Protect Tomorrow Today: Why Income Protection Matters

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Protect Tomorrow Today, Campaign Kickoff, The CDIA

Spring is an exciting season for the Council for Disability Income Awareness (CDIA). This blog kicks off our annual Spring Campaign, which, together with DIAM™, highlights the importance of disability income insurance for working Americans.

Over the next few months, our member firms and industry experts will share blogs and videos each week. We encourage you to explore the content—and share it with your audiences.

Employers can provide income protection coverage through group short- and long-term disability plans, voluntary worksite products, or individual disability policies. Millions of Americans still need this coverage but don’t have it or lack access through their workplace. We aim to expand access to this vital protection for working Americans.

The CDIA has greatly expanded its mission. We now reach the general public, employers, agents, brokers, and benefit representatives. We encourage all working Americans to understand the benefits available through their employer. If you’re unsure, connect with your HR team and ask questions. Make sure you understand what your benefits would be if you became disabled. Review how long you must be out of work before benefits begin, how long they last, and whether federal taxes could reduce them.

Employers play a vital role in supporting their workforce. Offering group disability benefits can strengthen employee well-being, improve retention, and support your bottom line. Agents and advisors should also make income protection part of every conversation. If it’s missing, there’s a gap in the plan. No financial plan is complete without income replacement. Don’t complete a Fact Finder and overlook the clear shortfall a client faces without coverage.

On our website, you’ll find disability Fact Sheets, recent blogs, and soon, videos that highlight this important topic, along with tools to help you or your clients better understand potential exposure. These tools only deliver value when people use them. Take a few minutes to explore the site, which we update monthly with new content. You can also sign up to receive periodic updates from the CDIA.

DIAM is a month-long initiative that raises awareness of the risks many working Americans face if they become disabled. For the CDIA and its member companies, promoting the importance of income protection isn’t limited to one month—it’s our mission every day of the year.

Bob Herum

Bob Herum, MSFS, CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC, DIA, DIF, LTCP CDIA President. Bob has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry and has demonstrated success as a producer, a wholesaler and as a manager. Bob has been published in such magazines as The American College’s Wealth Magazine, National Underwriter, Life Insurance Selling, Broker’s World, NAIFA’s Advisor Today and Health Insurance Underwriters (HIU). Additionally, he has spoken at national, regional and state forums on a variety of disability and worksite sales topics and is a recipient of the W. Harold Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Disability Income Society (IDIS). Bob retired as a Colonel from the Army Reserves. He is a past President of the Columbus, Ohio NAIFA chapter, a two-time past President with the International Disability Society, past-chair of the NAHU’s Disability Insurance Advisory Group, and past-President for the Cincinnati Society of Financial Service Professionals (FSP). Bob is married to Teri and has one son, Nick.