In my last article, “The Basics of Disability Income Insurance,” we defined disability income insurance and explained why it is necessary. BC Brokerage is here to help you with the first steps in making sure you have a great plan that is right for your needs.
If you already have one or multiple long-term disability income insurance policies, it is helpful to re-examine what you have. If you need help finding your policies, BC Brokerage can retrieve an Agent of Record (AOR) change form and get a copy of the policy for you or make any service changes you may need (updating beneficiaries, address changes, etc.).
Some questions to consider: Does the benefit amount still make sense? Do you have enough? Do you have too much? Are there riders you would like to drop to save some money?
Items to Gather
Before we look into a disability income insurance policy for you, you will need to gather up a few items. We will need to know the following:
Income—check your last W-2 or 1099 income
Monthly Spending—examine your average spending habits - need help? Check out Everydollar.com to get your expenses and spending figured out to the penny
Employer offered disability income insurance—check with Human Resources or your offer letter
Group policies offered through a specialty society, if applicable. This mainly applies to medical professionals, law associations, etc.
Once we have this information, we will be able to start the quoting process.
From Application to Policy in Hand
When you start the application process with BC Brokerage, you will need to provide some other information in addition to the items above. We will need to know your age, gender, health status, specialty and state of residence. To go ahead and see our quoting tools, click here.
Once we have all the required information, we will discuss the various available policies. Because we pull from over 100 carriers, we are able to find you the best definitions and pricing on the insurance market. We will also sift through different riders and see which, if any, are applicable to you.
When evaluating the options we give you, be sure to ask every question you can think of and educate yourself on the pros and cons of each policy. Once we select the policy that fits you best, we will begin the application process which includes completing our client fast facts sheet, e-signatures via Docusign, and a paramedic physical exam. This exam usually consists of vitals, blood and urine.
After the physical exam is complete, the underwriting process will begin. In a month or so, once underwriting is approved and an offer has been made, you will have your policy.
How BC Brokerage Goes the Extra Mile
For every one of our cases, we thoroughly explain the definition, the built-in riders, and paid-for riders that are available.
We always check to see if a discount is available. For example, getting 3+ employees to get individual disability income policies will result in a discount. At 5+ policies, we can apply for Unisex Guaranteed Issue rates.
We also make sure to educate you on specific features of insurance products that save you money. For example, disability income insurance is more expensive for women than men, so we advise men to buy a “gender-specific” policy and women to buy a “unisex” policy.
BC Brokerage is here for you through every step of the disability income insurance process. If you have any questions, or would like to see some quotes and illustrations, please reach out to us today.
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BC Brokerage - Your #1 Insurance Brokerage - We specialize in Life Insurance, Disability Income, Annuities, and Long Term Care insurance solutions.
Contact us today at 765-730-7146.
