minutes for a life insurance quote and about 30 minutes for the actual application.

Though they currently only offer the website in English, they expect to offer it in Spanish by mid-July; this will make it possible for Spanish-dominant consumers to navigate the process and obtain additional information with ease.

Need some questions answered? They also have bilingual customer service representatives to help you via online chat or phone.

Learn more about ValoraLife & life insurance options

Do you know how “Term” life insurance is different than a “permanent” life insurance?
Did you know that some “Term  with the Return of Premium option” life insurance options offer the feature that pays back everything you paid in if you outlive the policy term? (BTW, this is one option offered by ValoraLife).

If you want to learn more about life insurance in general and about ValoraLife specifically, please visit ValoraLife.com. They offer information and guides to help you determine what your options are and make your decision online, at your own pace.

My “Mario Lopez Moment”

Wondering why you’re seeing pics of Mario Lopez in a post about life insurance? Well, it’s quite simple. Mario helped launch ValoraLife at a recent event in Houston. And, yes, I did get to meet him. And, of course, there is a picture to prove it. Also at the event were representatives from MassMutual. There are additional photos of the event at the bottom of this post.

“Life insurance is a fundamental financial safety net for what people value most: their families,” said Eduardo Casas, Vice President, MassMutual & General Manager, ValoraLife. “But, many people in Houston and other cities, especially Latinos, told us they think the process of getting life insurance is too complicated and it’s too expensive – even though they believe it is important.”

Quick Facts & Recap

• Obtaining ValoraLife life insurance is easy and affordable.
• The process is set up to take less than 30 minutes.
• ValoraLife was created to help Hispanic families set up a financial safety net.
• ValoraLife is backed by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), a 165-year-old company.
• ValoraLife Insurance Services is a division of Haven Life Insurance Agency.
• For more info, visit valoralife.com.