Executive Disability Insurance Quotes

Most employer-sponsored group disability insurance plans cap monthly benefits at $10,000 to $15,000, leaving executives earning above $300,000 per year underinsured. For senior leaders with total annual compensation exceeding that level, this coverage can replace less than half of actual income.

Set for Life Insurance structures supplemental individual policies that work alongside employer coverage to increase monthly benefits beyond group plan caps, ensuring a more complete level of income protection for executive earners.

For employers seeking to enhance benefits for their leadership team, Multi-Life Disability Insurance provides a powerful solution. This program allows companies to carve out top executives and offer them individual disability insurance coverage on a guaranteed-issue basis — no medical exams or health questions required.

Employers have the flexibility to choose who to insure, and with as few as three participants, special multi-life discounts and underwriting concessions apply. Best of all, policies are fully portable, so coverage remains intact even if an executive changes jobs or leaves the company. A minimum of 3 or more employees must sign up to create the plan. Once the plan is in place, future employees may be eligible for the guaranteed standard issue coverage.

Yes. Executive disability insurance policies secured through Set for Life Insurance are individually owned and fully portable. This means coverage continues even when changing employers, relocating, or moving into a new executive role.

Unlike group coverage that terminates with employment, individual policies remain intact, preserving the original benefits and premiums. For executives with long-term financial obligations—such as mortgages, tuition, or private equity investments—this portability ensures continuity of protection throughout career transitions.

Set for Life Insurance works with leading disability insurance carriers including Guardian, Principal Financial Group (Nasdaq: PFG), MassMutual (Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company), Ameritas, The Standard, and Lloyd’s of London.

These carriers offer competitive underwriting options and policy definitions tailored for executives, such as own-occupation protection, residual disability riders, and non-cancelable guarantees. Through its independent brokerage structure, Set for Life Insurance provides side-by-side policy comparisons to identify the most suitable fit for each client’s income structure and risk profile.

Premium rates depend on several factors, including age, gender, occupation class, income, benefit amount, elimination period, health history and benefit duration. Executives in high-responsibility roles may qualify for favorable risk classifications if duties are primarily administrative or strategic rather than physical.

Set for Life Insurance evaluates rates from multiple carriers to secure the best value. Discounts of 10–15% may be available through association programs or multi-life employer arrangements, including partnerships with organizations such as the American Bar Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and corporate employers like Google and Amazon.

Yes. Executives with certain health histories may be eligible for Guaranteed Standard Issue (GSI) disability insurance, which does not require medical underwriting. GSI programs available through Set for Life Insurance offer coverage with fixed benefits—typically up to $15,000 per month—and approval within five business days. These may be set up through the employer if 3 or more employees apply for coverage. These policies are referred to as multi-life policies.

Carriers such as Guardian, Principal Financial Group, MassMutual, Ameritas and The Standard provide these programs for executives affiliated with approved organizations or professional associations. This option ensures income protection even for those with prior medical concerns or underwriting limitations.

Long-term disability insurance for executives provides income protection designed to last through an individual’s prime earning years and into retirement planning horizons which is typically to age 65. Set for Life Insurance helps align benefit periods with each executive’s career timeline and financial goals, ensuring coverage remains meaningful when income potential is highest.

Policies offered through its network of major carriers are structured to remain non-cancelable and guaranteed renewable, so premiums and benefits stay consistent for the life of the contract. This stability allows executives to maintain predictable protection and long-term financial security without concern that coverage will change as their careers progress. This also ensures the premiums won’t increase before age 65.

	Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. 4501NC · Enhanced Residual Rider (AERES)	Guardian Berkshire Life Insurance Co. of America ICC16 18ID · Provider Choice + Enhanced Partial Rider	Lloyd’s Petersen International Underwriters PDI111521 · Optional Residual Rider	Mass Mutual Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. ICC15-XLIS-RC · Extended Partial Disability (EPR)	Principal Principal Life Insurance Company ICC22-800-IDI · Income Protector	The Standard Standard Insurance Company B180(7/17) · Platinum Advantage + Residual Riders
Benefit Period for Residual Disability
Residual benefit period Maximum duration for which residual benefits can be paid	Remaining unused portion of the Total Disability Maximum Benefit Period (Specimen) The Residual Maximum Benefit Period equals the total unused portion of the maximum benefit period for total disability shown on the schedule. Combined total and residual payments cannot exceed this period. Typically to Age 65/67 when selected.	Same Benefit Period as Total Disability — to Age 65, 67, or 70 (Specimen) Benefit Periods of To Age 70/67/65 or 10/5/2 Years are available. The Enhanced Partial rider benefit period matches the policy benefit period. To Age 70 option available for physicians — distinctive among carriers.	Per Schedule of Benefits / rider terms (Specimen) The residual rider benefit period is set at time of issue and shown on the Schedule of Benefits (Section 1-D). Confirm with current rider.	To Age 65 (base); Extended to Age 65 via Maximum Benefit Period Endorsement (Specimen) Specimen shows coverage end date for Extended Partial Disability corresponding to the policy’s non-cancellable period to age 65. A separate Maximum Benefit Period Endorsement is available with its own premium schedule.	Same as base policy Maximum Benefit Period — 2 years, 5 years, To Age 65/67/70 (Specimen) Options include To Age 65, 67, and 70. Residual benefits run within this same period. To Age 70 available depending on occupation class.	Same as base policy Maximum Benefit Period — to Age 67 in this specimen (Specimen) Maximum Benefit Period schedule applies (e.g., if disability begins at 62: 60 months; at 63: 48 months). Enhanced Residual Disability Benefit Rider matches base benefit period.

