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However, it can also apply to couples in which the survivor would be financially stricken by the income lost through the death of a partner, and to dependent adults, such as parents, siblings or adult children who continue to rely on you financially. The Connection Between Columbus, Henry VIII, Hitler and Toulouse-Lautrec
By Catherine Harvey
 When life insurance companies are assessing a customer for risk in order to work out their premiums, they would do well to carefully consider the person's sexual history. Many young people go through a period of lax sexual behaviour but this can have a detrimental effect on their future health.
Sexually transmitted diseases are mostly curable these days. However, they still carry a stigma which prevents a lot of sufferers seeking help, thus further spreading the diseases. With syphilis alone, thousands of deaths are occurring every year across the globe.
It is believed that Christopher Columbus is responsible for bringing syphilis to Europe on his arrival home from his American discoveries back in 1493. Scientists have traced the evolution of syphilis back to that time in South America. Throughout the years, there have been many alleged famous sufferers of this disfiguring illness including Henry VIII, Adolf Hitler, Ivan the Terrible and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Not so long ago, it is reported that Prince Albert Victor was suffering from syphilis due to his familiarity with prostitutes. It is also believed that this is what affected his brain and sent him mad, although there is no documented evidence to prove this.
In the US alone, 3,400 new cases of congenital syphilis are discovered every year. Up to 40% of pregnant women with untreated syphilis will lose their babies. An unnecessary statistic given that this disease is relatively easy to treat these days. But that hasn't always been the case.
Mercury was once the given treatment for cases of syphilis. This lead to the saying 'A night in Venus leads to a lifetime in Mercury'. A patient was encased in a box with just his head sticking out, Mercury was added to the box and a fire lit beneath. The mercury vaporized, supposedly curing the disease but was just one of an assortment of failing treatments.
Left untreated, syphilis can cause irreparable damage to the heart, aorta, brain, eyes and bones. It can also prove fatal. Does this mean that life insurance would not pay out, as sexual behaviour is a matter of choice? Does it matter that, while not construed as self inflicted, it could be looked at as our own fault?
Thankfully, life insurance will pay out in the event of a death from an STD. If not, then life insurance companies could argue that every accident or illness was because of our lifestyle choices and there would simply be no life insurance business in existence.
It is essential to get STD's treated as soon as possible as they can cause other problems, including cancer of the reproductive tract and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. This will result in scaring which is responsible for approximately 9% of ectopic pregnancies. Another life threatening situation for expectant mothers.
As always, it pays to look after our own health to the best of our ability. In the event of any infections, however embarrassing they may be deemed, prompt intervention is essential. Not only will you prolong your own life with a better quality, you will avoid problems later on in life and reduce your life insurance premiums.
Insurance expert Catherine Harvey looks at the effects on life insurance of sexual health. To find out more please visit http://www.theidol.com/ Life Insurance Now You See Me, Now You Don't
By Catherine Harvey
 Selling life insurance is apparently not all it's cracked up to be.
An employee from one of the UK's top life insurance suppliers has been caught indulging his life-long ambition to be a magician while on paid sick leave. He had been caught performing magic tricks at a party once before while he was absent from his job as a life insurance salesman, bringing on a warning. This time the company felt obliged to dismiss him from their employ on the grounds of gross mis-conduct.
The man in question had been absent from his 'day' job for six months due to stress when he carried out his magic show at a christening party. Unfortunately for him, an employee from the human resources department of the same insurance firm was among the audience and recognised the magician.
The act of disappearing from his life insurance job and re-appearing in a different location has cost this former employee his 30,000 pounds per year salary, which just has to be painful! It is common practice for companies to insist their employees take no other paid employment while on sick leave.
In quite a pathetic excuse, the former employee claims he was only acting on his doctor's recommendation who believed performing his magic trick would help relieve stress. Only if it goes right, presumably.
He claims his dismissal from his life insurance sales job is unfair as he was only paid expenses and not the full amount he would normally charge. I think he may be missing the point here! He's paid to sell life insurance and, if he's genuinely sick, then he is paid to take time off to recover. The fact that he was then fit and well enough to perform in front of an audience, which even the most seasoned professionals will tell you, can be most stressful, underlines the fact that he should have been back in his normal job.
His excuse that the sick note had come to an end and he was ready to go back to work was thrown out at the tribunal. Again, back to the fact that he should have been at his real work and not playing hocus pocus comes to the fore. It seems a little strange that his magic act has now been put on hold while he searches for another full time job. Surely, if the vocational pull is that strong he should take it up professionally?
One of the most obvious forms of stress comes in depression and that will affect a great deal of workers, not just life insurance salesmen. Some people see depression as a weakness, or something to be fixed, but recent research shows that milder forms of depression are actually good for us.
It may not feel like it at the time, but bouts of feeling low are the times when we learn more about the world around us and how and why we react the way we do to certain influences. These are times we can take for personal growth, to kick back and give our minds and bodies chance to recover from the stress of life and grow mentally and emotionally into individuals better able to cope with difficult times.
It is estimated that depression costs the UK around 17 pounds billion a year through sick leave and loss of productivity so we would do well to learn from it, not forgetting that serious, or on-going depression needs medical intervention.
Employment expert Catherine Harvey looks at the exploits of one life insurance salesman. To find out more please visit http://www.theidol.com/ Share Your Opinion. (0 posts)
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