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“Dan” was a very successful trader at a major brokerage firm. The job required long hours entertaining clients at night and was very stressful. Dan began to have daily migraine headaches, with both sensitivity to light and sound (photophobia and phonophobia). When he should have been at the trading desk, Dan was forced to escape to a private office and take long naps; he just could not keep up with the requirements of the job. Dan applied for benefits on his own, which were granted.

Trading is an intense, high-stakes profession that demands quick thinking, focus, and endurance. When illness or injury affects your ability to perform under pressure, it can become impossible to keep up with the fast pace of the markets. Unfortunately, disability insurers often overlook the mental and environmental challenges of trading, relying on narrow job definitions that don’t reflect reality.

Understanding how insurers define your occupation and how to clearly explain your actual duties is key to a successful long term disability claim.

Below we’ll answer common questions traders have about securing long term disability benefits.