When I was very young, just out of my teen, I met a wise man at Bob's Big Boy Restaurant. I know, I know you find it hard to believe that you could have a life changing conversation at a burger stand -- but I did. Hey, don't belittle my experience!

The wise man was a widower. His wife had just died the past year. While sitting at the counter, eating greasy burgers and ketchup, soggy fries, he told me a truth that many people are not aware of . . .

Insurance is only a temporary placeholder, to take care of you until you can amass enough wealth to not need it any longer.

Wow. That is very different thinking from what is considered "common sense" by today's American workforce. I grew up with older folks telling me to get a good education; then get a great job that has plenty of great benefits -- one of those being good health insurance.

But, as the American workforce grows older, we have found these wonderful benefits lacking. We have found that insurance is not or savior and in many cases they are a hindrance and frustration.

We have found that insurance companies:
• place great effort in cutting costs to the detriment of our own health care,
• limit our resources (limiting practitioners/procedures covered),
• limit the pharmaceuticals we can use under the insurance plan,
• make us go through frustrating steps to see specialists and receive innovative treatments,
• and in the worst cases, desert us exactly at the time when we need the most urgent care.

However, when you have your own resources (wealth), you can go outside of your insurance limitations and get "new" treatments, visit practitioners and specialists freely, and have a variety of medications available to you. Basically, you have choices. Choices that could very well save your life . . .

So treat insurance as what it is. Insurance is your "just in case" resource while you diligently amass your wealth and can take care of your needs yourself. Make sure to build your wealth so you have life options. Insurance is not the end-game, it's just your temporary placeholder.