Maybe you are mom, maybe you are dad. Maybe even you are an aunt without children, and just want to make sure you are still there for those little nephews if you can't some day. Maybe you are grandpa or nana already thinking of your great-grandchildren by getting life insurance on your grandchildren.
Whoever you are, you are your family's hero!
And heroes make sure bets, not those that leave the town behind.
Every Hero Has the Same Job.
There is a man who changes in a phone booth. One moment he is nobody in particular. The next he is the reason the old lady made it home. The booth did not give him the power. The decision did.
There is a kid who figured out that if you commit to the swing before you let go of the last building, you are never falling. The city does not know his name. The city just knows someone shows up.
There is a city that built a light so powerful it reaches the clouds. Not to show off. Because they learned, somewhere along the way, that one man had already decided. When the light goes up, the answer comes.
There is a woman who walked away from an island where she had everything because somewhere across an ocean someone needed protecting, and she had already decided that was her job.
Your Superpower.
A life insurance policy is the phone booth. The moment you walk in and make the decision, the signal can go up any time. Your family does not have to hope you were ready. You already were.
You are the hero.
And you choose me to be your guide.
Lenny Burton, CLU® · NPN 19046937 · Licensed since 2019
Who I Am and Why I Do This.
I got into this business because my living comes from making people better off. What I do every day is connect people with others just like them: people who pool their premium payments together so that when one of them is gone, the rest of the pool covers what that person can no longer provide. That is the whole job. Premium payments in. Claim payments out. Families kept whole.
I am an independent agent, which means I am not locked to one carrier. I hold the CLU designation, the highest earned credential in life insurance, and I have been licensed since 2019. I do not earn my living by pushing one product. I earn it by finding the right fit for each person who sits across from me.
Every hero deserves a guide who is actually on their side.
For 80 Years, They Have Been Keeping Score.
The 2025 ACLI Life Insurance Fact Book is not a marketing document. It is the industry's own scorecard, published in writing every year since 1946.
The American Council of Life Insurers compiles it from statutory financial data reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, covering approximately 93 percent of U.S. life insurer assets. The industry counting its own promises, publicly, every year. Here is what the 2024 scorecard shows.
$88.5 billion
Paid to the beneficiarys of policyholders who died in 2024. That is 3.7 million families whose plans held.
$9.3 trillion
Total industry assets at year end 2024 across 711 U.S. life insurers. The infrastructure to pay future claims is there.
262 million
Policies and certificates in force in 2024. Nearly one for every American household. More families are protected than most people realize.
In 2020, when COVID hit hardest, the industry paid out over $100 billion to families who lost someone, the largest single year in its history. It paid again in 2021. And in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Not because the industry got lucky. Because the math works when the structure holds.
Supercharge Your Hero Powers.
A life insurance policy does not create your hero status. You already have that. What it does is make sure your hero powers keep working after you step out of the room. Permanently.
The tools the industry offers are not one size fits all. A term policy for a young parent protecting income is a different tool than a whole life policy for a grandparent building a head start for the next generation. Group coverage through an employer is usually not enough on its own. The right tool depends on who you are protecting, for how long, and what you are trying to leave behind.
That is what I help figure out. Not which product looks best on a brochure. Which tool fits the specific plan of the specific hero sitting across from me.
- Young parents. Protecting income so the family stays whole. Term coverage sized to replace what you provide is usually the starting point.
- Aunts, uncles, and chosen family. No kids of your own does not mean no one depends on you. A policy naming your nephews or nieces as beneficiarys is a permanent expression of the role you played.
- Grandparents. A policy on a grandchild locks in low rates at their youngest, healthiest age and builds cash value they will carry into adulthood. The great-grandchildren get the head start.
- Everyone with employer coverage. Group life insurance through work does not follow you when you leave. Understanding the gap before it matters is the move.
The 2024 Industry Snapshot.
For readers who want the fuller picture from the 2025 ACLI Life Insurance Fact Book, here is what the data shows across the industry.
Size: 711 U.S. life insurers at year end 2024, down from 719 in 2023. Total assets reached $9.3 trillion, up 5.9 percent from 2023. General account assets: $6.0 trillion. Separate account: $3.3 trillion.
Coverage in force: $22.0 trillion in life insurance in force across 262 million policies and certificates. Individual coverage: $14.1 trillion across 134 million policies. Group coverage: $7.8 trillion across 118 million certificates.
New coverage purchased in 2024: $3.5 trillion across 40.5 million policies and certificates. Average face amount of a new individual policy: $209,000.
Premium income: $824.7 billion total. Life insurance premiums were 21 percent of that total; annuity considerations were 52 percent; health insurance premiums were 27 percent.
Claims paid: Total contract payments reached $905 billion. Life insurance death benefits paid to beneficiarys: $88.5 billion to 3.7 million families. Annuity benefits: $552 billion. Health benefits: $175 billion.
Employment: 3,000,500 people employed in the U.S. insurance industry in 2024, including 309,300 in life insurance home offices, 1,386,500 as agents, brokers, and service personnel.
Source: American Council of Life Insurers, 2025 Life Insurance Fact Book (80th Edition). NAIC statutory data as of June 2025. Represents approximately 93% of U.S. life insurer assets. NAIC does not endorse any analysis or conclusions based on use of its data.
Common Questions.
What is the ACLI Life Insurance Fact Book?
The ACLI Life Insurance Fact Book is an annual report published by the American Council of Life Insurers. It compiles statutory financial data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners covering approximately 93 percent of U.S. life insurer assets. The 2025 edition is the 80th. It is the industry counting its own promises, in writing, every year.
How much did life insurers pay out in 2024?
In 2024, U.S. life insurers paid $88.5 billion to the beneficiarys of policyholders who died. That represents 3.7 million families. Total contract payments including annuities and health benefits reached $905 billion.
What percentage of life insurance claims are disputed?
According to the 2025 ACLI Life Insurance Fact Book, less than three tenths of one percent of life insurance claim dollar volume had any portion still in dispute at year end 2024. The reasons for dispute include material misrepresentation on the application, a death during the contestability period, and missing documentation such as no proof of death.
How many life insurance companies are there in the U.S.?
There were 711 U.S. life insurers at year end 2024, holding $9.3 trillion in total assets. That is down from 719 in 2023, continuing a long consolidation trend. The reduction in carrier count has not reduced coverage; total life insurance in force reached $22.0 trillion in 2024.
Does life insurance actually pay out when someone dies?
Yes. The 2025 ACLI Life Insurance Fact Book shows $88.5 billion paid to beneficiarys in 2024 alone. At the peak of COVID in 2021, the industry paid over $100 billion. Less than three tenths of one percent of claim dollar volume was in dispute at year end. See also: Does Life Insurance Pay Out?
Can I get life insurance on a grandchild?
Yes. You can make your legacy even longer by planning for your great-grandchildren now! While your grandchildren are young, they likely qualify for life insurance. As they get older, things may happen. What a great way to make sure that as they grow older there is coverage for their children. It is a great way to start a snowball effect, where each successive generation starts with the grandchildren, and your family can rest safe for generations. You may not be there to see the smiles, but your loved ones will! Start a policy now with guaranteed insurability, and as they grow older they are able to buy more regardless of changes in health!
You Are the Hero. Let's Make Sure the Plan Works.
The love was never the question. The plan is. Lenny reviews your situation, finds the right tools, and makes sure your family is covered the way you intend.
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