What happened when dentist dropped drill

Everyone should have good disability insurance you never know when you might need it.

Barry Kaplan had a thriving dental practice in Atlanta when he started experiencing debilitating pain and began to drop instruments when he was with patients.

After a doctor confirmed that he had ruptured disks in his neck, he went through treatments and surgery. When that failed to fully restore his motor skills, "it was time to hang up the mirror and drill."

"Not only was I making a nice living, I had just paid off my student loans and was about to pay off the practice note," says Kaplan, who went on disability at age 45. "This meant I was just about to enter the most profitable part of my career."

Fortunately, Kaplan, now 52, was financially prepared and had several disability insurance policies in force.

You don't have to be a medical professional to realize that you need to insure for the event of disability. Some 43 percent of Americans older than 40 will experience some health emergency that will take them out of the work force for 90 days or more, according to the Insurance Information Institute, an industry research organization.

Although most employers may provide disability insurance, coverage varies and may not allow you to make retirement fund contributions.

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