How to Convince a Friend to Get Disability Insurance
We all want our friends to be happy and healthy, but sometimes it’s hard to know how best to help. Let’s consider disability insurance.
If you’re a friend of someone who doesn’t have disability insurance and you’ve been trying for years to convince them to get some, here are the best tips for getting through:
- Let them know you care about them.
You need to ensure your friend knows how much you care about them. This can be done in a variety of ways.
For example, tell them directly that you want them to be safe and secure in their future.
Remind yourself that they mean a lot to you, and let it show in your voice and words.
Expressing love for others should be second nature for most humans, but if it isn’t already part of how you talk with people close to you, make an effort toward doing so more often.
- Ask why they don’t want to get insurance.
Knowing the reasoning behind their decision is key to convincing a friend to get disability insurance. If your friend doesn’t know about disability insurance, then it’s time for an education.
Tell them about how much money they could lose if they become disabled and can no longer work. Explain that many companies offer short-term disability coverage as part of their benefits package, but this only covers a portion of the employee’s salary.
Make sure your friend understands that long-term disability insurance will pay out regardless of how long they are out of work—and that it can be taken as early as age 30 or at any point in the future without worrying about pre-existing conditions.
- Remind them of their past accidents and illnesses.
If your friend has a history of injuries or illnesses, they may be more likely to get disability insurance.
This is because their past can indicate the likelihood that they will suffer future injuries or illnesses that could leave them unable to work.
The most common causes of disability are back injuries, neck injuries, and arthritis-related problems.
If your friend has already suffered from one of these conditions, it’s likely that they will have another episode in the future unless they take precautions now.
- Do some research for them.
To convince your friend to get disability insurance, you should do some research for them.
Get the statistics: how many people are disabled each year, how long they’re disabled, and how much it costs. Here’s a statistic to use-according to the CDC, 26% of Americans will be disabled at some point in their life.
Explain how much they could lose if they don’t get disability insurance and what happens if their illness or injury becomes so severe that they can’t work anymore.
Not having disability insurance is a huge risk. If you become disabled and can’t work, your income will stop.
You’ll lose the money you depend on to pay for medical bills, groceries, and mortgage payments.
In addition to losing all those things that matter so much to you in your life, if the worst happens: Losing your job means not being able to cover rent or mortgage payments. Without this income stream coming in each month, losing one’s job could mean losing their home!
- Suggest alternatives or compromises.
If your friend doesn’t want to get disability insurance through his or her employer, look for other ways that he or she can be covered.
You might suggest that your friend get a personal disability policy from an agency you have done research on, like this one. Many businesses offer this type of coverage as an employee benefit
Compromise on the amount of coverage. Your friend may not be able to afford a lot of money in disability insurance.
He or she may still be paying off college loans and/or hasn’t built up much savings yet.
In this case, consider getting a smaller amount of coverage than what’s recommended by financial experts—this will likely lower monthly premiums and allow your friend more flexibility when making payments each month.
Conclusion
Disability insurance can make a huge difference in your life, so encourage your friends to get it too!
Disability insurance is a smart, affordable way for friends to protect themselves from the financial ramifications of a long-term illness or injury. The results could be catastrophic if you aren’t covered.
If you’re thinking about getting disability insurance yourself, use these tips to convince your friend to get in on the action too!
