Thank you for requesting this trial of the Compulife Quotation System. This bulletin will introduce you to the software, help you get installed and running, give you some background on its design and provide a brief history of Compulife.

In order to process your trial, you need a combination of two things.

1. Compulife will have sent you an e-mail with a file "TRIAL.EXE" attached. The e-mail will have instructed you to save the TRIAL.EXE file to a folder on your computer.

2. Go to the monthly update webpage and download the MONTHLY.CMP file to the same folder. A link to that webpage was provided to you in your e-mail.

The MONTHLY.CMP file contains the 15 megabytes of files which makes up the Compulife program. These files are "compressed" and cannot be run without being "de-compressed". While this may sound complicated, the TRIAL.EXE program does all of this automatically.

Once the TRIAL.EXE program has installed the MONTHLY.CMP file, the TRIAL.EXE program will ask if you want an icon added to your desktop. This is recommended. The program will also ask if you want Compulife added to your programs menu. This is also recommended.

Using the Compulife program begins at the Red "Master Menu". This is the first screen to appear and the box (window) is titled "Compulife Quotation System".

Each button on this menu represents a function in the program. The following will guide you through the most popular functions and give you an introduction to their function. NOTE: The function key that follows the Master Menu function is the "hot key" for that function. The hot key allows you to be in one function of the program, and transfer instantly to another. Hot keys correspond to the Master Menu position of the function.

This is where you tell the system about the client for whom you will be preparing a comparison or quotation. Use your mouse to select the value to enter or change. Once you have entered the information that corresponds to your client, close this Window and go back to the Red Master Menu.

Click Here for more information about Enter Client Information

The comparison displays the last product category for the last client for whom you did a comparison. When you select this function, it will immediately to the same comparison using the client information that you have just entered. If you want to change the category of comparison, click the down button to the right of the category displayed in the top left corner of the comparison window. From there, select the category that you want.

Note: Comparison categories that are displayed in Yellow will include products not guaranteed for the initial level term period. When you run such a comparison, products which are not guaranteed for the initial level term period will display in yellow.

Click Here for more information about Display Product Comparison

"Pick 12 Policy Analysis" is the name Compulife has given to its comparison spreadsheet (number 5 on the Master Menu). Before you can use Pick 12, you must use the quotation functions of Compulife (F2 or F3) to place products into the spreadsheet. For example, you can use the comparison program to select and file a product into Pick 12.

The key to placing products in Pick 12 is the "right mouse button". With a product comparison on screen, click the right mouse button to display the Pick 12 Product List window. With the cursor on the product you want to place in the Pick 12 Product List, click the right mouse button again. That will transfer the product into the next available spot.

To file additional products, move the mouse pointer to the next product you want and click the right mouse button again.

If you would rather have the product placed in a position other than the next available spot, move the light blue line to the product you want to file by clicking the left mouse button on that product in the comparison. Next, move your mouse pointer to the line in the Pick 12 Product List window where you want the product to appear. Click the left mouse button on that line to place the highlight product in that spot in the Pick 11 Product List.

You can also click and drag products from the Comparison window to the Pick 12 Product List.

Once you have assembled the group of products that you want, you can close the comparison window and select number 5 from the Red Master Menu. Alternately, you can press F5 function key to take you there directly. Pick 12 will display your selected products in the spreadsheet format under the title "Pick X Policy Analysis" where X equals the number of products you have selected.

To print the spreadsheet move your mouse pointer to the "File" option at the top left corner of the Window, and click on print.

Pick 12 is very powerful in that it permits you to alter the look and style of your screen display and/or your printout. This is done by clicking on the "Style Options" on the top line of the Pick X Policy Analysis screen, and selecting either Display Style or Print Style.

Display and Print Options allow you to add or subtract information in your spreadsheet.

Click Here for more information about Pick 12 Policy Analysis

The alternate way to select a product in Compulife is to choose "Display a Single Product" from the Red Master Menu. The program displays the last company and product quoted. You can select any company from an alphabetic list. Once you have selected the company, you can select any product from the product list of that company.

Once the product is displayed and individual quotation can be printed, or the product information can be filed to the Pick 12 Policy Analysis.

We encourage you to explore the software. After 19 years of development, there is nothing you can do to it by trying different features. If during this process you have questions or need assistance, please use our toll free technical support.

Experience has taught us that manuals are not the quickest or easiest way to learn software. Most people don't read manuals no matter how well they are written. Instruction manuals are reference material designed to explain every nook and cranny of a product. Usually the nook and cranny you are looking for is hidden among a bunch of other nooks and crannies you don't care about.

