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Sharing the inheritance
published: Saturday | September 22, 2007
Heather Robinson, Contributor
In recent years, life insurance companies have shifted their sales focus to the provision of living benefits for its policyholders. These benefits are paid to the insured during their lifetime. These policies include investments, critical illness and accident benefits.
The insured is able to collect cheques made payable to them to use for any purpose they desire including home purchase, paying medical bills or purchasing medication.
Gone are the days when family members or friends, who are the named beneficiaries to these insurance proceeds, sit and wait for the insured to die so that they can collect.
It is said that death brings out the worst in people, but if there is no 'dead lef' over which to quarrel, then families stand a better chance of staying together after death.
In Jamaica today you can visit either of the two life insurance companies where one is able to see hundreds of persons each week who have come to collect their living benefits. These policyholders use these monies for various reasons, but what is clear is that they are the ones who are able to determine how to spend the money.
The new Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government has become the inheritor of much work that was done by the People's National Party (PNP) government. There are many projects that were started by the previous Government that will be completed by this new Government, and many of them will be within the first year.
Improvements
These include the transportation centre in Half-Way Tree, the completion of the modernisation of both the Norman Manley and Donald Sangster airports, the massive expansion programme at Port Bustamante, the construction of the next segment of Highway 2000 from Bog Walk to Ochio Rios and the completion of 28 major water supply projects islandwide which are some of the improvements to our country's infrastructure that were started by the PNP, and which the JLP will inherit as living benefits for all Jamaica.
Many PNP supporters are concerned that the construction of many new hotels on the north coast will be declared officially open by Prime Minister Golding and Minister Bartlett. But they have committed themselves to reminding their neighbours that all these hotels were facilitated by the PNP government. One of the ways in which they will do this is via the cellular telephone which increased from 70,000 in 2000 to 2.2 million in 2006.
Other programmes that the JLP will inherit include the National Health Fund, the Jamaica Drugs for the Elderly Programme and the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education. These are excellent examples of living benefits that will benefit, and have benefited, all Jamaicans who qualify.
There is no doubt that the PNP's best living benefit is in housing. Thousands of Jamaicans have been able to benefit in the form of a roof over their heads.
Some 5,000 homes are being constructed under the National Housing Trust's inner-city housing project, and what a difference this has made to the lives of these new homeowners. The inheritors of this benefit include supporters of both political parties, and one can only hope that the new prime minister will continue these developments as he works to make Jamaica remember him as a 'builder'.
Inheritance has been known to create divisions in many families. But when the beneficiaries are aware that the giver is still very much alive, there is less room for dissension.
In sharing this inheritance, let us acknowledge from whence it came, and work to keep our Jamaican family united and ready to work again in the creation of more and better living benefits.
Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.
published: Saturday | September 22, 2007
Heather Robinson, Contributor
In recent years, life insurance companies have shifted their sales focus to the provision of living benefits for its policyholders. These benefits are paid to the insured during their lifetime. These policies include investments, critical illness and accident benefits.
The insured is able to collect cheques made payable to them to use for any purpose they desire including home purchase, paying medical bills or purchasing medication.
Gone are the days when family members or friends, who are the named beneficiaries to these insurance proceeds, sit and wait for the insured to die so that they can collect.
It is said that death brings out the worst in people, but if there is no 'dead lef' over which to quarrel, then families stand a better chance of staying together after death.
In Jamaica today you can visit either of the two life insurance companies where one is able to see hundreds of persons each week who have come to collect their living benefits. These policyholders use these monies for various reasons, but what is clear is that they are the ones who are able to determine how to spend the money.
The new Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government has become the inheritor of much work that was done by the People's National Party (PNP) government. There are many projects that were started by the previous Government that will be completed by this new Government, and many of them will be within the first year.
Improvements
These include the transportation centre in Half-Way Tree, the completion of the modernisation of both the Norman Manley and Donald Sangster airports, the massive expansion programme at Port Bustamante, the construction of the next segment of Highway 2000 from Bog Walk to Ochio Rios and the completion of 28 major water supply projects islandwide which are some of the improvements to our country's infrastructure that were started by the PNP, and which the JLP will inherit as living benefits for all Jamaica.
Many PNP supporters are concerned that the construction of many new hotels on the north coast will be declared officially open by Prime Minister Golding and Minister Bartlett. But they have committed themselves to reminding their neighbours that all these hotels were facilitated by the PNP government. One of the ways in which they will do this is via the cellular telephone which increased from 70,000 in 2000 to 2.2 million in 2006.
Other programmes that the JLP will inherit include the National Health Fund, the Jamaica Drugs for the Elderly Programme and the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education. These are excellent examples of living benefits that will benefit, and have benefited, all Jamaicans who qualify.
There is no doubt that the PNP's best living benefit is in housing. Thousands of Jamaicans have been able to benefit in the form of a roof over their heads.
Some 5,000 homes are being constructed under the National Housing Trust's inner-city housing project, and what a difference this has made to the lives of these new homeowners. The inheritors of this benefit include supporters of both political parties, and one can only hope that the new prime minister will continue these developments as he works to make Jamaica remember him as a 'builder'.
Inheritance has been known to create divisions in many families. But when the beneficiaries are aware that the giver is still very much alive, there is less room for dissension.
In sharing this inheritance, let us acknowledge from whence it came, and work to keep our Jamaican family united and ready to work again in the creation of more and better living benefits.
Heather Robinson is a life underwriter and former Member of Parliament.