Author Archives: Billy Gwaltney

Are you a resident or fellow with New York-Presbyterian at Columbia, Weill Cornell, or Queens? Are you looking for disability insurance without the hassle of medical screening? In this episode of Cover Your Assets, host Billy Gwaltney provides an exclusive overview of Guardian’s Guaranteed Standard Issue (GSI) disability policy being offered to you. Learn about the unique benefits and opportunities available to residents and fellows at these facilities and discover why this coverage is considered the best on the planet.

Billy also breaks down the three non-negotiable elements of a properly designed private specialty disability policy, provides an in-depth explanation of the Guardian guaranteed standard issue program, discusses the importance of timing in applying for this coverage, and emphasizes the exclusivity and portability of the policy.

Episode Highlights:

True Specialty Occupation definition of disability. (1:24)

Enhanced Partial Disability Benefit. (2:41) 

Long term recovery benefit and Future Increase Option details. (3:10)

Importance of applying for GSI before medical underwriting. (8:14)

The Cover Your Assets Podcast is on a mission to help physicians like you get their disability insurance right. You’ve spent years of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a physician – this is the career that will give you and your family everything you’ve dreamed of! Don’t let accidents, illness, or injury destroy your hard work and the life you deserve. You know you need to be insured, but how do you sort through the mountains of information when you barely have enough time to eat? On the Cover Your Assets Podcast, host Billy Gwaltney, head of Professional Planning Group, Inc., shows you exactly what you need to do to protect your income and way of life.

For more tips and advice, connect with the CYA Podcast on YouTube and visit the Professional Planning Group online. Stay up to date with Billy on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

If you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, email Billy at ⁠billy@ownoccdisability.com.⁠

This episode was first broadcast in November 2022. You can find a full episode archive by subscribing to Cover Your Assets on the platform of your choice (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or Google).

When physicians contact me about disability policies, they always ask what types of disability policies are available.

There are two different types. But even though they’re both considered disability policies, one works in your favor while the other could force you to pay back your benefits.

In this episode, you’ll discover the two types of disability policies and which one you should choose for the maximum benefit.

Episode Highlights:

The two types of disability policies and how to pick the best one for you. (0:49)

The “adverse selection” reason why group LTD policies restrict your benefits. (3:14)

Why you might be forced to pay back your disability benefits if you sign up for the group LTD policy. (6:12)

How to get paid your full disability policy, even after landing another job. (7:19)

The Cover Your Assets Podcast is on a mission to help physicians like you get their disability insurance right. You’ve spent years of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a physician – this is the career that will give you and your family everything you’ve dreamed of! Don’t let accidents, illness, or injury destroy your hard work and the life you deserve. You know you need to be insured, but how do you sort through the mountains of information when you barely have enough time to eat? On the Cover Your Assets Podcast, host Billy Gwaltney, head of Professional Planning Group, Inc., shows you exactly what you need to do to protect your income and way of life.

For more tips and advice, connect with the CYA Podcast on YouTube and visit the Professional Planning Group online. Stay up to date with Billy on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

If you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, email Billy at ⁠billy@ownoccdisability.com.

Do you want to safeguard your hard-earned success? In this episode of Cover Your Assets, host Billy Gwaltney breaks down the quote spreadsheet, providing a detailed overview of the Benefit Increase Rider (BIR) and what makes disability coverage so crucial for physicians in training.

Discover the top true specialty disability carriers and the key elements you need in your coverage plan. Learn the importance of private, portable, non-cancelable, and guaranteed renewable coverage with the BIR that allows you to expand your coverage once you become an attending. And gain valuable insights into getting this part of your financial life exactly right.