Our solution to this problem is simple. Use our (800) toll-free line. You are not imposing upon us. We want you to call and we are glad when you do. If you see a feature in the accompanying "Feature List" that you want to use, and can't determine how to use it, CALL US.

We do get busy and so you can help us a great deal if you are sitting in front of your computer with Compulife running on screen when you call.

In our view the telephone is the best "help system" available. It is surprising how many larger software companies are now offering similar toll-free assistance, something we have done for years.

Our commitment is to provide you with human beings who will help you learn to use this program.

One of the most common questions we receive is "How do you get the information for your system?" Essentially there are two sources of insurance data. The first and most important is the Compulife subscriber. Recognizing that most life insurance companies are not enthusiastic about an independent, multi- company quotation system, we know that earning the trust of life companies takes time. However, rate card material is mass produced and distributed freely to life agents all across the country. Such "pricing information" is not copyright protected nor can it be. A Compulife subscriber who sends us a rate card or a rate manual, containing product material or information we have not yet obtained, receives a FREE MONTH of service (maximum of one free update per month per subscriber).

Needless to say, subscribers are anxious to save the cost of a monthly update. They are happy to forward rate information with the hope of eliminating that cost in the following month (or extending their annual subscription). Combine the free month incentive with the benefit of making sure that Compulife has the latest information on the products you market and you can understand how this has proven to be a very successful approach to updating our system.

The second and preferred source of information are the life companies themselves. While some refuse to assist us, there are a significant number of life companies who provide us with rate information directly. These companies are willing to answer our questions and many provide us with rate material or state approvals when we ask.

As time has gone on more and more life companies provide this information. As life companies realize that Compulife is deeply committed to the fair and accurate comparison of products, they become increasingly comfortable with us.

Some life companies actually provide us with "pre-release" rates which we treat with confidentiality until they are approved for sale. This allows us to introduce these newly priced products at the same time that they are first available for sale. Development of good life company relations takes time and it is part of an ongoing process that we are committed to.

Compulife does not allow comparisons of "Re-entry Values". We do not like comparisons of term policies based upon future re-entry. Because re-entry requires the re-submission of medical evidence, it is clearly not a "renewal" option. Further, if your client is healthy in 10, 15 or 20 years, then they are in a position to reconsider the whole marketplace, not just the company they are with. We think that is what you need to emphasize.

Single company displays and printouts provide the most complete display of renewal premiums. These single page printouts can show the year by year premiums for 29 renewals (a second page is optional and can add an additional 42 renewals). By contrast, comparisons provide a reduced number of renewals and so they do not have the same level of information for a particular product. It might be argued that the comparison format is inadequate but that would be a misunderstanding of the comparison's designed purpose.

Comparisons should be viewed as the starting point to narrow down product choices. A comparison demonstrates to your client that you have completed an overview of the market and taken into consideration more than just the first year premium. The objective of the comparison is to provide you with a clear indication of the way a product renews in order for you to quickly analyze the product's renewal options.

Once your client is satisfied with this step, the next step is to narrow the choices to specific products. Usually this is done using the Pick 5/11 Policy Analysis which can provide the additional renewal information required to further narrow down the decision.

With increasing emphasis on insurance illustration regulations, we strongly encourage you to make certain that your client also receives a life company authorized illustration for any product that they buy from you. Compulife comparisons are not authorized or approved by life companies. The program can print a copy of Compulife's disclosure statement which you can use with your client to ensure they fully understand the use and limitations of Compulife's comparisons.

The material we are providing with you trial is intended to simply get you going. We are providing this 30 day trial of our full software program hoping to help you become as acquainted with the Compulife Quotation System as is possible. There is a lot more to Compulife than you will see at first glance.

Once again, do not hesitate to call. No question is unappreciated and you will not be the first to ask it. Unlike some software companies who sell you a program and then leave you on your own, Compulife sells a product that is more service than software. As you take advantage of our toll-free technical support, you will find that 18 years of serving life agents has equipped us to help you maximize the use of this software.

If you decide you want to purchase Compulife please print the application form found at Application To Purchase Software. Once you have completed the form, mail it together with your payment to Compulife. If you are anxious to obtain the latest update to the software as quickly as possible, please fax the form to the fax number at the bottom of the application form. Make sure you fax a copy of the check that you will be mailing to Compulife.

You can also speed up the process by printing and completing the license agreements listed at Forms for U.S. Subscribers.

ALL new subscribers must complete the End User License Agreement.

Those wanting the personal use discount must complete the Personal Use Endorsement.

Those wanting the Internet update discount must complete the Internet Update Endorsement.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call us at (800) 323-5759.