Flashback to 1991: With a degree in accounting and a career spent working first as General Manager of a new car and truck dealership and then as Vice President and General Manager of the Car Sales Division of Budget Rent-A-Car, New York Life Insurance Agent Mary Lou Hamill, Greater Chicago General Office, was ready for a change. “I wanted to be around people, not working with numbers,” she says. “A good friend of mine, a 35-year veteran of New York Life, introduced me to the business, and I thought I’d give it a try.”

After nearly 20 years in the automobile industry, Hamill focused on the target market she knew best. “For years I had been on the other side of the desk, it gave me a great deal of insight into what both employers and employees wanted in a life insurance company. I also knew that when an employer offers a service such as Voluntary Payroll Deduction (VPD), it really puts the company above others — it says to the employees, 'We really care about you.'"

"Now that we have two wonderful granddaughters, Maddie, and our newest addition Melissa Rose (pictured above, along with Mary), I really understand the importance of ensuring that future generations are protected. It’s passing on the gift of love. In fact, we believe in our own product so much that we purchased a Whole Life policy for Maddie when she was born, and plan to do the same for Melissa Rose."

So she dug in. "I wrote 489 applications in the first year, but listen, I worked really, really hard. I remember leaving a car dealership at 11 p.m. one night, I was trying to get all of the paperwork completed, and it was snowing — there was six inches of accumulation on the ground. I’ll never forget that night," muses Hamill. "I remember the day I wrote my first case — it felt incredible, I was just so elated, plus I had done such a wonderful service for my client."

After years of hard work, Hamill’s business has flourished — with VPD making up 95% of her business. "We work in the automobile business, manufacturing plants, nursing homes — selling mostly Employee’s Whole Life (EWL), but sell Whole Life and Term as well."

Hamill goes on to say, "I love being around people, and with VPD you’re always around a lot of folks, doing presentations, meeting with employees. We really take the time to educate our clients on the choices they have with various products, being sure that they understand, for instance, the difference between term and whole life. It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that you’re able to help people. Now that we have two wonderful granddaughters, Maddie, and our newest addition Melissa Rose (pictured above, along with Mary), I really understand the importance of ensuring that future generations are protected. It’s passing on the gift of love. In fact, we believe in our own product so much that we purchased a Whole Life policy for Maddie when she was born, and plan to do the same for Melissa Rose."

Hamill credits much of her success to husband and self-professed "love of her life" Jess, who joined New York Life in 1995. “We are together 24/7," she laughs. "It’s a gift, and it really works for us — we feel so good about what we do. I could never have taken on the volume of clients that I have without him.” In fact, both of the Hamills are Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Court of the Table agents.

"I have clients who thank me for the service we provide, and I can see them all so clearly in my mind. There was one in particular" Hamill chokes up and pauses, "she lost three of her family members and there just wasn’t enough money to bury them properly. Now, because of the education we have provided, she can be sure that never happens again."

"I don’t regret for a minute joining New York Life. It’s given me the flexibility to spend time with my family and help others. It gives me peace of mind — I can go to sleep at night feeling good about what I do."

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