Episode Highlights:

The importance of private, portable, non-cancelable, and guaranteed renewable disability coverage. (1:17)

The benefits of the BIR and its significance for physicians in training. (3:17)

The top true specialty disability carriers and their interchangeable contract landscape. (4:42)

Key components of disability coverage and the role of a specialist broker in securing the right plan. (26:33)

The Cover Your Assets Podcast is on a mission to help physicians like you get their disability insurance right. You’ve spent years of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a physician – this is the career that will give you and your family everything you’ve dreamed of! Don’t let accidents, illness, or injury destroy your hard work and the life you deserve. You know you need to be insured, but how do you sort through the mountains of information when you barely have enough time to eat? On the Cover Your Assets Podcast, host Billy Gwaltney, head of Professional Planning Group, Inc., shows you exactly what you need to do to protect your income and way of life.

For more tips and advice, connect with the CYA Podcast on YouTube and visit the Professional Planning Group online. Stay up to date with Billy on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

If you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, email Billy at ⁠billy@ownoccdisability.com.⁠

This episode was first broadcast in January 2023. You can find a full episode archive by subscribing to Cover Your Assets on the platform of your choice (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or Google).

How much are you paying right now for your insurance premiums?

There’s a 95% chance it’s too much. Because 95% of physicians don’t know that they can reduce how much they pay in premiums on their coverage.

How? By getting a discount through the right associations. Doing so can save you up to 50% on your coverage.

In this episode, you’ll discover how to add discounts to your existing attendant coverage. And, if you’re still in your trainee phase, you’ll find out how to save up to 50%!

Episode Highlights:

How to permanently save up to 40-50% on your disability coverage by using a trainee discount. (1:23)

How to get up to 15% off your coverage as an attendant, even if you’re past the trainee period. (3:24)

The “Policy Discount” loophole most insurance companies use to charge you extra premiums, and how you can avoid it. (4:32)

A secret strategy for saving money on your insurance policy, while upgrading your coverage. (4:50)

The Cover Your Assets Podcast is on a mission to help physicians like you get their disability insurance right. You’ve spent years of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a physician – this is the career that will give you and your family everything you’ve dreamed of! Don’t let accidents, illness, or injury destroy your hard work and the life you deserve. You know you need to be insured, but how do you sort through the mountains of information when you barely have enough time to eat? On the Cover Your Assets Podcast, host Billy Gwaltney, head of Professional Planning Group, Inc., shows you exactly what you need to do to protect your income and way of life.

For more tips and advice, connect with the CYA Podcast on YouTube and visit the Professional Planning Group online. Stay up to date with Billy on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

If you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, email Billy at ⁠billy@ownoccdisability.com.⁠

This episode was first broadcast in February 2023. You can find a full episode archive by subscribing to Cover Your Assets on the platform of your choice (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or Google).

As a trainee, it can be tough to budget for disability coverage. But here’s the thing: waiting to get coverage is like playing a risky game with your finances.

Think about it—the longer you wait, the higher the interest rates on your coverage will be. It’s like a ticking time bomb for your wallet.

This is why it’s important that you learn to take control of your financial and health destiny now to get the best discounts and rates on disability coverage. In this episode, we’ll show you how to do just that while paying as little as possible on premiums.

Episode Highlights:

How to get the largest discount on your disability coverage. (2:14)

How 95% of trainees end up paying 20-30% extra for coverage—and how you can avoid that. (3:16)

Why waiting for four years (as a trainee) to get coverage could end up permanently costing you an extra 40-50% in premiums. (3:43)

How you can legally bypass in-person physical screening for coverage as a trainee. (4:32)

The key to securing the lowest premiums on your coverage. (6:42)

Why a lower coverage rate may be the smarter choice as a trainee. (9:55)

The Cover Your Assets Podcast is on a mission to help physicians like you get their disability insurance right. You’ve spent years of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a physician – this is the career that will give you and your family everything you’ve dreamed of! Don’t let accidents, illness, or injury destroy your hard work and the life you deserve. You know you need to be insured, but how do you sort through the mountains of information when you barely have enough time to eat? On the Cover Your Assets Podcast, host Billy Gwaltney, head of Professional Planning Group, Inc., shows you exactly what you need to do to protect your income and way of life.

