Life Stories Video Series

Life Stories: Braden Draggoo

“My brothers and I always felt that we had the perfect childhood, until an oncoming vehicle crossed the center line and changed everything.”

As a teenager, Nautilus Member Braden Draggoo was at the top of his game athletically. He and his brother felt like they had the perfect childhood, helping his dad remodel rental homes from the 1920s and connecting as a family over shared dinners. Then one day, as his father was driving, an oncoming motorist crossed the center line and changed everything for Braden’s family. Watch this video (3:50) to hear the story of a father’s love and to learn how Braden’s experiences as a young adult uniquely impacted his understanding of what happens if mom or dad isn’t there one day to put bread on the table.

Life Stories: Carrie Hall

“I told myself that Mike could buy insurance through his brokerage firm and was taking care of his insurance himself.”

Mike was a good friend of Nautilus Member Agent Carrie Hall. Right after college, Mike contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which later went into remission. Since Mike was in the financial services industry himself, Carrie assumed that he would purchase life insurance of his own accord. Spend a few minutes (3:35) to see the emotional impact of that assumption and why this experience has not only forever changed Carrie’s view of the importance of life insurance, but also is why she believes in relentlessly pursuing the issue of proper coverage for her clients.

Life Stories: Gib Surles

“The first life insurance death claim I delivered was to my mom, for a policy I wrote on my dad’s life.”

Nautilus Member Agent Gib Surles began his career in the life insurance industry at 24 years of age. The very first death claim he delivered was a life insurance policy on his father’s life, payable to his mother. That personal experience of witnessing the magic of financial security from a life insurance instrument affected him throughout his entire career. He knows there is nothing more humbling than being able to walk in the door after a tragic situation with money for the heirs. Watch this video (3:25) to hear Gib describe that experience and see why Gib considers his career in the life insurance industry his nobility of purpose.

Life Stories: Nathan Engstrom

“I encouraged my client to consider purchasing more life insurance in the event of his untimely death.”

Clients Heather and Corey had a young family, including twin boys. Due to a tight budget, they weren’t interested in purchasing additional life insurance on Corey’s life, but knowing that he was the family’s sole breadwinner, New York Life agent Nathan Engstrom continued to pursue the issue. Watch this video (4:12) to hear the story of a loving husband who, for financial reasons, wanted to reduce the face amount of the coverage he had in force.

Life Stories: Tim Fitzgerald

What does a life insurance agent do when his client keeps putting off the purchase?

Year after year, Nautilus Member Agent Tim FitzGerald tried to get his client, John, covered by life insurance, but John kept putting off writing the check, instead sending Tim to his attorneys so he could get the coverage as part of his compensation package. When Tim finally told John, this is not going to go through your business, John then made Tim go talk to John’s wife to get her to agree! Watch this video (3:11) to see what impact this client’s stubbornness had, what impact Tim’s persistence had, and why this story, says Tim, “validates everything I do for a living.”

Life Stories: Tim FitzGerald (2)

“My client’s wife, Cheryl, was a CPA, and she did not like life insurance.”

According to Nautilus Member Agent Tim FitzGerald, “You have to love somebody to purchase life insurance.” Tim’s client, Curtis, was a 48-year-old electrical contractor. His client’s wife, Cheryl, was a CPA, and she did not like life insurance. Watch this video (4:00) to see what happened when Tim and Curtis met to discuss life insurance and financial security and see how those conversations and the decisions that were made at those meetings impacted Cheryl’s life and the lives of her children forever.