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Risk & Insurance Planning

Your income is your most valuable asset. Treat it that way.

Most attorneys spend years accumulating wealth with almost no protection against losing the income that makes it possible. One serious illness or injury can unravel decades of financial progress if the right coverage isn't in place first.

High earners are often the most underinsured.

There's a counterintuitive reality in this work: attorneys who earn the most are often the least protected against income loss. Part of it is that group disability plans from law firms cover a fraction of actual income. Part of it is that nobody's ever sat down to run the numbers on what losing six months, or six years, of income would actually do to the financial plan.

Insurance planning isn't about buying more policies. It's about understanding your actual risk exposure, what you own already, and where the holes are. Sometimes the answer is additional coverage. Sometimes the answer is restructuring what you have. Occasionally it's doing nothing because you're already well-covered. The analysis should drive the decision.

We work with carriers across the market so our recommendations start with what you actually need, not with what pays the highest commission.

1 in 4 workers will experience a disabling event before retirement
60% of group LTD plans cap benefits well below a $300k+ income
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The goal isn't more insurance. It's confidence that the right coverage is in place before the moment you need it.

Matthew BennettFiduciary Financial Advisor, WealthCode

We review your current policies, model your income replacement needs, and identify what's missing. Then we compare options across carriers and help you make a decision based on actual numbers. There's no pressure toward any particular product. The right coverage depends entirely on your situation, your family, and where you are in your career.

A complete picture of what you own and what you need

Four areas where a proper risk review changes the outcome.

01

Disability income analysis

We model your true income replacement need against what your current group and individual disability coverage actually pays, including benefit periods, elimination periods, and own-occupation definitions. Most attorneys earning $300k or more have a significant gap between those two numbers.

02

Life insurance review

We calculate your actual death benefit need based on income replacement, debt obligations, education funding, and estate planning goals — then compare it to what you have. We also review existing permanent policies for performance versus cost to make sure they're still worth carrying.

03

Liability and umbrella coverage

High earners are targets for litigation. We review your auto, homeowners, and any professional liability coverage alongside your asset level to determine whether an umbrella policy is warranted and at what limit. For attorneys with significant net worth, this is often an inexpensive but important gap to close.

04

Long-term care planning

Long-term care costs can drain a retirement account faster than almost anything else. We review the options, including traditional LTC policies, hybrid life/LTC products, and self-insurance strategies, and help you decide what makes sense given your timeline and assets.

A real example

Senior associate. $310k income. Relying entirely on firm's group plan.

A senior associate had been at her firm for seven years and had never looked closely at the disability coverage the firm provided. She assumed it was adequate because the firm was large and the benefits seemed comprehensive.

When we reviewed the actual policy, she discovered the group plan capped her monthly benefit at $8,500, taxable since the firm paid the premiums. Her actual income replacement need, based on her expenses and savings rate, was closer to $18,000 per month. She also had no individual policy that would follow her if she changed firms.

She added an individual own-occupation policy and restructured how she was paying premiums to make future benefits tax-free.

What changed
Identified $9,500/month income replacement gap under current plan
Individual own-occupation policy added to close the gap
Policy structured so benefits are received tax-free
Coverage is now portable, not tied to the firm's plan

Questions about risk and insurance planning

Isn't my firm's group disability coverage enough?
For most attorneys earning above $200,000, probably not. Group LTD plans typically cap benefits at 60% of base salary up to a monthly maximum that was designed for someone earning far less. Bonus income is usually excluded, benefits may be taxable if the firm pays premiums, and the coverage disappears if you leave. We go through the actual numbers so you know where you stand.
I'm young and healthy. Should I still be thinking about this?
Young and healthy is exactly when you want to do this. Disability and life insurance premiums are based heavily on age and health at the time of application. A policy locked in at 32 is considerably cheaper than one purchased at 45, and you're guaranteed the coverage before any health changes occur. Waiting until you need it is often too late.
Do you recommend specific insurance products?
Yes, when it makes sense. We work with multiple carriers and have the ability to place life and disability insurance where it fits the situation. We start from what you actually need, not from what's available in a particular product lineup. If the right answer is a policy we can place, we'll recommend it. If it's something else, we'll tell you that too.

Know exactly where your coverage gaps are.

A 30-minute discovery call is enough to walk through your current situation and identify what, if anything, needs attention. Most people leave with clarity they didn't have before.