Matthew Dubin l Planning for Professionals & Business Owners

Matthew Dubin l Planning for Professionals & Business Owners Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Matthew Dubin l Planning for Professionals & Business Owners, Insurance broker, 437 Madison Avenue 29th Floor, New York, NY.

I collaborate with individuals, families, and business owners to design tailored wealth strategies focused on growth, risk management, and long-term tax efficiency.

Ask most people what their biggest asset is and they'll say the house, or the retirement account, or the portfolio they'...
07/25/2026

Ask most people what their biggest asset is and they'll say the house, or the retirement account, or the portfolio they're finally starting to build. It's none of those.

A 30-year-old earning $100,000 has several million in future earnings ahead of them. That number dwarfs anything on their balance sheet. Every asset they will ever own is downstream of it. The house gets paid for by it. The 401(k) gets funded by it. The savings account exists because of it.

And almost nobody insures it.

We insure the house, which is worth a fraction of that. We insure the car. We insure things we could replace with money. The one thing that generates all the money, the ability to walk into work and do the job, usually gets covered by whatever group policy work happens to offer, if it gets covered at all.

The strange part is that disability is far more likely than death during working years. It's the risk people plan for least and face most.

If your financial plan depends on your income continuing, then protecting that income isn't one line item in the plan. It's the foundation the rest of it sits on.

Your hospital gives you disability insurance.Sounds like enough, right?Here's what that policy actually means in practic...
07/20/2026

Your hospital gives you disability insurance.

Sounds like enough, right?

Here's what that policy actually means in practice:

It normally covers 60% of your income, and that benefit is usually taxable.

So, you're really looking at roughly 40 cents of protected income for every dollar you earn.

Now imagine you're a second-year attending making $300,000.

A disability doesn't just cost you your health, it costs you $180,000 a year, taxed down to something that barely covers your student loans.

The group plan your hospital provides was designed to check a box. Not to actually protect a physician's full income.

That's the difference between a group policy and an individual own-occupation policy. One protects your job title, the other protects your life.

A resident told me that they hadn't looked at their finances in two years. Not out of avoidance. They just didn't have t...
07/18/2026

A resident told me that they hadn't looked at their finances in two years. Not out of avoidance. They just didn't have the bandwidth.

Think about that. You spend your twenties training to keep other people alive, working hours that would be illegal in most professions, and the trade-off nobody mentions is that your own life gets put on hold.

Your money, your planning, your future. All of it waits in a folder you don't have time to open.

I talk to residents and fellows every day, and this is the thing I keep noticing. It's not that they don't care about the financial side. It's that they're running a sleep deficit and a 300k loan balance and a job that asks for everything, and there is genuinely no room left over.

I don't have a tidy lesson here. Mostly I just have respect for it. If you're in training and the financial stuff feels like one more thing you can't get to, that's not a personal failing. That's the system you're in.

Hang in there. The folder will still be waiting when you have a minute.

Not all disability insurance is built the same, and much of the difference comes down to one word: occupation.Here is wh...
07/17/2026

Not all disability insurance is built the same, and much of the difference comes down to one word: occupation.

Here is what many people do not realize until they need to file a claim.

Some policies may only consider you totally disabled if you are unable to work in another occupation for which you are reasonably suited by your education, training, or experience.

Consider a surgeon who loses the fine motor control needed to operate but can still teach, consult, or work in administration. Depending on the policy’s definition of disability, their ability to perform another type of work could affect whether and how much the policy pays.

A true own occupation definition works differently.

If an illness or injury prevents you from performing the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation, you may still qualify for the full disability benefit, even if you choose to earn income in another occupation.

For surgeons, dentists, and other professionals whose income depends on specialized skills, that distinction can be critical.

The definition must be included in the policy before a disability occurs. It cannot be added after a claim begins.

If you are unsure which definition your current coverage uses, it is worth reviewing now, not after you need to rely on it.

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