Yes. Set for Life Insurance provides access to exclusive association and unisex discount programs that are not publicly available through direct carrier sales. These permanent premium reductions—typically 10% to 15%—apply to policies issued through professional groups or multi-life employer programs.

Once a discount is applied, it remains in force for the life of the disability insurance for executives policy. This allows executives to maintain high-value coverage at reduced cost, even after leaving an employer or association, maximizing the long-term affordability of disability insurance for executives. All future employees of the company have access to the discounts.

Most major carriers exclude unearned equity income from the disability insurance benefit calculation. Principal’s product guide states that earnings “do not include any form of unearned income such as dividends, rents, interest, capital gains, income received from any form of deferred compensation, retirement, pension plan, income from royalties, or disability benefits.” The Standard does not address equity compensation in its income documentation table. The operative figure is typically W-2 box 5 (Medicare wages and tips), which captures vested RSU income at vest but not unvested grants or deferred compensation accruals. Executives with equity-heavy compensation should size the benefit to vested W-2 income rather than to total compensation.

The standard ceiling at top occupation classes is $35,000 per month at both Principal and The Standard. The cap applies to the new policy plus any other individual disability coverage in force plus group long-term disability benefits combined. The $35,000 monthly benefit is typically reached at approximately $1.5 million to $1.7 million of earned income. Above that income level, executives layer policies across multiple carriers. The Standard explicitly permits Lloyd’s of London participation alongside Platinum Advantage without reducing The Standard’s benefit. Principal layers DI Retirement Security on top of the base policy, funding an irrevocable retirement trust during a disability claim. Carrier stacking is broker-led and requires knowledge of each carrier’s participation limits.

Own-occupation disability insurance defines disability as the inability to perform the substantial and material duties of the insured’s specific occupation, not the inability to work in any occupation. The executive can be totally disabled, collect full benefits, and still take another job in a different field. Definition mechanics differ by carrier. Principal builds a specialty letter into every policy at no extra cost, but the specialty language applies only to physicians, dentists, and lawyers. Corporate executives outside those fields purchase the True Own Occupation rider at additional cost for equivalent definition strength. The Standard’s optional Own Occupation Rider is available to executives ages 18 to 60 in occupation classes 3A and higher.

A corporate executive earning $250,000 or more in office-based managerial work typically qualifies for occupation class 5A or higher. MassMutual’s Executive Underwriting Program upgrades qualifying executives to class 5A/5, the top of its ten-tier ladder, when income exceeds $250,000, manual duties stay below 10 percent, sales activities stay below 20 percent, and tenure exceeds five years. Principal classifies finance and portfolio management executives at class 5A or 6A+ when income exceeds $200,000 over the prior two years. The Standard places office-based managers and executives earning $100,000 or more each of the last two years at class 5A and applies a 20 percent Preferred Occupation Discount. Higher classes carry lower premiums for the same benefit.

Premium is determined by age at issue, gender, occupation class, benefit amount, elimination period, benefit period, riders selected, health history, and tobacco status. Age and gender are the largest single factors. Female disability rates run almost twice male rates for an equivalent executive. Occupation class drives the next-largest swing. MassMutual’s Radius Choice product introduces granular class modifiers including 5A/5, 5A/3, 4A/3, 4A/2, and 4A/1, creating intermediate price points whole-class competitors do not offer. Discounts of 10 to 20 percent stack across multi-life arrangements, association memberships, eApply usage, and the Preferred Occupation Discount at The Standard. Executives in office-based managerial roles often pay less than peers with the same income in other occupations.