For more tips and advice, connect with the CYA Podcast on YouTube and visit the Professional Planning Group online. Stay up to date with Billy on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

If you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, email Billy at ⁠billy@ownoccdisability.com.⁠

This episode was first broadcast in April 2023. You can find a full episode archive by subscribing to Cover Your Assets on the platform of your choice (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or Google).

Some people think it’s better to skip a broker and go straight to an insurance company to avoid paying an extra fee, which is an excellent idea if you want to save money by doing the work yourself.

But unfortunately, it is more complicated than you think. Going straight to the insurance companies is often more expensive because you won’t get the best rates (and you wind up paying for the broker fee anyway).

In this episode, we share whether skipping a broker is a good idea, how to get the best disability coverage, and how to save yourself from coverage issues that cause frustration and hurt your wallet.

Episode Highlights:

Can you go straight to an insurance company to avoid paying an extra fee for the broker? Here’s why it could cost you more. (1:17)

How to choose the right broker—and why not knowing this detail could cost you thousands of dollars. (2:33)

Why buying disability coverage from a large firm is the worst financial decision you can make that’ll cost you thousands in the long term. (5:18)

The three traits your disability coverage broker absolutely needs to have. (7:18)

The Cover Your Assets Podcast is on a mission to help physicians like you get their disability insurance right. You’ve spent years of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a physician – this is the career that will give you and your family everything you’ve dreamed of! Don’t let accidents, illness, or injury destroy your hard work and the life you deserve. You know you need to be insured, but how do you sort through the mountains of information when you barely have enough time to eat? On the Cover Your Assets Podcast, host Billy Gwaltney, head of Professional Planning Group, Inc., shows you exactly what you need to do to protect your income and way of life.

For more tips and advice, connect with the CYA Podcast on YouTube and visit the Professional Planning Group online. Stay up to date with Billy on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

If you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, email Billy at ⁠billy@ownoccdisability.com.⁠

This episode was first broadcast in June 2023. You can find a full episode archive by subscribing to Cover Your Assets on the platform of your choice (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or Google).

Picking the right disability coverage provider is a big deal. Why?

Because they’ll be your safety net when times get tough, and you’ll be paying them for a long time. Make sure it’s a wise investment.

In this episode, we reveal the top companies we recommend and what to watch out for. Plus, we’ll share two more alternatives if you can’t access the top four.

Episode Highlights:

The ultimate disability coverage: four companies you can’t afford to overlook (and why choosing otherwise could cost you thousands). (1:05)

Choose this company if you expect to have an exception during the lifetime of your policy (Note: no other company will let you add changes to your policy). (1:54)

Want the lower rates on your policy? Choose THIS to save a fortune on premiums over the years. (2:15)

Are medical screenings a concern? Can’t pick among the four companies? Here are two more companies you can look at. (3:55)

The three types of life insurance, which one is cheapest, and which to get if you want the biggest payout possible. (6:11)

Why self-insuring is almost always a costly mistake, even if it seems cost-effective on the surface. (10:43)

The surprising “life enjoyment” benefits of keeping an active life insurance policy after retirement. (16:51)

The Cover Your Assets Podcast is on a mission to help physicians like you get their disability insurance right. You’ve spent years of your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a physician – this is the career that will give you and your family everything you’ve dreamed of! Don’t let accidents, illness, or injury destroy your hard work and the life you deserve. You know you need to be insured, but how do you sort through the mountains of information when you barely have enough time to eat? On the Cover Your Assets Podcast, host Billy Gwaltney, head of Professional Planning Group, Inc., shows you exactly what you need to do to protect your income and way of life.

For more tips and advice, connect with the CYA Podcast on YouTube and visit the Professional Planning Group online. Stay up to date with Billy on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

If you have questions, feedback, or just want to connect, email Billy at ⁠billy@ownoccdisability.com.⁠