Why We Should Insure Income?

Life is full of calamities. That’s why insurance was invented — people buy life insurance, auto insurance, flood insurance. But what about the one asset you have that allows you to pay for all those insurance policies? That would be your income, which most people don’t think about insuring.

It’s understandable that most workers envision or at least hope that they will remain strong, healthy and able to continue working up until retirement. But unfortunately, that is not always the case. If misfortune does strike, a steady flow of income may be the only way to get through it financially.

Here are some things to think about when it comes to insuring your income. (For related reading, see: 7 Issues to Consider When Determining Life Insurance Coverage.)

Benefits of Disability Insurance
There are many types of income insurance; disability insurance is the most common as it provides a way for people to insure their income and protect their family’s assets if an illness does occur.

Many people mistakenly believe that once they have purchased a life insurance policy, they have sufficiently protected their family financially in the case of an untimely death.

That may be true, but what if that income earner becomes injured in a car accident or contracts a long or short-term illness and is unable to continue working? In this scenario, life insurance won’t be of much help.

That’s why more and more financial advisors are suggesting that their clients purchase disability income protection insurance, which will typically replace a portion of one’s income if the policyholder suddenly becomes unable to work due to an accident, illness or a disability.

There are many different types of these policies available and while their terms may differ, most will continue to pay one’s salary until the policyholder can start working again or passes away.

Typically, there’s a waiting period before a disability policy kicks in, but it will usually start paying out immediately after any sick pay from an employer ends.

The amount a policy pays out may decrease over time, but most will continue to cover the policyholder during the period of time that their illnesses leaves the policyholder unable to work.

Some payouts may only continue until the policy expires, which may be at the end of a stated period, or when the person reaches retirement age. (For related reading, see: Understanding the Different Types of Life Insurance.)

In this way, disability income policies differ from critical illness insurance, which pays just a single lump-sum payment if the policyholder is impacted with a serious or life threatening disease. Short-term disability income protection insurance may also differ from a more standard plan in that it pays out a monthly sum in relation to one’s income for just a set or limited period of time.

High Costs of Being Sick
The high day-to-day costs of maintaining a household while out of work can be daunting, but many people are shocked to find out how much an illness can end up costing them in terms of medical bills — even if they have health insurance. There are often additional doctor bills and hospital costs that are not covered by insurance, and these costs can add up to the point of being overwhelming.

The various types of disability income insurance can help cover those costs and can help a family avoid going into bankruptcy in the most extreme cases.

Disability insurance is not the only type of insurance that can help protect one’s income during difficult times. There are also income insurance products that only kick in when someone becomes unemployed.

Unemployment protection insurance, also referred to as redundancy insurance, protects policyholders' incomes if a person suddenly loses their job for any variety of reasons; it pays out a monthly sum for a set period of time.

These policies typically cover the portion of a person’s weekly salary that is not covered by government unemployment benefits. (For related reading, see: Choosing the Best Disability Insurance.)

Mortgage payment protection insurance is another type of insurance that can be extremely beneficial if a person loses his or her income. These policies protect policyholders by paying out the equivalent of their monthly mortgage payments during any period in which they become unable to work.

The Bottom Line
No one’s ability to keep producing income is guaranteed. That’s why purchasing income insurance may be the best way to protect one’s assets in the event of any type of devastating loss.

Reference :

investopedia.com