Which of the following occupations would have the lowest disability insurance premiums

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According to the Social Security Administration, a 20-year-old worker has a one-in-four chance of becoming disabled before reaching full retirement age. Whether you're temporarily or permanently disabled, having an income replacement plan in place is critical, and this plan should include disability income insurance.

Long-term disability coverage provides you with the support you need if you were to become seriously hurt or sick and unable to work. In some cases, this support can last well into your 60s, while short-term disability helps during a temporary injury, illness, or when you give birth.

Both policies are worth considering, but long-term coverage is arguably the most valuable, especially if your ability to work becomes permanently affected. We compared more than 25 insurers to determine the best long-term disability insurance for you. Here are our top picks.

The 5 Best Long-Term Disability Insurance of 2022

  • Best Overall: Breeze
  • Best for Risky Occupations: Assurity
  • Best for Customization: Guardian Life
  • Best for No Medical Exam: Principal Financial Group
  • Best for Rider Options: Mutual of Omaha

Best Overall: Breeze

Why We Chose It

Breeze takes our best overall spot because it makes getting coverage simple and takes as little as 15 minutes to apply for and purchase a disability policy online. There is no medical exam required for most applicants, and coverage starts as low as $9 a month.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Automated underwriting makes it quick and easy to buy coverage if you qualify

  • 100% online process means most people won’t need to speak with an agent

  • No medical exams required for most applicants

  • Noncancellable and guaranteed renewal coverage through age 65 or 67

Cons

  • Consumer reviews are sparse

  • Coverage limitations regarding foreign travel and mental health

  • Some products and rates are unavailable to New York residents

Overview

Though Breeze is a fairly new digital insurance company founded in 2019, its simple buying process makes it our top choice for individual long-term disability coverage.

But despite the fact that Breeze is a newcomer, its policies are underwritten by Assurity, an insurer rated A- by AM Best that has been providing coverage since 1890. Breeze uses automated underwriting technology and algorithms to offer quick online quotes and coverage nationwide. 

Applying for coverage takes 10 minutes or less through the 100% online process. You can even purchase this coverage with just a few clicks if you're eligible, and a medical exam is not required for many customers. For instance, if you’re between 18 and 50, a medical exam probably won’t be necessary as long as you’re buying $4,000 or less in monthly coverage.

Elimination (or waiting) periods on Breeze policies range from 30 to 180 days. Benefits can run one, two, five, or 10 years in length, or they can last until you reach retirement age (65 or 67, depending on your policy). Typically, your benefit options will max out at around 60% to 80% of your income.

Available options on Breeze long-term disability policies include automatic benefit increase, guaranteed insurability, own occupation, supplemental DI, and residual disability benefit riders. While Breeze offers coverage to a variety of occupations and industries, laborers may find that their policy options are a bit more limited. Also, some products and rates will not be available to residents of New York, where Breeze policies are underwritten by a separate arm of Assurity.

Best for Risky Occupations: Assurity

Why We Chose It

Whether you're a mechanic, welder, state patrol officer, or work in any number of other high-risk occupations, Assurity is likely to have disability coverage for you, making them our top pick for risky occupations. Policies come with multiple built-in benefits as well as additional riders to choose from.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Coverage is available to many high-risk professions

  • Conditionally renewable to age 75 if employed full-time

  • Built-in benefits include waiver of premium, presumptive disability benefit, and more

  • Benefit periods range from one year to retirement age

  • Elimination period from 30 to 365 days

Cons

  • Noncancellable rider only lasts the length of the policy and is not applicable for some higher risk occupations

  • Cannot buy coverage online

  • Online quotes don’t allow for much personalization

Overview

Assurity holds an A- rating from AM Best and has roots dating back to 1890. They offer policies with full or partial coverage depending on whether you’re able to work at all.

If you work in a higher-risk profession, such as an electrician, welder, state patrol officer, or mechanic, you may find that buying disability income insurance coverage is tricky and often expensive. Many companies will refuse to insure these occupations altogether.

Assurity is one company that seems to welcome high-risk professions with its Century+ Individual Disability policy, making it our preferred provider for those risky occupations. You can choose benefit periods from one, two, five, or 10 years, or through retirement age (65 or 67, depending on underwriting class and your age). Elimination periods are 30 to 365 days.

Getting a quote online isn’t as intuitive as with other insurers, though. You’re unable to really personalize your benefits or waiting period and are forced to choose between the handful of options that Assurity’s quote tool automatically generates. Since you will need to contact an agent to finalize your coverage and purchase a policy anyway, though, this may not matter.

