The health of your practice depends on many factors, not the least of which is a happy and secure staff. When your practice has employees with high morale, they are productive, miss less work, and stay on the job longer; and all these things affect your practice’s profitability. One of the major contributors to low morale is anxiety over personal finances. How can you as a practice owner help your employees feel more secure and valued? One way is through the use of a voluntary benefits program offered by TMA Insurance Trust.

At TMA Insurance Trust, it is our role as your advocate to advise members when an important issue arises so that you are truly protected. In this week’s blog we provide a historical perspective on Universal Life and what can happen when you are not fully educated by an advisor who is not fully informed or not putting your interests first.

We value the life-saving work you do and understand that practicing medicine isn’t just a job. It’s a way of life - one that impacts you and everyone in your life. That’s why TMA Insurance Trust is continually looking for new ways to support member physicians and their families.

Life insurance may be the last thing on your mind, if you’re a medical student, resident or young physician just starting out. Since you have few, if any dependents, you may think it’s a waste of money. Yet young physicians like you, in Texas and around the country, are starting careers with more financial risks than any previous generation of physicians.

As a physician, protecting your family with the right amount of life insurance isn’t a simple point and click operation. Inputting an income amount into a calculator will give you the estimated coverage for that income level. But It won’t account for any debt, savings or other risks. And it doesn’t look at your unique lifestyle, your goals or your future income.

Permanent life insurance provides death protection for policyholders, but is it the right solution for all physicians?

Here are five reasons why physicians might want to obtain or keep a permanent life insurance policy:

Insurance. If you’re a Millennial, the word probably evokes yawns and shrugs. But insurance is needed for many reasons in our lives. We purchase travel policies when we book a vacation. We insure our cars. But what happens when that car gets smashed by another car, sending you sideways into the landscape? Or the plane falls out of the sky? Or you get sick.

These are dramatic images, but they can happen. To anyone. At any age.

No one likes to consider their own mortality.  But if you have a family or spouse who relies on your income as a Texas physician, set those feelings aside. Realizing the need for life insurance is an important first step, while qualifying for it is much more involved, as insurers evaluate each application based on a number of criteria, including age, lifestyle, profession, and health. If you're considering applying for life insurance in Texas, be aware that these health conditions listed below may affect your application, resulting in higher premiums or denial.