Protect Your Paycheck

LIFE Foundation Urges Advisors to Reach Out to Clients and Prospects During Disability Insurance Awareness Month This May

Image courtesy John B.

– Financial Planner Sarah Rieger to Serve as National Spokesperson for DIAM Campaign

 – LIFE Marketing e-Kit Aids Agents and Producers in Connecting with Clients and Prospects

Arlington, Va. –  Most people’s livelihoods – from taking care of immediate expenses to future plans such as saving for retirement – rely on their ability to work and earn an income. Maintaining that income is something that weighs heavily on people’s minds.  According to a new study from the LIFE Foundation and LIMRA, 75 percent of Americans are concerned about being able to support themselves if they are unable to work due to a disabling illness or injury. Still, 50 percent of workers say they don’t need disability insurance – the very thing that can help them protect their paycheck and their income in just such a situation.

That’s why this May the nonprofit LIFE Foundation is once again coordinating Disability Insurance Awareness Month (DIAM) to help educate consumers about the critical role disability insurance plays in a sound financial plan. The campaign focuses on a simple message – “Protect Your Paycheck” – to help the public understand the benefits disability insurance provides.  To help those in the industry get involved and spread the word to consumers, LIFE has developed new educational resources and a DIAM e-Kit, which offers insurance agents and benefits specialists the resources they need to implement their own marketing and communications initiatives. The kit can be accessed at www.lifehappens.org/diamkit

“Our goal with this campaign is really to get people thinking about disability insurance in a more relatable way – as protection for one of their most valuable assets – their paycheck,” said Marvin H. Feldman, CLU, ChFC, RFC, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation. “We urge those in the industry to come together this month and help spread the message about the benefits of disability insurance and the important financial security it can provide in the event a person becomes ill or injured and is unable to work.”

 Industry Resources

Available in this year’s DIAM e-Kit are an infographic featuring new statistics about disability insurance, downloadable flyers, interactive tools and a social-media guide, among other resources. In addition, later in April, the e-Kit will feature several videos highlighting a “living and breathing” Paycheck character that is being unveiled for DIAM this year. Paycheck, as he is called, will star in two DIAM video series, including the three-part “All My Paychecks” series. A parody of classic soap operas, this series encourages people to “avoid the drama” by purchasing disability insurance. Paycheck will also host the “Paycheck Pop Quiz” video series made up of five, 30-second segments featuring common questions about disability insurance, which can be shared with current and prospective clients.

Those in the industry also can take advantage of a new consumer contest from LIFE taking place in May. The “I Love My Paycheck” photo contest will ask people to complete the sentence, “I love my paycheck because …” and then upload a photo that describes who or what is shown. The contest will run throughout May and will be accessible through LIFE’s microsite, www.protectyourpaycheck.org,  where there will be a carousel highlightingall the entries, and on LIFE’s Facebook fanpage www.facebook.com/lifehappens.org. The person who submits the best entry during May will receive the new Apple iPad.

LIFE is also making available a recording of its DIAM webinar entitled “Take Your DI Sales to the Next Level,” featuring tips and insights from top disability insurance producers and experts to help others in the industry incorporate more disability insurance into their practice. The recording of the webinar can be accessed at www.lifehappens.org/diamwebinar.

 New Campaign Spokesperson: Sarah Rieger

This year in support of DIAM, LIFE once again will sponsor national radio public service announcements featuring a new, personal story from campaign spokesperson and financial planner Sarah Rieger. On a business trip in New York City, Rieger’s life was changed instantly when she was struck by an SUV while crossing an intersection. The mother of two sets of twins – ages 5 and 2 at the time, Rieger was left with serious injuries that caused her to be hospital-bound for more than a month. She spent several years recuperating and relied on her disability insurance to help keep her family afloat financially until she was able to return to work full-time three years later. Sarah’s story can be shared through a new realLIFEstories flyer, also available through LIFE’s DIAM toolkit.

For more information, please visit here, and also here. You can also contact Maggie Leyes, LIFE’s DIAM campaign manager, at mleyes@lifehappens.org .