Disability Insurance Saves a Family—Twice :30

Disability Insurance Saves a Family—Twice :30

by | May 18, 2020

Valerie King was not a believer. When she transitioned from her medical residency to practicing as an emergency room physician, she didn’t think she needed disability insurance. “I could never envision a life without working,” she says. Her insurance professional convinced the young doctor otherwise.

It was wise advice. Although Valerie never thought she would need it, a condition called ulcerative colitis made the decision for her. The disease and a series of surgeries made it impossible for her to carry out her duties, and she found herself unable to practice the profession she loved. It was her disability insurance coverage that allowed her to survive financially and care for her three young daughters who she was raising as a single mother.

Life also had a second chapter for Valerie. She met and married Tim, also a divorced parent. They looked forward to raising their blended family together and sought the advice of insurance professional Larry Ricke, CLU, ChFC. In addition to the life insurance he had recommended, Larry made sure Tim understood the importance of disability insurance. Tim didn’t believe he’d ever need it, but with Valerie’s urging he finally agreed to get coverage.

“No one thinks lightening will strike twice,” says Larry, “but in this case it did.” Tim, who had a high-profile position in the printing business, came close to dying from an undiagnosed aneurism and valve issue with his heart. A risky operation saved his life but ultimately left him unable to return to work. Again, disability insurance made it possible for the family to go on financially.

“Most people think, ‘It will never happen to me,’” says Valerie. “But the truth is it can—and does. Everything else goes away if you don’t have disability insurance coverage and you can’t work.”

Careful Planning Saved a Family and a Business

Careful Planning Saved a Family and a Business

by | May 18, 2020

The change from being a pastor to opening up an IT business is not for the fainthearted. But Tim Meredith knew this career leap would benefit his family by allowing them to stay in the area they loved, while also letting him to try something new.

While it may have been an adventure, neither Tim nor his insurance professional Joe Grabar, CLU, CFP, took the change lightly. Since Tim no longer had benefits through the church, they put in place health insurance, increased his personal disability insurance coverage, and added long-term care insurance. Importantly, Tim also got a disability insurance overhead policy for the business.

Just six months later, on a Sunday afternoon, Tim found himself doubled over in pain. What he thought was a kidney stone was, in fact, an iliac aneurism, which caused him to suffer two strokes. Doctors operated, but said he only had a 5 percent chance of survival. Tim beat those odds, reviving from a coma after three weeks and eventually moving on to rehab.

While Tim has been away from his fledgling business, it continues on in his absence because of the planning he and Joe had done. The disability insurance overhead policy helps the business meet payroll and pay vendors, while assuring customers that the business will go on. Tim’s personal disability policy replaces a portion of his salary, which helps pay for the family’s everyday expenses, such as the mortgage and groceries. The long-term care policy is there to pick up where health insurance leaves off, when it comes to rehab and other care expenses.

Tim is doing better each day, and plans on going back to work at his company in the near future. “I’m so thankful I had these policies in place,” says Tim. “Without this planning, I’m not sure where my family would be financially, or if my business would even still be alive today.”

A Career Lost, but Not a Way of Life

A Career Lost, but Not a Way of Life

by | May 18, 2020

At 45, attorney Peter Zatir attributed the fatigue he was feeling to middle age. Add to that a busy law practice and five active kids—the youngest just a year old—and it’s easy to see how he could have written off the early signs of a serious illness. When he finally visited his doctor, the diagnosis was grim. He had an aggressive form of thyroid cancer and was given less than a year to live.

As Peter lay awake at night, his financial situation was one thing he didn’t lose sleep over. When Peter and his partner opened their law practice, they knew they needed insurance advice and turned to Brent Kimball, CFP, CLU, ChFC, who convinced them to protect their incomes and the business with disability insurance.

Shortly after Peter stopped working to focus on fighting his disease, the individual disability insurance policy he purchased began paying a monthly benefit. A year later, Peter had outlived his prognosis, but knew with a damaged larynx that he could never return to the courtroom to litigate cases. Because the partners had set up a buy-sell agreement and funded it with a disability buy-out policy, Peter was compensated for his half of the business, and his partner became the sole owner.

An experimental drug reduced Peter’s tumor, which surgeons were then able to operate on. Now, almost six years after his diagnosis, Peter is doing better, and has been able to maintain his family’s standard of living. He continues to receive benefits from his individual disability policy, and his retirement is being funded thanks to an additional disability policy he had in place for that purpose. “I dread where we would be today if I hadn’t taken Brent’s advice,” he says.

A Career Lost, but Not a Way of Life :30

A Career Lost, but Not a Way of Life :30

by | May 18, 2020

Peter was 45 when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Fortunately, Peter had protected his business and family with disability insurance. That allowed Peter to focus on his recovery, without having to worry about how his family’s living expenses would be met.

Watch the full length version here.

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