For those people who own a life insurance policy, cash value that builds up in that product is tax-deferred. The death benefit is not taxed. Yet, as Congress tries to reduce the federal deficit, that could be in jeopardy.

Insurance and financial advisers like myself help our clients achieve their goals and overcome potential setbacks. But soon, I will be working on behalf of my clients in a different way. I will join 1,000 of my colleagues from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors in Washington, D.C., to visit every congressional office and tell our clients’ stories.

We will explain how life insurance lets parents sleep at night, confident that their children will be taken care of —  even if they are no longer around.

When I visit with Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud, I will tell them that in Maine, more than 501,000 people own individual life insurance policies, with others benefiting from group coverage.

People in Maine received more than $1 billion in payouts in 2011, according to SecureFamily.org.

Nationwide, 75 million American families rely on life insurance products for financial security. These products account for 20 percent of long-term savings in the country.

Congress and the president should quickly realize that the overwhelming benefits life insurance has for consumers and society far outweigh any short-term gain that may come from taxing those products.

Lisa Laliberte, Lewiston