31 December 2023
Margo Lestz
Head of Communications
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Gavin meets Alan and Genistar
The insurance payout couldn’t replace Gavin’s wife and the children’s mother, but having the funds available, meant they could take the time they needed to grieve, without having financial worries.
Watch Gavin’s story on this short video.
Gavin's introduction to Genistar
I got to know about Genistar through a friend that I worked with, at a previous job. Alan Palmer met with me one day, and he’s the one who introduced me to Genistar.
Alan Palmer
I met Gavin about 10 years ago. I introduced Gavin to Genistar and what we do as a company and how we help families. And Gavin said, ‘Hey, I’d love to hear more’. Then he invited me across to his home to meet him and his wife. And we sat down and went through the financial education to empower them to make smarter financial decisions for themselves. And through that process, Gavin identified that he needed some help in the area of protection.
Gavin
One of the things that struck me and my family was the fact that my friend was able to go through a plan with us, They termed it a Financial Game Plan, and basically, it gave us a snapshot of where we were at that moment in time, the goals we had and what we wanted to achieve – where we were going. But also, it showed us sort of like a roadmap of how we were going to get there, and how we could actually protect that, with insurance.
Alan
We had been friends for many years. Then it came to a point where Gavin’s wife fell ill. And I remember, the day he made the phone call to me to ask me about the protection he had in place. My heart just sank. But it did remind me of why we do what we do. Because when you sit in front of a family, and these things are put in place, they’re there for a reason. And I just remember to this day, I remember breaking down and just not knowing what to say or what to do. After steadying myself a bit, I said, look, I need to take control of this. You know, it was my first client that had fallen ill. And sadly, a few years later, Ana passed away.
Gavin on loosing his wife
Gavin
When my wife passed away, the plan that we had put in place actually helped me be able to clear the mortgage off. So I didn’t have to worry about where we were going to live. And that was a major help for us. I actually was at a point where I was grieving and my wife was gone, and I wasn’t sure exactly what to do next. Alan was that point of contact that I was able to call and he actually met with me. And one of the things that we discovered when he started asking questions about the cover we had and everything else, he actually noticed that there was a payment that needed to be made. It was a death in service payment from my wife’s previous job, and I wouldn’t have even picked up on that, if not for him.
Alan
I remember Gavin said to me ‘Alan, Anna’s requested something: that, you be a pallbearer at the funeral. And that really struck a chord with me, that it’s really what we do here and now for the future. And being there for Gavin the whole way through, whether it was being there through the sad times and helping him, but also through the claims process. We sat down together, and Gavin couldn’t look at his wife’s passport picture, which is understandable. And I helped him bit by bit through that. And what’s important, is that Gavin went back and paid off his mortgage and did smart things with the money. The family’s financially secure, and both kids now are growing up and just living a better lifestyle. And subsequently, Gavin is now part time with his with his employer, loves what we do for families. And now I’m coaching him to do the very same thing: to go out and help educate families and to empower them to make smarter financial decisions.
Gavin
A lot has happened since my wife passed away, since Ana passed. But I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot from Genistar. One of the things looking back is my interaction with Alan, who has constantly been there. And as a representative of Genistar, he’s actually taught me a lot of principles that I still use today. And what I love about this company is that the agents have an interest in the families that they actually meet and serve. They put their heart in the game.
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