Before You Cancel: A Heartfelt Message from Sebastian River Insurance

Life insurance isn’t just a financial product. It’s not just another bill. It’s a commitment—a promise to the people who mean the most to you. When you applied for your policy, went through the approval process, and were issued coverage, you made one of the most important decisions of your life. You took a step that many people put off for too long: you chose to protect your family’s future.

But sometimes, after that approval, life gets in the way. Bills pile up, doubts creep in, and it can feel like canceling your policy will give you some breathing room. Maybe you think, “I’ll come back to it later when things are easier.”

As your agent, I understand that feeling. I know life isn’t always easy, and sometimes tough financial decisions have to be made. But I want to share something with you—both as your advisor and as someone who genuinely cares about you and your family. Canceling your policy may feel like a short-term relief, but it can have lasting negative effects for you, your loved ones, and yes—even for me as your agent.

What Canceling Means for You and Your Family

Let’s start with you, because ultimately, this is about your protection.

1. You lose your locked-in rates forever.
   When you were approved, your premiums were based on your age and health at that moment. You locked in that price. If you cancel and reapply later, you’ll be older—and maybe not in the same health. Even small changes, like a new prescription or higher blood pressure, can cause your premiums to increase. What once was affordable may become out of reach.

2. You leave your family unprotected.
   The most painful reality is that if something unexpected happens while you’re uninsured, your loved ones won’t have the safety net you had already secured for them. Mortgage payments, children’s education, funeral expenses, and day-to-day living costs don’t stop when tragedy strikes. Without your policy, your family could be left scrambling.

3. You lose living benefits and long-term value.
   Many modern life insurance and IUL policies provide more than just a death benefit. They also offer living benefits, like access to funds if you’re diagnosed with a critical or chronic illness. Some even build cash value that can be used for emergencies or retirement. Canceling cuts off all of those future benefits.

4. You lose peace of mind.
   Life insurance isn’t just about money. It’s about sleeping better at night, knowing your family will be okay no matter what. Canceling takes away that peace of mind and replaces it with worry or procrastination about “doing it later.” Unfortunately, too many people never get around to it.

What Canceling Means for Me as Your Agent

Now, I want to share something most clients never hear: how canceling a policy affects your agent. I don’t say this for sympathy, but because I want you to understand that this relationship goes both ways.

1. I’ve invested my time and heart into helping you.
   From the moment you reached out, I dedicated hours researching your options, running quotes, comparing carriers, and guiding you through the underwriting process. I don’t see this as just “business.” I see it as helping a friend make one of the most important decisions they’ll ever make. When a policy is canceled, all of that work disappears.

2. It creates financial setbacks.
   Here’s something you may not know: when a policy is canceled early, agents often have to pay back the commission we earned for writing it. That means not only do we lose income, but we sometimes owe money back to the insurance company. For small, independent agencies like mine, this can be a real hardship.

3. It weighs on me personally.
   I don’t just see policies—I see people. I see parents trying to make sure their kids are provided for. I see spouses who want to protect each other. When you cancel, I can’t help but worry about what would happen if life threw you a curveball while you were unprotected. It feels like I’ve let you down, even if I know the decision wasn’t easy.

A Better Way Forward

If you’re ever thinking about canceling, I want you to know something: you don’t have to go through that decision alone. In fact, please don’t.

There are almost always better options than canceling outright:

• Adjusting your coverage. We can reduce the face amount of your policy to make premiums more affordable without giving up protection entirely.

• Switching products. Sometimes another type of policy, like term insurance or a smaller permanent plan, may fit your budget better.

• Restructuring payments. We can explore ways to change your payment method or frequency to make things easier.

• Exploring temporary solutions. In some cases, there are short-term ways to keep coverage active during tough times until your situation improves.

My job isn’t just to sell you a policy and walk away—it’s to help you keep the protection in place that you and your family need.

A Personal Note

I want to be honest with you. When you cancel, it affects me financially and emotionally. But more than anything, it affects my peace of mind knowing that someone I care about is no longer protected. I think about the promises you made to your family when you first applied. I think about the relief you felt when your policy was approved. And I think about how quickly all of that can be undone with one decision.

That’s why I ask: before you cancel, talk to me. Share your concerns, your struggles, and your questions. Let me help you explore every option. My mission is to serve you—not just as a client, but as someone whose future truly matters to me.

Final Thoughts

Life insurance is one of the most powerful gifts you can give your family. Canceling it takes away not just financial protection, but peace of mind, security, and years of careful planning. And while it may seem like a simple decision, it has ripple effects—for your loved ones, and for the agent who has been by your side through the process.

At Sebastian River Insurance, I see my role as more than just an agent. I’m a partner in protecting your family’s future. So before you cancel, please give me a chance to help. Together, we can find a solution that works for today while keeping your tomorrow secure.

👉 Because your life insurance policy isn’t just paperwork—it’s a promise. And that promise matters.