When most people think about insuring their valuables, they think about their car, their home, or maybe an expensive piece of jewelry. What many people fail to realize is that all of those things are purchased from your income. Your income is typically your largest asset.

Think about how much you earn in a year, and think about what that would be over a lifetime. If an individual earns $50,000 per year and he or she is 25 years old, in a 40-year period, he or she will earn $2 million, and that's without any sort of inflation. If you factor in modest inflation, the number could easily be twice as high. We don't hesitate to insure our homes, our cars and other valuable possessions. So why would you not insure something that is infinitely more valuable than all those things?

If you're still not convinced that your income is worth insuring, think about how long you'd last without your paycheck before it would be difficult to pay for everyday expenses. The LIFE Foundation conducted a study that found that 70 percent of working Americans couldn't make it 1 month before financial difficulties would set in. More than 1 in 4 Americans wouldn't make it a week.

When a disability occurs - and the odds are much greater than you might realize - disability insurance can provide you and your family with a source of replacement income to help make ends meet until you're able to return to work. Explore this section to learn more about disability coverage, including the different sources of disability income protection and ways to go about getting coverage. An insurance needs calculator can help you determine how much coverage you need.

Click here for the Disability Needs Calculator