Best for Customization: Guardian Life

Why We Chose It

With four policy types offered and a slew of riders and coverage options, Guardian Life is our preferred choice for customization of your disability insurance. Options include group policies and supplemental insurance coverage. To help you further customize your policy, you can choose between riders like a future benefits increase, guaranteed renewability, and student loan protection, allowing you to completely customize a policy according to your needs.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Variety of riders and policy options to choose from

  • Quotes are available online for some applicants

  • Discounts available for preferred occupations such as a 10% discount for physicians

Cons

  • Many applicants will need to speak with a representative to get a quote or purchase coverage.

  • Policies are not geared toward group plans and professional workers.

  • Medical exam likely required (unless you’re buying supplemental coverage)

Overview

Founded in 1860 and backed by Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America, Guardian Life offers a number of disability insurance options including long-term coverage. The company holds an A++ rating from AM Best.

Long-term policies can replace up to 60% of your income, with benefits lasting five years, 10 years, 20 years, or until you reach retirement. Some policies will allow you to renew your coverage beyond age 65 (or 67) if you are still employed and not disabled. Every policy is different, but a typical elimination period is usually three months long. 

Depending on your age, location, and occupation, you may be able to get a quote online; others will need to contact a Guardian representative to get a price for coverage. If and when you’re ready to move forward with purchasing a policy, you’ll need to connect with an agent directly.

While Guardian Life offers individual long-term disability policies, as well as group coverage and supplemental policies, there are more products available to groups. Guardian offers long-term disability policies for a variety of professions, but they admittedly prefer certain occupations, many of which are in the medical or dental fields. In fact, Guardian even offers a 10% discount if you hold one of those “preferred occupations.”

Best for No Medical Exam: Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group

Why We Chose It

Principal Financial Group offers a few different disability insurance products, including the Simplified DI program. This allows consumers to get up to $6,000 a month in long-term coverage faster and with fewer requirements, like no medical exam, earning them our top spot in the no medical exam category.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Streamlined process is quick and easy

  • Combine different periods of disability to help reach the policy’s elimination period

  • Benefits of up to $6,000 per month are available with simplified underwriting

  • Employment requirement is only 20 hours per week

Cons

  • Online applications are not available

  • Final answer can take a few days to receive

Overview

With a history dating back to 1879, Principal Financial Group has a long and successful track record of offering quality insurance coverage. They hold an A+ financial strength rating from AM Best and offer a variety of disability insurance products to suit consumers’ needs.

Principal offers individual disability income insurance policies with up to about $20,000 in monthly benefits, though this maxes out at $6,000 if you want simplified underwriting and no medical exam. Elimination periods range from 8 to 90 days, with benefits lasting two or five years, or through retirement (ages 65, 67, or 70, depending on your policy).

While you can get online quotes, the application process is not offered online with Principal’s Simplified DI policy. Instead, you’ll need to answer a few questions with your advisor, then complete a 15-minute phone interview with one of Principal’s trained professionals. You’ll find out if you’re approved for coverage within a few days; this easy, exam-free policy option is why Principal earns our top spot for providing long-term disability insurance with no medical exam.

Unlike many other companies that require 30 hours of weekly work to be considered, Principal only requires you to work a minimum of 20 hours a week in order to qualify for a policy.

There are many different discounts available through Principal, including a 10% affiliation discount and discounts for certain associations or organizations. Policy options include waiver of premium, future benefits increase, benefits update, and transitional occupation rider, all so you can create the policy that suits you best.

Best for Rider Options: Mutual of Omaha

Why We Chose It

Mutual of Omaha may be a good choice if you’re looking for long-term disability insurance that lets you really customize your policy and keep coverage for as long as possible. They are our top choice for best policy rider options, allowing you to choose between features like future insurability, critical illness coverage, and return of premium, to name a few.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Up to $12,000 per month in benefits

  • Premiums stay level through age 67

  • Many built-in policy benefits

  • Multiple additional riders to choose from

Cons

  • Shortest elimination period is 60 days

  • Coverage can be continued through age 75, but premiums will increase

  • Quotes not available online

  • Policies must be purchased through an agent

Overview

Providing insurance coverage since 1909, Mutual of Omaha has become a trusted name throughout the United States. They hold an A+ financial strength rating from AM Best and are a Fortune 500 company with more than 13 million members.

Mutual of Omaha’s long-term disability insurance offers full-scale and personalized income protection for individuals with any budget or preference. Applicants do have to choose between a policy that is either noncancellable with premiums locked in for the duration of the benefit period or guaranteed renewable with premiums that could be increased if the company's coverage offerings change.

With this long-term policy, you’ll enjoy a plethora of built-in benefits that include total disability income, waiver of premium, proportionate disability benefit, guaranteed renewable, terminal illness benefit, rehabilitation benefit, and a survivor benefit. If you want or need more, you can also add a critical illness rider, future insurability option, accidental medical expense benefits rider, or return of premium benefits rider, thus earning Mutual of Omaha our nod as best for rider options.

