DIAM - Real Life Story: Scott Rider
For Scott Rider, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that running was his life. In college he was a three-time Big Ten Champion, two-time All American, and later competed in the Olympic trials. His running sustained him as he charted out his career in financial services. It was also a constant as he and his high-school sweetheart, Kelly, married and raised their three children.
Running is also how he found out his life was changed forever.
It began subtly, when Scott’s toes didn’t “work as they should.” It eventually interfered with his running, and after several years of being misdiagnosed, he learned he had Parkinson’s disease.
“I remember the day I found out. As I stood outside the doctor’s office, on the sidewalk on a warm fall day, I knew my life—and my family’s—was changed forever,” says Scott.
The Life They Knew …
His day-to-day routines have changed drastically since being diagnosed at 47. Cognitive and physical limitations mean he had to give up the profession he loved. And he now relies on Kelly to help him with tasks most people take for granted, like tying his shoes.
One thing in his life has not changed, however. He and his family have been able to maintain their lifestyle, thanks to the disability insurance he purchased. He got it when he was just starting out in his career and added to it as his salary grew.
His disability insurance now replaces a significant portion of the income he once earned. It has allowed Kelly to remain a stay-at-home mom and now be a caregiver. Plus it helps them meet Scott’s growing medical needs.
In addition, the couple has been able to put their three children through college and give their daughter the wedding of her dreams. They’ve even reached a retirement goal of moving to a warmer climate. All of this was made possible by Scott’s disability insurance.
“Without it, I don’t know where we’d be,” says Scott. “I feel fortunate that I understood early on that my income was my most valuable asset, and that I needed to insure it.”
Here’s what he says about his disability income insurance coverage:
- Disability insurance allowed me to protect my most valuable asset, which wasn’t my house or car or investments, but my ability to earn a living.
- When I had to scale back and then quit working, the bills kept coming. Disability insurance payments stepped in so that I could meet those obligations.
- My wife didn’t have to head into the workforce after being a stay-at-home parent because we had an income stream.
- We are still in our dream home, and we could pay for our daughter’s wedding because I had disability insurance.
- My wife’s and my retirement are secure because we didn’t have to touch our retirement savings when I became ill.
Story adapted from LifeHappens.org.
Video transcript below.
Disability Insurance Awareness Month Marketing Collateral
Below is some marketing collateral featuring Scott’s story that you can share with your clients via email and on social media. To access the PDF’s or full-sized images, click the thumbnail below, then right-click and choose ‘save as’ to save the image or PDF on your computer.
Disability Insurance – Real Life Story – VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
There is something inside me that just always loved the feeling and the sensation of running. I’d be out on the road for a run and my toes would start restricting. It didn’t take the doctor very long at all to say Scott you Parkinson’s Disease. And I remember I stepped outside on the sidewalk with Kelly and um… I cried. And I knew right then that my life is going to change forever.
What I loved so much was taken away from me. One of the biggest ways is the loss of my career. Before Parkinson’s Disease, I worked for 30 years as a Financial Advisor to individuals and small business owners. Ultimately it became very clear that I couldn’t continue to work. I understood early on that my income was my most valuable asset and I wanted to protect it through disability insurance. It’s expensive to live and those bills just keep coming and without disability insurance I don’t think I could have afforded for my daughter’s wedding and I would not have money saved for retirement.
My disability insurance was a combination of insurance provided through my employer but I realized that that alone wasn’t going to be enough; so I acquired individual disability insurance. Having Parkinson’s Disease changes life enough but disability insurance makes it as close to normal as possible. I’m so incredibly grateful that my income continues and makes life possible for my family. It would look so different without disability insurance.
