My grandmother worked at a foundry. She started near the bottom and spent years climbing, learning every part of the operation, earning her way up rung by rung. By the time she retired, she was making $18 an hour. She was proud of that, and she should have been.
She lived a modest life. Not because she didn't enjoy nice things, but because she'd rather give. If someone in the family needed something, she found a way. If a neighbor was struggling, she showed up with whatever she could spare. She gave away most of what she had, not because she had a lot, but because that's who she was.
She gave away most of what she had, not because she had a lot, but because that's who she was.
When she got older, things got harder. Her health changed. The conversations that nobody wants to have started coming up: What happens when I can't take care of myself? What happens when I'm gone? Who pays for all of this?
She didn't have final expense insurance. She didn't have the funds for long-term care. And the guilt she carried about that, the worry that she was going to be a burden on the people she loved, that weighed on her more than any of the physical stuff. I could see it.
That's what stuck with me. Not the cost of a funeral or the price of a nursing home. The look on her face when she realized she hadn't been able to plan for this part. She had spent her whole life taking care of other people, and at the end, she felt like she'd let them down.
I wanted to build something that would have helped my grandmother. Something that meets people where they are and treats them with the respect they've earned.
She hadn't let anyone down. Not even close. But I understood why she felt that way. And I knew that millions of families were going through the same thing: good people, hard workers, who simply never had access to the information or the options that could have made this easier.
That's why Farewell Expense exists. This isn't about selling policies. It's about education, access, and making sure the people who need this the most aren't the ones left behind. My grandmother taught me that taking care of people is the most important thing you can do. Farewell Expense is how I'm trying to carry that forward.
