We post blog articles here regularly about financial, physical, and emotional wellness, and the steps working Americans can take to protect their income and strengthen their resilience, at home and in the workplace.
Small businesses are a vital part of the U.S. economy. From independent professionals and local service providers to small agencies and retail businesses, more than 36 million business owners operate across the country. Small businesses are not only an important…
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Open enrollment is often when employers take a fresh look at their benefits strategy. How competitive are the plans? Are costs sustainable? Are employees using the benefits available to them? And perhaps most importantly, are the benefits meeting the needs of today’s workforce? There’s another question worth asking: If one of your employees couldn’t work…
We rarely think about disability in economic terms. Instead, we tend to focus on what disability costs: Social Security benefits, healthcare expenses, lost wages, and lost productivity. But what if we looked at it from a different angle? What if we asked how much economic activity occurs because people with disabilities keep earning income? The…
When most people hear about the No Surprises Act (NSA), they think about protection from unexpected medical bills. Before federal protections took effect, research showed that surprise medical bills were a significant issue for U.S. patients. That is exactly what the law was designed to address: shield patients from certain surprise out-of-network charges. But there…
The leaves are turning, so it is time for the Council for Disability Income Awareness’s (CDIA) Fall Campaign to ramp up. The Fall Campaign has historically focused on helping educate and motivate employees to consider enrollment or reenrollment in employer-provided disability programs. Unfortunately, with much of the attention focused on health insurance, including potential premium…
Why Traditional Employer Coverage May Not Fully Protect Executive Income – and What to Consider in Addition Spontaneity can add excitement to life—whether it’s a last-minute getaway or an unplanned purchase. However, while some surprises can create lasting memories, others, like an illness or injury that leaves you unable to work, can significantly disrupt income…
Why Supplemental Coverage Matters in a Workforce That Keeps Changing As part of Disability Insurance Awareness Month, many conversations are centered around a simple but important theme: Protect Tomorrow Today. For working professionals, that message has become increasingly relevant in a workforce where careers, employers, and income structures are constantly evolving. Many employees assume the…
Once you’ve had cancer, the world can go quiet. When the treatment ends, everyone exhales. Except you. I’m a cancer survivor and the Membership Director for the CDIA. As someone from the insurance industry, I never fully grasped the importance of income protection until my own personal experience. After cancer, your body doesn’t leap gracefully…
A short letter from your future self about the decision that kept life moving forward when the unexpected happened. Dear Me, I know you’re busy. You’ve got plans stacked on plans. A calendar full of “someday.” A mind full of “next year.” A life that runs on momentum. And right now, things are fine. That’s…
Over my career as an actuary and business leader at Principal, disability income protection has been an important and consistent area of focus for me because I’ve seen how essential it is to have it when life takes an unexpected turn. That conviction is deeply shared across Principal, and it’s one of the reasons we…
Affordability is a major concern for employers, with discussions frequently focusing on healthcare expenses, out-of-pocket costs, and wage pressures. Employees are facing similar financial challenges – and it’s impacting how they use and experience their benefits, including disability and leave. Recent findings from MetLife’s 2026 U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS) find that half (50%)…
When considering the theme “Protect Tomorrow Today,” an important question comes to mind: whom are we protecting? From the perspective of a disability insurance professional, the obvious answer is the employee covered by the policy. But disability insurance protects much more than the individual worker. It can also protect families, employers, and communities. The importance…
Disability Income Planning Disability income planning generally focuses on replacing lost work earnings. Many employer-sponsored long-term disability (LTD) plans replace 60% of salary, which may initially appear sufficient. Consumers and financial advisors often evaluate whether this reduced income level would still support the household’s expected monthly expenses. Some expenses may decrease during a period of…