The editor's reaction is utter nonsense and says more about her personal biases than it does about financial planning needs.
Life insurance is a risk management tool that has it's time and place.
While an agent's desire to earn commissions may be the motivation for many, many sales, that doesn't mean that all insurance purchases are inappropriate. Sometimes, an agent's desire to earn commissions can coincide with a client's very real need to manage risk. In other cases, consumers purchase insurance without the sales pitch or involvement of any insurance agent - thus the rising popularity of internet insurance sites and no commission insurance products. This is a rapidly changing marketplace, and the editor should be concerned with keeping up with and objectively reporting the changes, not perpetuating a personal prejudice. I offer my clients a choice between purchasing traditional commission products and paying a fee for my insurance advice.