Three Lessons I Learned Through Postpartum Depression

By Diane Russell, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Lincoln Financial Group If you have children, you know there’s no shortage of advice from family, friends and sometimes even strangers. Yet, mothers dealing with postpartum depression often feel like they have no one to talk to about what they’re going through. At least, that’s…

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Disability can Happen – But Preparation Makes all the Difference

After Cris Martin discovered a lump on her chest wall, she went into self-advocacy mode – and learned several lessons along the way, including the importance of taking early action, and having group and supplemental individual disability coverage with a good carrier. Three years ago, my life was exactly the way it was supposed to…

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Finding Gratitude on the Crooked Path to Recovery

By Fred Schott, Director of Operations and Research, CDA. Around noon on January 6th, I got out of my car and strode into the Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital. Wait! Did I say “strode?” Actually, it was more like “walked guardedly, trying not to provoke my arthritic left hip into another flareup.” That’s…

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Protect Your Retirement and Other Long-Term Plans

By Bob Herum, MSFS, CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC Editor’s Note: On July 28, 2015, I was struck by a car as a pedestrian. After the acute portion of my recovery ended, I met with my financial planner to discuss the potential implications to my retirement plan if I was out of work for an extended…

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Being an Advocate for Accessibility as a Parent

When you become a parent, not only do you experience a magnitude of love you never thought possible, but you also discover a reserve of strength you never imagined you could possess. This is especially true when your child is in need. And if you are the parent of a child with disabilities, then you…

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How Employers Can Leverage Paid and Unpaid Leave to Improve Employee Well-Being

By: Phil Bruen, senior vice president, Life & Disability, Group Benefits, MetLife While more than two-thirds of employees consider paid and unpaid leave to be a must have benefit, fewer employers offer these programs now than they did in 2019 and 2020. Phil Bruen shares three tips for businesses around the successful application of leave…

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PFML: What It Is and What Can We Expect

This article originally appeared on the American Fidelity blog. Nearly three decades back, in 1993, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed. FMLA requires certain organizations to offer workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new baby or sick family member. Today, states across the US are enacting state paid-leave laws,…

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Stretched Too Thin: Working Moms are Breaking Down

By Nandita Dalal, Vice President, Lincoln Financial Group Moms everywhere are balancing work with caring for their kids or aging parents at home. And for many, it’s become too heavy a load to carry. We’ve heard the stories. Working moms are helping their kids with remote learning while they fall behind on their own work.…

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Disability Insurance and COVID-19 Vaccine Risk

Recently the insurance company I represent, and I am sure other insurance carriers, have been receiving calls and emails from agents, brokers and policyholders asking about the company’s stance on any disability that might occur as a result of receiving the coronavirus vaccine. While a very fair question, the answer is relatively simple for the…

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How Can We Help Financially Protect Families With A Stay-at-Home Partner?

When talk of disability income insurance comes up, you probably understand how important it is to protect the breadwinner. Particularly in households where only one person earns an income, disability income insurance (DI) is critical coverage for those who want to financially protect themselves and their loved ones. Insuring a portion of your paycheck with…

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Family Matters: No Matter How You Define It

By Paul LaPiana, Head of Product at MassMutual How has the definition of family evolved? Well, recent research by The Council for Disability Awareness founding member, MassMutual, surfaced more similarities than differences regarding how people described family, no matter how you sliced the data. Regardless of age, parental status, ethnicity, race, gender identity, orientation or…

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The History and Future of Social Security Disability Insurance Advocacy

By Matt Jensen, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Integrated Benefits, Inc. This post tells a story about a benefit available to most people living and working in the United States – Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The SSDI program pays benefits to you and certain family members if you are unable to work due to a medical condition…

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