Time flies.

My first response to the news about the effects of Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines was feeling of despair and futility.

What right do I have to have food, a comfortable chair and working utilities when so many are suffering so badly?

The next, more rational response was that this seems to be a good time to visit the American Red Cross website. We can at least make use of our food, chairs and working utilities to support relief efforts.

When I calmed down, it hit me that another good response is to put in a plug for the November Long-Term Care Awareness Month campaign.

The headlines for private long-term care insurance (LTCI) are still less than sunny. If you sell people coverage, it could be that they’ll pay premiums for years and never collect, or eventually file a claim and get less than what they really need. All sorts of things could go wrong.

But, if you sell the right policy to the right person, you could help protect that person from a personal catastrophe that could feel as devastating to that individual and that individual’s loved ones as a typhoon or an earthquake.

You can be a hero, just by quietly going about your business and helping the invisible hands of demand meet the invisible hands of supply for a product that people really need. 

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