The insurance you're probably underinsured on (and it isn't life insurance)

Ask most people what happens to their income if they get badly hurt and can't work, and you'll get a shrug — that's something that happens to other people. The Social Security Administration puts the odds at about 1 in 4 that today's 20-year-olds will become disabled before they reach retirement age. Most working people have no plan for it, and it's rarely life insurance that would have helped.

Workers' comp only covers the job

Workers' compensation generally pays only for an injury or illness that happens because of your job — often around two-thirds of your wages — and it pays nothing for an injury or illness that happens off the clock. A bad fall at home, an illness that has nothing to do with work, a car accident on the way to the grocery store: none of that is covered by comp.

"I have coverage through work" often means less than it sounds

A lot of people have some group disability coverage through their employer and assume they're set. Group policies commonly replace only 40% to 60% of base pay, frequently don't count overtime or tips, and the coverage usually disappears the day you leave the job — whether that's your choice or not.

Short-term and long-term aren't the same thing

• Short-term disability covers a few weeks to a few months right after an injury or illness, and it usually starts paying fast.
• Long-term disability picks up after short-term runs out and can pay for years — sometimes to retirement — for a serious condition.
• Many households need both: short-term to bridge the early weeks, long-term to protect against something that doesn't resolve quickly.

The math that makes it worth ten minutes

A few months with no paycheck can undo years of saving and pile on debt fast — and coverage is priced on your health and your job today, so putting it off can mean paying more for it later, or not being able to get it at all once something changes. That asymmetry is the whole case for looking at it now, while you're still healthy enough to have options.

Where to start

Brix can compare what your work plan actually pays against your real monthly need and show you the gap in plain numbers. If you're self-employed or your job offers nothing, Your Crew can connect you with a fee-only agent who can size an individual policy to your actual income and risk — not a commission target.

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