Lucky you! Not all companies offer group disability income insurance. But you can’t keep your coverage if you switch employers. And chances are, your group benefits alone won’t protect a large enough percentage of your salary, bonus and incentive income.
“I have group coverage through my employer. I don’t need individual coverage.”
Group long-term disability (LTD) coverage is a great start to protecting income; however, unless supplemented, it likely will not be enough in the event you become disabled. An individual disability insurance policy is a terrific supplement to the foundation that group LTD provides and can help ensure that you’re adequately protected.
Reasons to consider supplementing group coverage:
- Benefit caps put in place for the entire group often leave high-earning employees with the least amount of income protection.
- Coverage is generally basic and cannot be personalized to your individual needs because it is not individually owned.
- Since coverage is not individually owned, you cannot take it with you when you change employers.
- Group coverage can be changed or cancelled at any time by your employer or by the insurance provider.
- When premiums are employer-paid, net benefits are reduced due to taxation, minimizing income replacement.