“Family” is a great way to describe what Primerica is all about. For more than 30 years, we’ve focused on helping families to change their lives through our financial products, services and education. But, more than that, the business leaders out in their communities making a difference, have the chance to take a simple entrepreneurial opportunity and to turn it into a living legacy for themselves and their own family.
Blake and Lindsey Whittle, of Baton Rouge, LA, know first hand the power of building a “family” business. Blake’s parents, Bill and Leslie Whittle, also of Baton Rouge, LA, joined Primerica in 1980 and have developed their business into one of the company’s most successful. Blake grew up seeing the kind of lifestyle that can be achieved through Primerica and witnessing the power of what we do for families.
Blake says he always knew he wanted to be a Primerica entrepreneur. “I always intended to play professional basketball first and then build a Primerica business,” says Blake. “But when it came to decision time after college, Lindsey and I both knew the timing was right to become entrepreneurs.”
He continues, “We are so lucky that we made that choice because these last few years in business have been the most rewarding years of our lives – and we believe it’s only going to get better.”
Lindsey agrees, “From day one, everyone I ever met in Primerica has been so welcoming, positive and supportive. I’ve never seen anything like it at any other company. There’s such a huge difference between the people I’ve met here and people from the corporate world that I know.”
Since Blake’s parents are Primerica legends, he knew he had big shoes to fill with his own business – but he and Lindsey were up to the challenge. “The only difference in my life now compared to when I was growing up, is that I get to experience the joy of having my own team, building relationships with them and contributing to what my parents have built the last 30 years,” explains Blake.
He adds, “Making money is nice, but for us, the best part about being a part of a family business are the friendships we’ve made and the lives we’ve changed!”
Blake and Lindsey are doing something special for themselves and their family – and getting to work with Bill and Leslie at the same time. “There’s no way we could have built the kind of successful business we’ve built so far if it weren’t for a strong partnership, our family’s support and a great team of new leaders!” enthuses Blake.
When he was in college, John Bandy had authority issues. He was rebellious and considered himself “anti-military.” But, as he put it, time can change your perspective. And, so it was that seven years ago, Bandy became a soldier. A peacekeeper. A member of the U.S. Naval Reserve. When that commitment took him into a war zone, he became a patriot.
There was no one thing that made this Primerica Operations Support Manager join the Reserves, but his decision was tempered by familial influences and tragedy. His father worked for global security company Lockheed Martin. He had family in both the Army and the Air Force. His brother-in-law was on active duty in the Army. And then there was 9/11. The terror that befell New York on September 11, 2001, made Bandy – like so many other Americans – take a second look at what he could do to help his country.
Married and the father of three children, Bandy knew when he enlisted that there was a possibility that he’d be deployed. They all knew. But when political tensions escalated in Afghanistan, the possibility became a matter of when – not if. “When you’re in intelligence, like I am,” Bandy said, “you’re going to get deployed.” So, in 2006, when he received his orders, the first thing he did was call his wife.
Over There
Bandy began training in November 2006, and by March 2007 he was assigned to Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan. He was only there for a week before he experienced his first rocket attack. Other than a short leave after seven months, he lived in Kandahar until he came home in March of 2008.
As oppressive as the weather, the language barriers and what Bandy calls “typical combat stuff” were, being away from his family during the holidays was just as bad. He spent Thanksgivings in Afghanistan and missed the birthdays of each of his children. “We went to another base for Christmas lunch,” he remembers, “but the rest of the day was like any other. You just worked through the holidays, because the war doesn’t stop.”
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Coming Home
Bandy’s bags were packed a full month ahead of time to go home. “I remember looking out that airplane window and thinking, I’ll never miss this place.” He muses, “Getting back home was the best thing! I landed in Baltimore and took a flight to Jacksonville, FL, and back to Atlanta. You can’t imagine what it feels like knowing your family is at the end of that escalator.”
What’s Changed?
His deployment gave him an intense appreciation of his co-workers back home, too. “One of my highlights was receiving a care package from my Primerica family. It included a calendar, a DVD greeting from my co-workers and snack food, including beef jerky – which was always a big hit over there! It meant a lot to me to see those familiar faces and know that they cared enough to create it for me and that they were rooting for me all along.”
His time there also gave him a very low tolerance for complaining. “When people complain about the weather, I think put on 60 pounds of gear, go out in 100 degree weather and stand for eight hours on a medical mission. If they complain of being hungry, I think, go out and survive on MREs (meals ready to eat). I know the complainers didn’t share my experience, but having lived it changed my tolerance for people who complain about the simple things.”
He says his war zone experience taught him a lesson he uses every day now: “When your life depends on someone else, and theirs on you, you learn a lot about yourself. People put artificial limits on themselves. When you push yourself to your limits, you realize you can go further than you ever thought.”
Bandy’s enlistment is up in March of 2011, and this intelligence specialist will become U.S. Naval Reserve Petty Officer, First Class (ret.) John Bandy. Until then, he will continue to drill one weekend a month and two weeks a year with his joint intelligence command. They continue to prepare for the next mission that may or may not come. Either way, they’ll be ready to keep the peace and protect the freedoms that make this country the United States of America.
