Brian House knew that one day he would run the family's Chevrolet dealership, but he never imagined that it would be at age 29, after his father suffered two massive heart attacks. Life insurance proceeds ensured that Brian's mother would be financially protected and provided the business with the cash needed to ensure a smooth transition. Today, Brian is vice president and dealer-operator at the family-run dealership, one of the most successful in upstate New York.

Linda Benders and Jeanne Rizzotto, partners in a real estate business, decided to purchase life insurance to fund a "buy-sell agreement." As time went on and the business took off, they eventually met with their agent to increase their coverage. Days later, Linda was killed in a car accident. The money Linda's family received helped her husband to care for their 3-year-old daughter and elderly mother, and enabled the three older children to continue their education. It also helped Linda's survivors avoid unwanted financial entanglements by providing Jeanne with the resources to buy out her partner's share.

Bob Mentz, the owner of a successful greeting card business, bought life insurance partly because of a lesson he learned from his father, who left his wife virtually peniless when he died. Bob was able to finance an expansion of his business by borrowing against the cash value of his permanent policies. And when Bob died unexpectedly of a bleeding ulcer at age 50, the proceeds from his coverage allowed his wife Debbie to care for the family, and keep the business going strong.

Del Bloomer, an entrepreneur with a growing business and family, knew he needed more life insurance to keep up with his increasing need for coverage. His decision to buy more proved critical. At age 40, without any history of serious health issues, Del died of a massive heart attack. With the life insurance proceeds, Del's wife, Linda, has transitioned to the role of CEO of the company. The insurance money also has helped her purchase a new home, pay off debts, and establish a retirement-savings plan and college-funding plans for the kids.

For Jimmy Brebner, split-dollar life insurance offered an innovative way to reward key employees at his textile plant. He had intended that they would use the policy's cash value for extra money upon retirement. But Jimmy couldn't have been more surprised when, after a severe downturn threatened the future of the business, his employees volunteered to borrow against the cash value of their policies to help revitalize the company. With this money, Jimmy was able to meet payroll, pay his suppliers, and invest in retooling the firm.

Brad and Lisa Cunard bought permanent life insurance early in their marriage for protection, but also to allow them to start saving for retirement. They were also partners in a commercial printing business with their two best friends, and the business took out key person insurance on all four. Several years later, Brad and Lisa's dream of growing old together ended suddenly when a giant tree fell on the couple's car, instantly killing Lisa and their two young boys who were in the back seat. The proceeds from Lisa's life insurance gave Brad time to deal with his immense grief and helped keep their business running, saving 20 jobs in the process.

Ernest “Peanut” Folks took great pride in the fact that his son, Ernesto, chose to follow in his footsteps. Peanut owned an auto body repair shop, and his plan was to one day pass along the business to his son. Life insurance never factored into Peanut’s plan until an agent called on him in 2003. His decision to buy a policy proved fateful, as he was diagnosed two years later with terminal cancer. Today, the business continues to thrive under the stewardship of Ernesto, who takes great pride in running the company that his father worked so hard to build and pass along to the next generation.