I Thought I Was Protected…
I believed my employer benefits were enough. Then I spent 18 months on disability living on 30% of my income — and when I tried to get coverage afterward, I was declined. Here’s what I wish someone had told me.
This has been on my heart for a while.
I keep having the same conversation — in client meetings, in DMs, in coffee chats with women who are building businesses and raising kids and holding everything together. And every time, I realize the same thing:
We are not protected the way we think we are.
I know because I wasn’t either.
My Story
Earlier in my career I truly believed my employer benefits were enough. I had mortgage life insurance. I had creditor insurance through my lender. I assumed that covered me. I wasn’t insurance licensed at the time.
Then life happened.
I ended up needing short-term disability, which turned into long-term disability for 18 months. It paid 30% of my income.
I was a single mom. I had two little girls to provide for. Bills to pay. A life that needed to keep functioning.
So I did what so many do — I pulled from my investments. I went into debt, just to keep going.
I thought I was doing the responsible thing. But the truth is I didn’t have adequate insurance. And when I eventually left that job and went looking for new coverage?
I was declined.
Because I had a history now. Because I was a higher risk.
The thing I had overlooked became the thing I couldn’t access.
That has been one of the most significant financial mistakes of my life. And I’m still feeling the effects of it.
The Truth Nobody Talks About
We mandate car insurance. We mandate house insurance.
But protecting your income? Your health? Your family’s financial future if something happens to you?
That’s optional. And somehow that’s made it feel less urgent.
I get why insurance has a bad reputation. The pushy salespeople. The fine print. The claims that don’t pay out. Those stories travel fast.
What we don’t hear enough of are the quiet ones. The thank God I had this moments.
Like the woman diagnosed with breast cancer who had a critical illness policy that paid her $100,000 tax-free. She didn’t have to panic about money while she healed. She could focus on getting better, taking care of her kids, keeping her home.
That’s what insurance actually is. Not a bill. A foundation.
What You Actually Need to Know
There are two types of coverage most people either don’t have or don’t have enough of:
Critical Illness Insurance pays you a lump sum — often tax-free — if you’re diagnosed with something serious like cancer, a heart attack, or a stroke. It’s your money, to use however you need it.
Disability Insurance replaces a portion of your income if illness or injury means you can’t work. Whether that’s for six months or several years, it keeps your life financially functional while everything else feels unstable.
They are not the same thing. But they work together — one helps you recover, the other helps you live while you do.
And your work benefits? Likely not enough. Most employer plans offer minimal critical illness coverage if any, and disability coverage is often basic. And the moment you change jobs, get laid off, or your company switches providers — that coverage disappears.
If You’re Self-Employed This Is Even More Urgent
There is no group plan. No HR department. No safety net that someone else built for you.
You are it.
So ask yourself honestly — if something happened tomorrow, could you take six to twelve months off work and still be okay? Or would you be dipping into retirement savings, pulling home equity, going into debt?
Because those are the choices people are left with when there’s no plan in place.
The Question I Hear Most
“Why wouldn’t I just invest that money instead?”
You absolutely can — and should — be building an emergency fund. But if you were diagnosed tomorrow, would you have enough saved to cover months or years of lost income?
Insurance buys you time. It buys you options. It protects your future from being spent in the present.
I’m not here to sell you something. I’m here because I lived the alternative and I don’t want that for you.
If any of this resonated, I’d love to offer you a free 30-minute Insurance Education Call. No pressure. No sales tactics. Just an honest conversation about where you stand and what your options are.
If anything I’ve said resonates with you, I invite you to book a free 30-minute Insurance Education Call.
Let’s talk before life forces the conversation.
With love,
Kim