In early 1999 I found myself in a very frustrating situation. I was 29 years old. I was working extremely hard as a fiber optics salesman… and I was broke. My wife and I had been married for over six years. We’d just had our first child, whom we were thrilled about, however, when it came to work, money and time, we were struggling. We started praying for a better way.
My wife received a phone call one evening from a lady she had met recently. She said that she was in training with a company that was expanding, and that we should take a look at it. She said this company, Primerica, might be able to help us. We decided to meet up with her and see what this company was all about.
Neither of us had ever even heard of Primerica and I admit we were skeptical. After about 30 minutes into our meeting with the Primerica reps, I began to realize that what they were saying actually made sense. They spoke about developing “a written program to monitor and eliminate debt, term life insurance being the foundation to your financial house, and the basics of successful investing.”
At 29, I’d never been taught these principles before. I never finished college and I had no experience with “financial stuff.” He assured me that they could help educate us about our finances. The first step would be to fill out a Financial Needs Analysis (FNA) and based on where we stood financially and what our goals were, we would see what could be done.
We met again two weeks later and went through the results. It was simple: Follow a plan to pay off credit card debts, put some term insurance in place to protect my young family (we had no insurance at that time) and find a way to make more money. They said that Primerica would teach us how to do all of the above. They would even offer us an opportunity to start part-time and show us how to build a business by teaching other people what they taught us.
I guess we were just so eager to change our lives we believed them. We paid a small start-up fee, started the training process, and moved forward in faith.
Now it’s 10 years later and I’m 40 years old. I can’t help but think about how different my life could’ve turned out.
What if I hadn’t agreed to that appointment? What if I trusted my initial skeptical feelings? What if I’d listened to several friends who insisted Primerica had to be a scam? What if I believed Internet chat rooms, unregulated Web sites, and less than credible sources?
Well, my family’s life would be a lot different. See, what’s happened in the past 10 years is that we have grown tremendously — as people and as leaders. We have built amazing friendships. We’ve helped thousands of families get back on track financially. We are financially independent and have been able to give away more money each year than we used to earn before Primerica. The opportunity turned out to be a bigger blessing that we could have ever imagined.
Primerica helps Royce enjoy the riches of family, relationships and people. Watch the video to find out how Primerica helps him “have it all.”
We now have seven offices across upstate New York and many great people working with us. We love what Primerica does for families and we love the freedom we now have. We don’t punch a time clock. Each day is our own. I’ve spent countless mornings with my children. When my son turned one, I took each Friday off and we spent the day together. We did that for four years until he went to kindergarten.
We’ve traveled together as a family to so many amazing places all over the world, and created lifelong memories. My children are so much more confident because of the “family” business. We just returned from a trip to Montreal together where we spoke to over 500 people about changing their lives through this great opportunity.
The most amazing part about that is that my 11-year old daughter spoke in that meeting about how the business has impacted her personally. Imagine an 11-year old speaking to 500 people with confidence and grace so she could impact their lives. The list of benefits of winning in Primerica is extensive.
I have found tremendous success with Primerica and so have countless others. But that is not to say that Primerica is easy. It is not a “get rich quick” scheme. It would be ridiculous to think so. But to say it is a scam, or a pyramid, is far more ridiculous. My life is proof that it is real, and there are thousands of other people around the world who would laugh just as hard at the thought of Primerica being called a scam.
The Federal Trade Commission doesn’t call Primerica a scam. Neither does the Better Business Bureau, FINRA or any of the other regulatory agencies in this country. I encourage you to check the facts and to get your information from these credible sources.
I am living proof that Primerica is real. I was a skeptic who is now a successful businessman with the freedom to live the life of his dreams. There are a lot of scams out there you should be aware of. Primerica is not, and has never been, one of them.
I think we have to create our own experience in life, and we have to move forward in faith. When we do that, put forth an honest effort, and do the right things long enough — only then can we look back and really see the “real picture.”
A decade ago, Primerica representative John Roig was enjoying a night out with his wife Gloria near his hometown of Miami, FL, when he was stirred by old emotions he had not felt in many years. As he sat in the audience of the Coconut Grove Playhouse watching a performer singing an old Cuban melody, John began to yearn for his homeland.
John had not been back to Cuba since the summer of 1960, when Fidel Castro came to power. He was 15 years old then and had been spending his summers there since 1953, when his parents left Cuba to settle in America.
Since that summer so very long ago, John had lost touch with his many aunts, uncles and cousins with whom he had been very close as a child. Then, sitting in the playhouse in 1999, at 55, a successful business owner with Primerica earning more than $500,000 a year, the memories came flooding back. He turned to his wife with tears streaming down his face and said, “I’ve got to go back to Cuba.”
Since that time, John has not only returned to Cuba many times, but he has been able financially to help his many relatives who have been impoverished as a result of Castro’s regime.
Before the trip, he called his favorite aunt from childhood, the one with whom he had always stayed as a child, to ask if he could bring her a special gift. She requested a toothbrush. He promised to bring all his relatives toothbrushes and asked her again if she would like something special from America. “Well, it’s been 35 years since I last tasted peanut butter,” she answered.
