Travel helps against stress – and why disability insurance is so important

Conversely, a break from the stresses of everyday life can work wonders. Because the hectic pace of our time, working in an open-plan office, meeting marathons, demanding customers, a flood of e-mails that often doesn't stop even after work, or ever tighter deadlines, all take a toll on our nerves. And in the worst cases, even make you sick. There have never been as many people suffering from burnout and depression as there are today.

Not everyone is lucky enough, like me as a freelancer, to pull the ripcord in time and reduce the workload for a few days or take a short trip. Instead, many shimmy from annual vacation to annual vacation. How the really restful, I have compiled in this article.

But even the hard-earned annual vacation you have to be able to afford first of all. As a self-employed person even more, because I earn nothing in the time I am traveling. My expenses at the office, for rent, insurance and my car continue to run.

I love to travel. Every trip is different, I almost always learn something new and can expand my own horizons. No matter how far or near the destination. By the way, this is also the motivation for this blog. The best thing: I can earn my living doing what I like to do best. Hard to imagine having to do without it.

Occupational disability insurance safeguards the lifestyle you are used to – including travel

That is why it is very important to me to make provisions for the future. Not against every eventuality, a luggage insurance, for example, I have never had. However, I have insured against risks that would mean financial ruin. In addition to private liability and accident insurance, I consider occupational disability insurance to be essential.

For whom is an occupational disability insurance useful?

An accident or an illness can hit you at any time and then your travels (and not only your travels) would be over very quickly. Because it is no longer possible to manage financially on your own. Self-employed and freelancers are usually not entitled to the statutory pension for reduced earning capacity, and even if they were, it would be impossible to close the gap to the previous income. But also employees must expect large losses, if they become occupation-incapable.

Depression or slipped discs – every fourth employee retires prematurely from working life. While the risk used to be high in manual occupations, more and more people who work in offices are falling ill today. It can hit everyone. The pension from an occupational disability insurance policy makes it possible to at least maintain the lifestyle to which one is accustomed – and to continue to travel. Especially in the case of psychological problems – one of the main causes of occupational disability – nature or wellness trips, for example, are a good way to enjoy life again.

When does an occupational disability insurance?

If you are at least 50 percent incapacitated for work, you may be entitled to a statutory pension for reduced earning capacity. Independently of this, the occupational disability insurance pays an agreed monthly sum until the end of the insurance term.

"Occupationally incapacitated is anyone who, as a result of illness, bodily injury or more than age-related loss of strength, is no longer able to exercise his last profession, as it was designed without health impairment, in whole or in part, presumably on a permanent basis."

What does occupational disability insurance cost??

Basically, the younger and healthier you are, the cheaper the premium. Furthermore, the sum insured and the term of insurance influence the costs. It is advisable to insure occupational disability until retirement age, so that there is no gap.

Consumer protection agencies recommend that the sum insured should be 75 percent of net income, but it is also possible to insure one hundred percent. For the self-employed without other sources of income, it may make sense, although this depends very much on individual living conditions (main earner, single person, children, etc.).)

What else should you pay attention to?

Correct information on lifestyle and pre-existing conditions avoids unpleasant surprises in the event of an accident. When taking out insurance, you should pay attention to the waiver of abstract referability. This means that the insurance company does not check whether you can take up another occupation.

Note: This article was written in cooperation with Cosmos Direkt. This has no influence on the type, content and scope, my opinion is, as always, my own.