All in one place.

My late father used to say, “Insurance is the one thing you pay for that you hope you never need.” I remember a conversation we had when I was about 30: married with a new baby, my life was starting to get more complicated with a mortgage, tax returns, and other financial obligations. My father advised me to add life insurance to protect my wife and kids just in case something bad happened.

As I began talking to friends and family about various financial situations that arose, I often heard statements like, “Oh, my wife handles that – I don’t know much about it.” It seemed that in most families, one person was commonly assigned to take charge of the finances. I realized that in my household, I handled all the financial items - and as our obligations piled up, this felt like a risky situation to be in. What if something happened to me?

An organizer by nature, I began compiling all our financial information into one notebook so my wife and I could both understand and access this information. Every year, we sat down together and updated the notebook with our latest policies, accounts, and contact information. After some health problems for my wife and myself, I realized that everyone should have an easy way to collect this information in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Forty years later, my wife and I continue to keep our Lifelines book up-to-date and have let our children know where we keep it. It has come in handy quite a few times over the years, and I hope it gives you and your family the peace of mind it has given mine.

Jerry Schiffman, Founder