No one really wants to get disabled because of an accident or illness. That doesn’t mean though that it can’t happen to you. Much as we would like to pretend otherwise, accidents and illnesses do not always happen only to others. Even if you are an extraordinarily careful person you still are not immune from falling down the stairs, cracking your head on an icy sidewalk, getting hit by a drunken driver or becoming afflicted with some debilitating disease.
Let’s face it. Illnesses and accidents can happen anytime and to anybody. If you are really lucky, you will walk away from the experience with little more than a few painful memories. Sometimes however, a disease or injury can knock you out of work for days, weeks, months or even permanently. Unless you happen to have a super large bank account, a rich relative or the most caring employer in the world, a disability resulting from a non-workplace injury can hurt you financially in a really bad way. A single year of total disability can wipe out multiple years worth of painstaking savings. It’s one of the reasons why getting disability insurance is such a good idea.
Disability insurance pays your salary, or a portion of it, when you are too sick or too hurt to work. It can contribute towards your bills, help you make the payments on your home and car, pay for your groceries, take care of your children’s education and even help you sock away a few dollars for your retirement. Employers used to pay for these policies until even relatively recently, but a growing number are refusing to do so any longer. That means it really is up to you to figure out and purchase what you need by way of short-term and long-term disability coverage. The few dollars that you spend on the policy each month will be more than worth it if you ever are unfortunate enough to become disabled. It can happen. Even if you fervently wish it never does.
