Cultural knowledge opens Hispanics' doors.Despite the fact that the Hispanic population in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. is booming at 44 million, most Hispanic families here still lack adequate life insurance. A big part of that gap in coverage is insurers' ignorance of Hispanic culture Hispanic culture is a term used to identify the culture found in Spain and in the countries that were part of the Spanish Empire, including Mexico, Peru and other countries that were formerly part of New Spain and the Viceroyalty of Peru. , said Jose Ignacio Gonzalez, president of Quantum Alliance Inc., an insurance marketing organization in the United States and Panama. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Agents trying to sell to Hispanics and unaware of cultural quirks may be in for some surprises. One is that Hispanics never refer to bad events, like their own death, in the future tense future tense n. A verb tense expressing future time. Noun 1. future tense - a verb tense that expresses actions or states in the future future , said Gonzalez. "You have to say, 'If you had died last week, Mr. Hispanic, your family would now be in bad financial shape,'" he said. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Another is to beware be·ware v. be·wared, be·war·ing, be·wares v.tr. To be on guard against; be cautious of: "Beware the ides of March" Shakespeare. v. a male's machismo machismo Exaggerated pride in masculinity, perceived as power, often coupled with a minimal sense of responsibility and disregard of consequences. In machismo there is supreme valuation of characteristics culturally associated with the masculine and a denigration of attitude about his spouse. And, for reasons of historical economic conditions in their native lands, prospects are unlikely to discuss their net worth in interviews. Due to unstable currencies, inflation, frequent devaluations and political upheavals in their homelands, Hispanics similarly distrust financial institutions and companies. As a result, they have fewer checking accounts, make less use of financial institutions, and even hide their money under their pillows, Gonzalez said. That is a main reason they value companies with financial stability and good reputations, he said. |
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