Boomer Esiason To Serve As National Spokesperson For LIAM

ARLINGTON, Va., June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This September, Boomer Esiason will take a break from the booth to talk about another kind of key play – the decision to buy life insurance. The MVP quarterback and notable network color commentator is serving as national spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month, an annual campaign coordinated by the nonprofit LIFE Foundation to educate Americans about the importance of life insurance as part of a sound financial plan.

According to LIMRA, 41 percent of U.S. adults are not covered by life insurance today – an all-time low – leaving approximately 95 million adults without a financial safety net. Boomer is partnering with LIFE to help encourage those who don't have any life insurance or those who may not have enough to get the coverage they need. It is a message that hits close to home for Boomer and one he'll be sharing through his own personal story throughout the campaign. 

Boomer Esiason's Life Insurance Story

When he was just 7 years old, Boomer's mother died of cancer, leaving his father to raise him and his two sisters alone. She had been a stay-at-home mom and took care of everything in the household while his dad made the three-hour roundtrip commute each day from Long Island to Manhattan to earn the family's only income as an engineer. Since Boomer's mom did not have life insurance, his dad had to work extremely hard to maintain his work obligations and ensure things were taken care of at home.      

"We were very lucky that we had neighbors who could help out and make sure I got something to eat and was being looked after while my dad was at work," said Boomer. "We lived paycheck to paycheck, but my dad was completely unselfish and did an incredible job taking care of our family. He taught me the true meaning of what it means to be a responsible dad."

As Boomer's sports career started to take shape, his dad never missed a game and attended most practices to cheer him on. He also didn't hesitate to hand over his last five dollars when Boomer needed money for a date. It was these sacrifices that Boomer credits with his appreciation now for taking personal responsibility for the care and financial wellbeing of his own family.  

From the beginning, Boomer has protected his family with life insurance. And as his career has grown, as an MVP quarterback and now a radio and TV broadcaster– serving as an analyst for The NFL Today on CBS and co-host of Boomer and Carton on WFAN – his life insurance coverage has grown as well.

"Life insurance is about protecting the future and the people you love. That's especially the case when you're caring for someone with special needs," said Boomer, whose oldest son Gunnar was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 2. "I have been well insured since I was first drafted to play professionally. My wife is covered and I have recently begun talking to my daughter, who's 22, about insurance. I have to be able to put my head on my pillow each night knowing I've fulfilled my responsibility to make sure my family will always be taken care of." 

Boomer to Share His Story this September

Boomer will share his story in TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs) broadcast nationally beginning in August and continuing until the end of the year. The PSAs will be available on the LIFE Foundation's website at www.lifehappens.org/liam-psa, along with educational information and interactive tools and calculators to help consumers evaluate their own life insurance needs.   

"Boomer's story shows that if you have people who depend on you, whether or not you're the primary breadwinner, you need life insurance. Unfortunately, while most people agree that it is important, we are experiencing the lowest level of life insurance ownership in 50 years, and even those who have coverage have far less than experts recommend," said Marvin H. Feldman, CLU, ChFC, RFC, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation. "We're extremely proud to have Boomer share his experiences as the voice of our campaign and hope that together we can encourage more people to think about getting life insurance to protect their families."

For a blog post with more details about Life Insurance Awareness Month and Boomer's role as spokesperson, please click here.

About Life Insurance Awareness Month
Life Insurance Awareness Month was created by the LIFE Foundation in 2004 in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is an industry-wide effort involving hundreds of leading companies and thousands of insurance advisors. For more information about Life Insurance Awareness Month and LIFE's plans for the September campaign, visit www.lifehappens.org/liam.

About LIFE
The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) inspires the public to take personal financial responsibility through the ownership of life insurance and related products. LIFE is the voice of choice for the industry providing the highest quality independent and objective information about life insurance and related products. To learn more about LIFE, go to www.lifehappens.org.

SOURCE Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE)