Major life insurance organizations are providing teachers with the tools to help high school students learn about life, disability, and health insurance as part of Financial Literacy Month in April.
The Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, the Million Dollar Round Table, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors worked together to create NextGen3, an interactive program which includes lessons, games, and videos designed to appeal to a younger demographic. And even though agents can't actually sell to high school students – and, under the new health reform, most likely won't have the opportunity to offer them health insurance until they're in their mid-20s – teaching young people about financial literacy could be a great opportunity for agents looking to establish and grow their practice over the coming years.
As the agent population ages, it becomes harder and harder for producers to connect with younger generations. We recently ran a story about Gen Y's perception of insurance agents, and the results weren't good. Of the five 20-somethings we interviewed – including one person who had experience in the financial industry – not a single person said anything positive about agents or the industry. Words like "sleazy," "negative," "rigged," "superficial," and "pushy" were thrown around.
