American Fidelity Assurance Joins Effort to Raise Awareness of Disability Risk and Need for Planning, Income Protection

PORTLAND, Maine, April 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- American Fidelity Assurance has joined the national movement to educate working Americans about the threat of an income-disrupting disability and to help them prepare financially. The Oklahoma City-based insurer is the newest member of the non-profit, Council for Disability Awareness (CDA), CDA President Barry Lundquist announced today.

As a CDA member company, American Fidelity Assurance joins America's premier disability insurance providers in a national effort to educate working Americans, along with financial advisors, employers, human resources managers and benefits professionals, about the risk of disabilities and the importance of protecting, what is for most people, their greatest financial asset: their ability to earn an income.

"American workers realize that their income is essential to their way of life, yet CDA research shows that, for a variety of reasons, far too many wage earners have done nothing to protect their most valuable financial resource," said Larry Alkire, Vice Chairman of American Fidelity Assurance's Worksite Group. "We are proud to lend our support to the CDA. The Council's efforts to educate Americans about the risk of disability are extremely important, particularly since more than a quarter of today's 20-year-olds will become disabled before they retire. Most people protect their homes and cars—they need to be aware that they can and should protect their incomes too."

"Our goal is to educate American workers about the prevalence of disability and the importance of planning for it, especially early in their careers when their earning potential is greatest," Lundquist said. "With its long history, distinct markets and impressive national customer base, American Fidelity Assurance is uniquely positioned to help us spread our message."

As part of its work with the CDA, American Fidelity Assurance will contribute resources and expertise and will disseminate CDA's educational materials and tools, quizzes, disability research and statistics, games, calculators and other resources, many of which can be found on CDA's websites including, http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org. American Fidelity will also help position CDA as the leading, credible resource for information about disability education and planning.

Alkire will join other top disability insurance industry leaders on the CDA board of directors.

About the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA)
The Council for Disability Awareness (CDA) is a nonprofit group dedicated to helping the American workforce become aware of the likelihood of disability and its financial consequences. The CDA engages in communications, research and educational activities that provide information and resources to wage earners, their families, employers, members of the media and others who are concerned about disability and the impact it can have on wage earners and their families.

About American Fidelity Assurance
Founded in 1960, American Fidelity provides supplemental health insurance benefits and financial services to more than 1 million customers, including educators, auto dealerships, health care providers and municipal workers. Since 1982, the third-generation, family-run business has been rated "A+" (superior) by A.M. Best Company, one of the nation's leading insurance rating services. The Oklahoma City-based company was also named one of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" nine years in a row.

SOURCE The Council for Disability Awareness