Just the Tip:
During your working years, you’re far more likely to become disabled than to die, yet most people carry life insurance and no disability coverage. Employer plans typically replace only 40-60% of base salary, and the benefit is often taxable. Price an individual long-term disability policy while you’re healthy. Your income is the asset everything else depends on.
The math is lopsided. The Social Security Administration estimates that 1 in 4 of today’s 20-year-olds will experience a disability before reaching retirement age. And illness, not injury, drives most long-term claims. Back problems, cancer, and heart disease sideline far more workers than accidents do.
The group plan from work is thinner than it looks. Most group plans count base salary alone, so bonuses and commissions vanish from the benefit. If your employer pays the premium, the IRS taxes every check you receive. Many plans also switch definitions after two years. Benefits then continue only if you can’t work in any occupation, not just your own. And the policy ends the day you leave the job, right along with the paycheck it was meant to protect.
Closing the gap takes an afternoon. Pull your benefits summary and confirm three things: the percentage of pay your plan replaces, the monthly benefit cap, and whether you or your employer pays the premium. The answers tell you exactly how much income would show up if you couldn’t work next month.
Then quote an individual long-term disability policy to layer on top. Expect to spend roughly 1% to 3% of your income. Look for an “own occupation” definition and a benefit period that runs to retirement age. The policy is yours, so it follows you from job to job no matter who signs your paycheck. Pay the premium with after-tax dollars and any benefits arrive tax-free.
Insurers price disability coverage on age and health, and both move in one direction. The strongest policy you’ll ever qualify for is the one you apply for today.
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