3 Things 7-5
07/05/2021
Although MAS is a financial services company, not everything published herein will be about numbers or investing. But no matter the topic, we hope for three things: 1) That you find the time you spend engaged worthwhile. 2) That you’ll reach out to us for help in any of our areas of expertise if something we discuss creates an urging in you to do so. 3) That you’ll share this with somebody new each time you read it.
Thing One
It's Really Not For You
Well, maybe it is in a way since it may give you some peace of mind while you’re living, but it’s really about peace of mind and security for the people you leave behind. What is it, you ask? Life insurance.
Here are a few facts compiled by LIMRA:
Roughly 54% of the population has some kind of life insurance.
Out of the 6850 people that die every day, 3292 die without any life insurance at all.
Another 1445 die without adequate insurance by their own admission.
So, 48% of people who die every day leave no life insurance benefits behind and another 21% don’t leave enough.”
As for how much life insurance you need, there are many ways to calculate that. You can take your income and multiply it by 10, or 17, or whatever number you choose. Or you can use some other method, but at least take the time to consider whether you need some and then get what you can – even if what you can afford is less than what you “need” according to some formula. The people that you leave behind will appreciate it. If you need help with the considerations or with getting a policy put into effect, let us know.
Thing Two Free To Interpret In the spirit of the patriotism that is inspired in me by our country’s birthday, I’d like to share with you my response to a question posed to me several years ago when a certain interpretation of the 3rd verse of the Star-Spangled Banner became the impetus for protests and a call for its removal as our national anthem. A friend of mine (nicknamed Rap) posed the following question: “Wow, is it time for a new national anthem?”. My response was a terse, no. My then asked friend asked me to explain. Below is what I said: “Well Rap, this is just my opinion so it’s only worth around 1/314 millionth in the scheme of things, but since you asked, here it is. When I was in elementary school (I’m not sure which grade), I remember a teacher going through the Star-Spangled Banner line by line and telling us what it meant to her. I remember how excited and proud she seemed as she explained it and I remember how inspired I was by her interpretation. From that moment on, I pretty much adopted her interpretation as my own. As for Francis Scott Key being pro-slavery, it was a different time, man. There was an industry devoted to the buying, selling, and trading of black people. It should go without saying that that industry was immoral and that it not only did great harm to the enslaved but also to their descendants for many, many generations. But none of us should forget that there were pro-slavery blacks in Africa at that time as well who were critical to the industry’s success. It is a little-known fact that the white slavers raids portrayed in movies about that time were often actually black-on-black crimes where the warring tribes of West Africa captured their enemies and sold them to the Europeans. So for me, FSK being pro-slavery at that time doesn’t make the words he used in his song to describe the Battle of Baltimore any less inspiring. Nor do the supposed facts about the third verse pointed out by the author in the article you posted. According to him the “hirelings” and “slave” references were about black people. But that is only one interpretation. Others interpret hirelings to mean the German Hessians who served as British mercenaries while they interpret “slave” as a reference to the British practice of capturing American seamen and forcing them into service on British man-of-war ships. Now to the probable inspiration for your post, Mr. Kaepernick. Based on how I feel about our country and the various symbols that have come to represent it, I would never, ever behave like he has chosen to. But I hope he (and whomever else feels the need to express themselves in a similar fashion) always can, whenever they choose to do so because it means we’re all still free. Not perfect, by any stretch, but free.” In the few years that have passed since I wrote that reply, it has become clear to me that I can now substitute many names for the football player who came to symbolize the issue back then. In any case, the sentiment I expressed endures for me - just as America has for 245 years now. Here’s hoping it endures for another 245.
Thing Three Just A Thought "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." - William Faulkner