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Disability Insurance: What Residents Need to Know – Part 3
June 19, 2017Disability Insurance Attorney, Disability Resourcesbenefits, choosing a disability insurance policy, disability benefits, disability insurance, disability insurance attorney, disability insurance retirement, disability insurance retirement income, disability insurance retirement income protection, disability insurance student loans, individual insurance policy, lifetime benefits, lump sum rider, maximum benefit, maximum benefit period, policy rider, premiums, retirement, return of premium rider, rider, student loan debt disability, student loan protection, student loan ridercomitz	In our previous posts in this series, we examined why residents should not wait to acquire disability coverage and discussed some key provisions to look for when selecting an individual disability policy. In this post, we’ll be taking a look at a few more provisions you may want to look for when selecting a policy. More specifically, we are going to look at some policy provisions that can help you meet your monthly expenses in the event of disability, along with some policy provisions that can help you plan for your retirement.
Student Loan Coverage Rider
If you are like most residents, you have accrued a significant amount of student loan debt. The time it takes to pay off student loan debt varies widely based on income and other expenses. Many doctors must practice for several years before they are able to pay off all of their student loans, and student loan obligations can be a significant monthly expense to meet if you are disabled and no longer able to practice. Although not as common as other riders, a student loan coverage rider allows policy holders to insure their student loan for an additional amount each month, on top of their benefits.
This provision allows you to forego paying your policy premiums while you are receiving disability benefits, freeing up a substantial portion of the monthly income you would otherwise be paying back to the insurance company.
This provision, while not as common, entitles the policy holder to receive a refund of all premiums if he or she does not become disabled before the expiration of the policy term. This can be appealing to residents, whose plans will be in effect for a long time.
This important provision in a policy controls the period of time the insured is eligible to receive benefits. Most plans pay benefits until age 65 or 67, some pay lifetime benefits, and others pay for only a limited amount of time, even if a claim is filed decades before the policy terminates.
The majority of doctors under 40 list preparing for retirement as their top financial goal.[1] There are several different disability policy riders directed towards this goal, including the following.
Graded Lifetime Benefit Rider: This provision, based on its terms, extends some or all of your disability benefits past the normal end date of age 65 or 67.
Lump Sum Rider: This rider provides for a one-time payment once the policy expiration age is reached. Typically, policy holders must have received benefits for at least one year and the lump sum payment is typically a percentage of the aggregate sum of benefits received during the policy term.
Retirement Protection Insurance: Depending on the insurer, this may be offered as a rider or a stand-alone policy. If you become disabled and your claim is approved, your insurer will establish a trust for your benefit, where benefits are deposited and invested (similar to an employer-sponsored 401(k)), with funds likely becoming accessible after the age of 65.
Our next post in this series will discuss the importance of choosing a plan where benefits increase over time.
[1] 2015 Report on U.S. Physicians’ Financial Preparedness, Young Physicians Segment, American Medical Association Insurance, https://www.amainsure.com/reports/2015-young-physician-report/index.html?page=5.
Leave a comment	Protecting Your Retirement Income – Part 3
March 20, 2017Disability Resources, Insurance Newsdisability insurance retirement income protection, retirement income protection, retirement protection insurancecomitz	Retirement Protection Insurance
In our last two posts we discussed two different disability insurance policy riders that may help mitigate the problems that a disabling condition can create for your retirement planning. A graded lifetime benefits rider and a lump sum benefit rider offer two alternative solutions to the same problem, with one providing a reliable, steady income stream and the other providing a greater degree of financial flexibility. If neither of those options are particularly appealing, some disability insurance companies have created another product that, unlike lifetime benefits or a lump sum, is specifically tailored toward the retirement planning challenges posed by a total and permanent disability.
What Is Retirement Protection Insurance?
Retirement protection insurance was created by some insurers precisely to deal with these concerns. Depending on the insurer, this product may be offered as a standalone policy or as a rider to your existing disability insurance policy. The idea behind retirement protection insurance is to create an investment product that functions similarly to the qualified 401(k) you contribute to in your current occupation, allowing you to take advantage of both the market returns and employer contributions that you currently enjoy.
How does this work? If you become totally disabled and your claim is approved, your insurer will establish a trust for your benefit. Each month, benefits are deposited into the trust and invested in index funds and other investment portfolios similar to the options you have with your employer-sponsored 401(k). This product can cover up to 100% of your retirement contributions and 100% of employer contributions at a maximum of $50,000 per year. Under the terms of the trust, you will be able to access these funds after age 65.
At first glance, this product appears to solve the problems that a disability can create for retirement savings. Specifically, it appears tailor made as a substitute for your employer-sponsored 401(k), which you can no longer contribute to once you stop working due to a disability. However, there are some issues with this particular product that you will want to clarify with your insurer before purchasing it as a rider or as a standalone policy.
First, some insurers are using a different definition of disability for this product than for your standard individual disability insurance policy. In many cases, the definition of total disability for this specific product is narrower and more stringent (i.e. you must be unable to perform work in any occupation) than the specialty-specific own-occupation definition in most disability insurance policies purchased by doctors and dentists.
For example, assume you have an own occupation policy with this rider and due to your medical condition you are unable to perform your duties as an orthopedic surgeon. For three years you collect monthly benefits through your policy and also enjoy three years’ worth of contributions to the trust account established for your benefit by your insurer. After three years, you go back to work as a primary care physician. Because you are still disabled under the terms of your own occupation policy, you continue receiving monthly benefits. However, the retirement contributions to your trust cease because the definition of total disability is “any occupation.” Under this scenario, even though you are totally disabled for the purposes of your policy, you are no longer receiving the benefit of the rider you paid good money for because it measures your disability by a different standard.
Second, because the investment account is held in trust, somebody has to manage it. As a result, there may be fees associated with both the management of the trust and the investment account. Also, 401(k) accounts receive special tax treatment – as long as the money stays in your account it is allowed to grow tax-free without any capital gains tax levied against your investment returns. It may very well be that any investment account held in trust by your insurer through this insurance product will be fully taxed.
Before you purchase retirement protection insurance either as a rider or as a standalone policy, you will want to clarify the issues addressed above. Make sure you fully understand the terms (including the definition of total disability), the fees, and the tax implications of this product before you purchase it. Though initially it may look like an attractive option, the costs may outweigh the benefits, and other options to protect your retirement income may be a better solution for your particular circumstances and objectives.
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