Protect Your Most Valuable Asset

Your life is doing well, your healthy, your work keeps you busy, and you enjoy leisure activities with family and friends. Your paycheck keeps life in balance by covering your monthly bills - food, clothing, utilities, house, car payments - as well as ome entertainment.

When life is good, it's difficult to picture being disabled by an illness or injury. But, it happens and it could happen to you. Amazingly, 40 percent of today's 40 year olds will experience a long term disability before they reach age 65. What would happen to your lifestyle, and those who depend on you, if your paychecks stopped suddenly because you were disabled and unable to work? What if you couldn't work for a month...a year...or three years?

What's Your Plan?

When a disability strikes, paying your bills can become an overwhelming problem. How would you manage?

• Drain savings and retirement accounts, but how long would the money last?
• Get by on your spouse's income - possible, but if you're like most, your monthly bills depend on two incomes.
• Sell your home, car or other assets, then what?
• Depend on Social Security disability - not necessarily, less than half of disability applicants are approved. Your disability has to be so severe that you are unable to do any work - not just your own occupation. If approved, benefits don't start for five months. And your disability must be expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.
• Maybe you could borrow the money to pay your bills - but how would you pay the loan back if you had no income?

Make the Smart Choice

Selecting a personal disability income insurance policy provides an income if you are disabled, when you need it most. The small premium you pay now can't compare to the benefits this kind of policy can provide if you become disabled. Disability income insurance is the most important insurance coverage you can own. You purchase car insurance to insure your car, homeowners insurance to cover your home, medical insurance to pay the doctors and the hospitals, what have you done to protect your income?

How much is Enough?

If you were unable to work or an extended period, what sources of income would be available to you? To determine the right amount of disability protection for you, your insurance professional can help tailor a plan to your specific needs and lifestyle.

What kind of Plan do I need?

The most common program today is called an "Income Replacement" policy. This is designed to replace a percentage of your lost income in the event of a disability. You also will want to make sure it is a policy that covers your own occupation versus all occupations. You can tailor mae your program to fit your needs and your budget. To help to do this, you can select how long you wish to wait before benefits begin, how long your benefits should be paid to you and the amount of your monthly benefits. If you want to assured your medical insurance can continue if you are disabled, you can select a program that will provide enough funds to cover your medical insurance premium. This is simply called a "Premium Reimburesement Plan".

No one knows what will happen in the next 24 hours, do we? Let me help you protect the way you live. For more details and a confidential interview, feel free to contact me for more information.

Next time, we will discuss Individual and group medical insurance protection and your choices.