Waiting periods for the long-term disability policy are between 60 and 365 days, with benefits paying out for periods from six months to retirement age (67). You also can continue coverage through age 70, however, premiums increase after age 67.

In order to get a quote or purchase a policy, you’ll need to go through a Mutual of Omaha agent directly.

Final Verdict

Long-term disability insurance is a good idea to protect your income in the event you become injured or ill and are unable to work.

We reviewed the top long-term disability insurance companies and chose Breeze as our best option. But Breeze may not be the best choice for your personal situation. Use our list as a guide and pick a long-term disability insurer that works best for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Long-Term Disability Insurance?

Long-term disability insurance is coverage intended to protect your income if you are unable to work due to illness or injury. While short-term disability insurance usually lasts a maximum of two years, long-term coverage can often last five or 10 years, if not all the way through to your retirement. 

Should You Get Long-Term Disability Insurance?

No one expects to find themselves disabled. Unfortunately, it happens often and can impact you for weeks, months, or even years at a time. Having disability insurance coverage to call upon could make or break your household budget.

More than half of American households admit to living paycheck-to-paycheck. If that income were to suddenly disappear due to an unexpected disability, would you still be able to manage the expenses out of pocket? Could you do it for six months, or even longer?

If not, you’re definitely not alone. Let’s say your household expenses total $4,000 per month; over the course of six months, that’s $24,000 that you’d need to have in emergency savings just to stay afloat. With long-term disability insurance, though, a percentage of your income would be protected, allowing you to heal, recover, and still pay your bills at the same time.

If you have the emergency savings on-hand to keep your family afloat during an unexpected illness or injury, long-term disability might not be necessary. However, if you worry that you would run out of savings—or are currently unprepared for such a burden—it’s worth considering a policy.

What Is Considered a Long-Term Disability?

A long-term disability is an injury, illness, or medical condition preventing someone from working their usual job, at their usual pace, or making their usual income.

You might be surprised to learn that approximately 90% of long-term disabilities today are the result of an illness, not an accident or injury. This puts disability in the realm of possibility for any of us, no matter how young, healthy, or seemingly safe. 

Long-term disabilities could include cancer, neurological or joint disorders, and asthma, to name a few. They could also include injuries, like those due to a fall or even a car accident. 

If you have long-term disability coverage, it can protect your income for years, though you will need to wait until the end of your elimination period to begin receiving funds. This is why some people also carry short-term disability insurance; these policies can have waiting periods as short as zero days, helping bridge the gap for you and your bank account.

How Long Does Long-Term Disability Last?

Even after coverage is approved, your long-term disability insurance benefits won’t kick in until you’ve satisfied the waiting period requirement. For most policies, this is at least 30 days, though it can easily be 60, 120, 365, or even 720 days. 

Once benefits start, they will continue until your predetermined benefits limit is reached. This is the period of time you chose when you purchased the policy, and can last for a specific number of years (often one to 10) or through retirement. The longer the benefits period, the more you’ll pay in premiums for your coverage.

What Does Long-Term Disability Insurance Cost?

As with all insurance policies, your cost for long-term disability insurance will depend on your personal factors as well as the policy features you choose. Typically, however, premiums will cost around 1% to 4% of your annual income.

As we saw in the examples above, a 35-year-old nurse practitioner in Virginia could expect to pay around $150 to $170 per month for $4,000 in disability insurance coverage, for a 10-year benefit. However, this could vary greatly based on location, medical exam results, and optional riders.

How We Chose the Best Long-Term Disability Insurance

In creating this list, we looked at and compared more than 25 different disability insurers offering long-term coverage. In order to choose the best for each of these long-term coverage categories, we considered a variety of factors including the ease of obtaining a quote and buying a policy, coverage availability, price, financial strength ratings, and policy options.

We also looked at customization options and features available, which allow customers to really create the policy that best suits their and their family’s needs.

Which of the following would not fall into the category of costs associated with death quizlet?

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Which of the following is an example of liquidity in a life insurance contract?

Examples of liquidity in life insurance include anything that allows you to easily access cash via your policy: Taking out a loan: Life insurance loans are a form of liquidity that let you borrow from your permanent life insurance policy's value (if it has grown enough).

Who needs disability insurance the most?

4 Types of People Who Need Disability Insurance.
The Sole Provider of the Family. If you work outside the home earning a living for your family, disability insurance can go a long way to protect your earning potential. ... .
People in Physically Demanding Roles. ... .
Parents. ... .
Those With Recurring Injuries..