“I was really in a dilemma,” he says, “because I wanted to bring her something special and all she wanted was peanut butter, which is nothing here. I went down to the local food store and cried like a baby when I looked at all the brands and styles of peanut butter so readily available on the shelf. It made me realize how much we take for granted in America.”
Upon his arrival in Cuba, John was surprised to see more than 50 relatives, most of whom he no longer recognized, waiting to greet him. He and Gloria brought the most goods they were allowed to bring into the country — 40 pounds of clothing and 20 pounds of medical supplies, as well as 60 toothbrushes and enough peanut butter to last his aunt a long time.
After all the introductions, hugs and tears, John was shocked to discover that none of his relatives owned a car. He had sent money to his aunt for a rental car to pick him up, but the rest of his relatives had walked five miles to the airport. And his aunt’s home, once the nicest on the block, was rundown. It had not been painted in years, and the plumbing no longer worked. The $110 water pump had broken three years before, and the family could not afford to replace it.
Not only was John able to help with the water pump, but on later trips, he bought refrigerators and stoves for all his relatives and financed improvements to their homes. He made a decision to return there every year. Later, he helped one of his cousins move to America, find a place to live and a job, paying more than $10,000 to make it happen.
“Because of our business with Primerica, we were able to do so much for my family,” he says. “Not only could we help financially but we could afford to give the time. We could get away so easily. On my first visit, I was able to stay for 10 days. There is no doubt in my mind that the money we’ve spent has come back to us. Our business has gotten even stronger since we decided to go to Cuba. Without Primerica, I couldn’t do this for my family. I’m no hero. I’m just doing what anybody would do for their family.”
For more than 32 years, Primerica has advocated its philosophy of “Buy term and invest the difference.” As for the rest of the life insurance industry, they just keep changing their approach to the marketplace by creating and re-inventing life insurance policies that don’t work.
In the 1970s, other life insurance companies were selling Whole Life insurance.
In the 1980s, Universal life insurance was created.
In the 1990s, Variable Universal Life was created.
In the 2000s, Return of Premium Term Insurance was created …
… and now they are going back to selling whole life insurance again.
Would you put your financial future in the hands of a company lacking a clear direction?
Three decades. One timeless principle. We stand for something!
Primerica has always believed families need affordable protection for today and control over building wealth for tomorrow. Our “Buy Term and Invest the Difference” approach to personal finance puts families in position to achieve their goals in life. We’ve never had to change our approach in the marketplace … because it works!
Primerica has been helping middle market families with their finances for more than 32 years. Our company is financially strong and, while other companies are struggling in the current economy, we’re thriving. And that’s not so easy in this economy!
Everywhere you look you see headlines about mass layoffs and company closings. Companies once thought of as “rock solid” are crumbling before our eyes. Not Primerica. Why? Because no matter what state the economy is in, people still need our solutions.
How many companies today can say they’re debt-free? Primerica can! We have no debt whatsoever. Our life insurance companies hold a conservative investment portfolio of $6 billion. Plus, for the last seven consecutive years, Primerica has reported greater than $2 billion in revenue each year.
One of the largest marketers of term life insurance for more than two decades, Primerica’s life companies paid out more than $958 million in death claims in 2008 and have nearly $639 billion of life insurance in force. Want further proof of Primerica’s credibility? Primerica Life Insurance Company (PLIC) and National Benefit Life Insurance Company are both rated “A+” by A.M. Best and PLIC is rated “AA” by Standard & Poor’s. (A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s are two independent rating firms that assess a life insurance company’s financial strength and ability to meet its ongoing financial commitment to policyholders.)
While other companies are cutting back and struggling to meet their obligations, Primerica is thriving. We’re continuing our three-decade track record of growth, and are on track to dominate the financial services industry.
Primerica Life Insurance Company’s insurance financial strength and claims-paying ability and National Benefit Life’s ratings of A+ by A.M. Best are considered “Superior.” This rating is assigned to companies that, in the opinion of A.M. Best, have a SUPERIOR ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders. Primerica Life’s rating of AA by Standard & Poor’s is considered “Very Strong.” This rating means, in the opinion of Standard & Poor’s, that an organization’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on obligations is VERY STRONG. (National Benefit Life is not rated by Standard & Poor’s.) Primerica Life Insurance Company (Home Office: Boston, MA) is rated by A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s.
A.M. Best ratings range in order from the highest ratings as follows: A++, A+, A, A-, B++, B+, B, B-. C++, C+, C, C-, D, E, F. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) ratings range in order from the highest as follows: AAA, AA+, AA, AA-, A+, A, A-, BBB+, BBB, BBB-, BB+, BB, BB-, B+, B, B-, CCC+, CCC, CCC-, CC.
Primerica representatives market term life insurance underwritten by the following affiliated companies in the following jurisdictions: National Benefit Life Insurance Company, Home Office: New York, in New York state; Primerica Life Insurance Company (PLIC), Home Office: Boston, MA, in all other U.S. jurisdictions and Primerica Life Insurance Company of Canada. Each company is responsible for its own obligations.
