In a couple of weeks, the financial-services industry will be celebrating Life Insurance Awareness Month, the annual awareness campaign coordinated by Life Happens and supported by the nation’s leading insurance companies and industry groups each September. This year, Life Happens has partnered with actress, model, designer, and mother Brooke Shields to drive home the importance of life insurance as a financial priority for U.S. consumers. Shields’ story is being shared through a national TV and radio public service announcement (PSA) program, which began broadcasting this summer and will continue until the end of the year.

The PSAs will be available on the Life Happens website, along with educational information and interactive tools such as Life Happens’ Life Insurance Needs Calculator to help consumers evaluate their own life insurance needs and get the protection they need.

Serving as an executor of a friend’s will, Shields saw firsthand the unique challenges that arise when someone passes away without life insurance. These experiences, coupled with a deep commitment to protecting her family financially, reinforced for Shields the importance of life insurance and teaching her daughters about financial planning and how it is a key component of personal strength and independence. Through the partnership with Life Happens, her goal is to demonstrate both the financial and emotional benefits that come from prioritizing life insurance.

“Life insurance has given me peace of mind that, no matter the circumstance, my family is financially protected now, and in the future,” said Shields. “This isn’t anything I was taught growing up. It’s a life lesson I learned on my own and want to share with others.”

Shields also knows that life insurance isn’t something most people want to think about. “It may seem scary and even unattainable at first, but life insurance is much more affordable than most people realize, and the certainty it offers is invaluable,” she adds. “I’m thrilled to be supporting Life Happens by sharing the message about the value of life insurance so more people can protect their loved ones.”

“Brooke truly understands the role of life insurance in investing in her children’s future, and like all parents, she wants to teach them about financial preparedness so that they can successfully navigate their own life journey,” said Faisa Stafford, President and CFO of Life Happens. “By sharing her experiences with life insurance and helping to highlight the educational resources we have for consumers, she’s supporting our efforts to encourage others to secure their family’s financial future with life insurance.”

Life Happens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers take personal financial responsibility through the ownership of life insurance and related products. The organization supports the insurance industry by providing marketing tools and resources through its Life Happens Pro platform, and convening the industry each September for the Life Insurance Awareness Month campaign. To learn more, visit www.lifehappens.org.