First Command - Vancouver Emily: Financial advisor Samantha Darnell at this location *allegedly* recommended my husband take out a whole-life insurance policy from Liberty National, which is an incredibly poorly rated and often fraudulent company. Whole-life insurance in general is basically a scam (except in very specific instances), and there is NO REASON whatsoever that a young, healthy, single (at the time) person should have been encouraged to take out a 200k whole-life policy ON TOP OF his military death benefit and his SGLI supplemental term life insurance. Additionally, this plan was represented as having a disability pay out benefit, when in fact the contract shows that it does not have this benefit. So my husband has been paying $112 a month for an unnecessary policy.
Edit: some additional thoughts now that first command has responded - OF COURSE over 1/2 of service members have whole life insurance, when its being pushed by first command. That makes sense. I actually spoke to a former employee of first command, who stated she was told by management to "make the math work" to show that people need whole life insurance. So those "gaps" theyre talking about - it kind of sounds to me like they create them.
Additionally, I never said that whole life insurance is *always* a scam. Do your own research. But most people dont need it. And if first command tells you that you do, you honestly probably dont. Id recommend seeking out an independent financial advisor who isnt incentivized for selling.
Lastly, Ive done some more research into the company the insurance was from (Liberty National) and it is widely regarded to be a pyramid scheme, as well as to be predatory and sell people on insurance they dont need. It may have a blah blah blah whatever score with the BBB, but it also has TONS of user complaints.
