Club MED
March 2020
My Journey From Priesthood to Omaha Insurance Solutions
We were desperate. I called a friend of mine who I’d previously worked with and who did Medicare planning, and he helped us get the whole situation ironed out. Ultimately, once she was admitted to the assisted living home, my mom was only with us for a few more weeks. But my friend, and his ability to unpack and explain the complexities of Medicare, was the hero of the story. That same friend asked me if I’d ever considered doing Medicare planning, and I jumped at the opportunity. I was already a certified financial planner, and with everything I had just been through with my mother, it was a natural fit. I started to meet with people working in the industry, and right away, I loved it. I liked working as a financial planner, but one of the frustrating things was that, given the size of the team I was working with, I could never really specialize in the way I wanted to. It was also scary because the last thing I wanted to do was risk giving bad advice. But now I’ve been in insurance for 17 years and in Medicare for seven. I know the ins and outs of Medicare like the back of my hand, and with my specialized knowledge, I know I can help my clients avoid pitfalls and save money. Usually, when people are struggling to navigate the Medicare system, they’re vulnerable because of advanced age or chronic issues. They don’t know the rules, and they generally have a gargantuan medical expense looming over them for a treatment they need but don’t know if they can afford. My work at Omaha Insurance Solutions allows me to help people and improve their lives in a tangible way, and that’s why I love what I do so much. That feels good.
My road to working as a Independent agent specializing in Medicare Health Insurance had many twists and turns. For the first 16 years of my career, I was a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha. But at 42 years old, I knew I needed a change. I decided I wanted to get married and have a family, and on June 26, 2003, I handed in my resignation, rolled up my sleeves, and set about looking for a second career. I applied to all sorts of job openings, and by chance, in that process, I got called in by some folks in financial services. Being a priest taught me a lot about the things that financial planners do, like building trust, communicating, and dealing with abstract ideas. It turned out that I was a good fit. I found my next career, but there was a problem: The 2008 financial crisis blew everything up. After the financial meltdown hit, everything crashed hard . I remember being with one of my clients and watching the market drop something like 400 points in one hour. The company I was working for at the time started laying people off. Originally, we had eight employees in my division. Then we had six, and then we had four. I was one of the last two people standing, but in the end, I lost my job and found myself back at square one. Right in the middle of all this, my mom was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. I was shuttling back and forth between Omaha and Lawrence, Kansas. It was a difficult time in my life. I had just lost my job, and I was facing losing my mom. On top of all of that, the doctors told us that she needed to move to an assisted living home, and I was broke. My brothers couldn’t afford it either, and the doctors told us that Medicare wouldn’t pay for her care. “My work at Omaha Insurance Solutions allows me to help people and improve their lives in a tangible way, and that’s why I love what I do so much.”
—Chris Grimmond 402-614-3389 • 1
Medicare Insurance Made Easy
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