Len Weaver—New York Life Insurance

You could say that Len Weaver has insurance in his blood. His father sold insurance in the Midwest for 40 years, and one of his brothers now runs that agency. Weaver himself only got into the business a few years ago, but he says that it makes him very happy to help people in this way. “Helping people is what successful sales professionals strive for. I enjoy helping those people who are seeking financial services to protect and build their future,” Weaver asserts.

Before going to work with New York Life, Weaver worked in the pharmaceutical industry, providing products to hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and long-term care institutions. But, he says, “the business changed and it was time to do something else.” He turned to what he knew, the insurance business.

“New York Life is a mutual insurance company,” Weaver explains. A mutual insurance company is not publicly traded, and its policy holders are the owners. Most insurance companies used to be mutual, but in the ‘90s some insurance companies “de-mutualized” to raise more money for growth. “This means that their main obligation is to Wall Street,” Weaver says. “New York Life has enough capital reserves to grow and also protect their policy holders. Our most important objective is to be stable so that we will be around in 20 to 50 years when you need your investment in mutual funds or life insurance.”

Weaver says, “My clients are a diverse group, just like the community. There are folks who need to protect their families through life insurance that will provide a continued income and mortgage-free homes for surviving spouses and children.

Some people are saving for their childrens’ education. Len says,“The most practical plan is to finance school through many sources such as personal savings, special college savings accounts, student loans financial aid and even part time jobs for their child. New York Life provides mutual funds to help people reach this goal.

“Other people are looking to retirement. They have worked hard all their lives to build assets for retirement. They want to protect those assets and make them last through their retirement years. This can be done by way of annuities and long-term care insurance, as well as supplemental life insurance for retirement purposes. Sometimes they have multiple 401Ks or IRAs that can be consolidated for a better return,” Weaver says.
“Business owners who want to grow with the community. Every situation requires a personalized evaluation and plan. My goal is to help them plan and organize their financial lives in a successful manner,” he concludes.

Weaver prefers to work one-on-one with people, and says it is very important for insurance agents to stay in touch with their customers, because people’s needs change and they may not understand how their insurance policies and investment strategies need to change as well.
Most of his new clients come from current clients who refer friends and neighbors to him. He also belongs to the Aloha-Sunset Rotary Club, Business Builders International, and the Portland Business Alliance, in addition to the Cedar Mill Business Association.

Len Weaver and his wife Jane moved to the Cedar Mill area around 12 years ago. He proudly says, “We have recently extended our family by adoption. We have two four-year-old daughters from China, Katie in 2002 and Beth in 2005.” Katie was an infant when she came into their family, and is entering Kindergarten in September. Beth will wait a year while she improves her English skills. “They learn so fast at this age, though,” Weaver says.

The Weavers love Cedar Mill. He says, “We enjoy the sense of a small community located in a large metropolitan area. Cedar Mill is a community one can have pride in. It offers various playgrounds and parks for families to enjoy, and is surrounded by churches, business, and libraries which are supportive of the family environment.

He feels that the Town Center road improvements will only improve its small-town quality of life. He says, “We have a great core community with all of the advantages of a large metropolitan area close at hand. The busy traffic through the area will become less of a problem with the new street system. Slowing things down will give small business the opportunity to flourish. The changes that are being made will make Cedar Mill Town Center more attractive and very inviting. In the future other communities will follow Cedar Mill’s lead.”

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