You may not have to. Many employers, especially larger ones, make it part of your benefit package. You pay nothing, and the company buys disability insurance for you, both short-term and long-term. Because this is expensive, other companies may not pay for it but will give you an opportunity to buy coverage through them at discounted rates. This is worth a careful look.

If you’re doing this on your own, it’s harder. You should start you search with your current insurance company. Ask them if they’ll give you a deal for taking out more than one policy with them. They often do.

You can also go direct to the companies that sell disability insurance and ask for a quote, outfits like MassMutual, MetLife and Aflac (yes, the duck people). Or, you could try to find a broker who can help. Agents in the National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies may also sell disability insurance too. Read our insurance agents guide to find out more about these folks.

At FiLife we have a directory of disability insurance products and reviews by our users. Someday soon we’ll have a tool that lets you compare policies side by side.