A Catastrophic Disability Benefit rider pays an additional monthly benefit on top of the standard disability benefit when the insured cannot perform two or more activities of daily living without assistance, is cognitively impaired, or meets the presumptive disability definition. Activities of daily living include bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring. Principal’s rider stacks up to five times the base monthly benefit, capped at $12,500 per month of additional benefit. The Standard’s rider stacks up to three times the basic monthly benefit, capped at $15,000 per month, with all sources of disability income combined limited to 60 percent of earned income. The rider is purchased at issue and cannot be added later without re-underwriting.

Standard benefit periods include 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, to age 65, and to age 67. Principal also offers to age 70 for non-medical classes. No major carrier issues a lifetime benefit period to executives. Late-life claims carry graded payout schedules. On a Principal to-age-65 policy, a disability after age 61 pays 48 months rather than the full remaining period. On a Standard to-age-67 policy, a disability at age 65 pays 36 months. The policy remains non-cancellable and guaranteed renewable to the termination date, meaning the insurer cannot raise premium or change terms during that period. The Standard offers a Renewal Option past the termination date for executives working 30 or more hours per week.

Yes. Individual disability insurance policies are owned by the insured, not by the employer. The policy continues without change through an employer change, geographic relocation, change of role, or sabbatical. The benefit amount, premium, definition of disability, and riders all remain as issued at the time of purchase. By contrast, employer group long-term disability coverage ends when the executive leaves the company. An individual policy purchased during a high-income period at a top employer locks in coverage that the executive carries forward to subsequent employers, including roles at companies that do not offer group disability coverage at all.

The Standard’s Platinum Advantage is the only major carrier product that issues new individual disability insurance to executives at age 60 and above in the non-medical occupation classes. Issue ages run 18 to 64 for the 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, A, and B classes. Premium reflects attained age and is materially higher than for younger applicants. The Standard’s Renewal Option extends total disability coverage past the policy termination date for executives who continue to work 30 or more hours per week and are not disabled at the renewal date, allowing the policy to remain in force during phased retirement. Principal’s monthly issue cap drops from $35,000 to $20,000 at age 61 and above.

Principal and The Standard both cap disability benefits at 12 months of payment while the insured is living outside the United States and Canada. Principal requires residence in the U.S. or Canada for at least six consecutive months in each calendar year for benefits to continue beyond 12 months. The Standard’s foreign residence clause is required by California, Florida, Montana, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Executives planning a multi-year international assignment should review the residence terms with the broker before the assignment begins. Pre-issue travel disclosure is the only window in which destination affects coverage. Once a policy is in force, short-term travel does not affect benefits.

Multi-Life disability insurance is a structured program that allows three or more executives from the same employer to purchase individual disability coverage on coordinated terms. Principal’s Employer Multi-Life program offers discounts up to 35 percent stacked with Guaranteed Standard Issue underwriting, requires home-office approval plus an employee census, applies to occupation classes 3A and higher, and accepts a minimum of five employer-paid lives. The Standard’s Employer-Based Multi-Life Discount is 10 percent on Platinum Advantage for three or more lives from the same employer within a six-month window. Policies issued under Multi-Life are individually owned and remain portable when the executive leaves the company. The arrangement reduces premium, simplifies underwriting through the Guaranteed Standard Issue mechanism, and makes coverage available to executives whose medical history might otherwise complicate individual issue.

Yes. Discounts available to executives stack across multiple programs. The Standard offers a 20 percent Preferred Occupation Discount on Platinum Advantage for 5A executives in office-based managerial roles earning $100,000 or more each of the prior two years. A 10 percent Employer-Based Multi-Life Discount applies when three or more executives from the same employer apply within six months. Additional 5 percent discounts apply for multi-product purchase, eApply usage, and GSI cross-sale. Principal applies a Multi-Life Employer discount up to 20 percent layered with a GSI discount up to 35 percent for qualifying executive groups. Association memberships in groups such as the American Bar Association can add 10 to 15 percent discounts depending on carrier.

Set for Life Insurance places executive disability coverage with Principal Financial Group, The Standard, Guardian (Berkshire Life), MassMutual, Ameritas, and Lloyd’s of London. Each carrier offers individual non-cancellable own-occupation disability insurance for high-income executives, with policy issue limits typically capping at $35,000 per month at the top occupation classes. Lloyd’s of London participation is available as a stacking layer above the carrier maximum for executives whose insurable income exceeds the single-carrier ceiling. Principal additionally offers DI Retirement Security as a separate policy that protects retirement contributions during a disability claim. The broker recommends the carrier and product combination based on occupational class, age, health profile, compensation structure, and the executive’s planning objectives.