How to Money · Monday, July 27, 2026
A listener highlighted the importance of long-term disability insurance, noting it's as crucial as life insurance for protecting income in case of disabling illness. The hosts agreed, emphasizing that while workplace coverage may be insufficient, individual policies are vital, especially for those in physically demanding jobs or single individuals. They suggested that a quarter of Americans experience disabilities that keep them out of work for extended periods.
“I'm a little surprised I haven't ever once heard you mentioned long term disability insurance. Of course I haven't listened to every back episode, so you probably have at some point. I've heard you mentioned life insurance many times though, but never long term disability, which is interesting because it's probably as important, if not more, if you become disabled and lose your ability to earn.”
“Stats show that a quarter of Americans are going to experience a disability, a disability you can't even say that, right, that keeps them out of work for three months or longer. And like your situation, Courtney, most of those come from an illness, not necessarily an accident, which means that we're all vulnerable it's not just the folks who happen to enjoy skydiving or something like that.”
“It's important to mention that these policies aren't inexpensive, right, they're not cheap, but you can shop on a site like policy genius. But you're typically talking about spending somewhere in the neighborhood of one to three percent of your annual income to pay for this policy.”