Disability… the Fall of an Income and Why I became a LapTop Rebel
There are many reasons why I decided to become a LapTop Rebel. The first reason I started was to pursue and add on to my current Profession, and in that, a secondary income, as well as retirement from the physical aspects of Massage.
I had been searching the internet for about three years trying to find exactly how to do this and make a passive income. Let’s face it, after 25 plus years in massage therapy, my body is worn out. I still love it, however, some days my body does protest. I want to continue with Massage, just from a different perspective business wise.
The Unthinkable
Then the unthinkable happened, after battling rheumatoid arthritis for many years my spouse ended up on permanent disability. Thus, the fall of an income.
We consider ourselves lucky. My husband’s employer had a Premium Health Care Package. Without going into many of the ins and outs, I will tell you that we lost a full income. For the last 2 years, I have also had to take time off from my regular practice, and this made the losses even larger.
As fortunate as we have been, we still lost over $50,000.00 per year. While he receives 50% of his regular income, we have also had to increase our expenses as he no longer has employer benefits for prescriptions. Why are we lucky? He had Disability Insurance. If not for this, we would be totally hooped financially.
We did have disability insurance on our mortgage, unfortunately, this insurance, in most cases, is only accessible for 24 months, after that your mortgage payments start back up.
Disability Benefits Canada
Because we’re Canadian most of my research here is based on a Canadian perspective, however, I have also researched the USA.
So let’s have a laugh together. In Canada, one can claim EI disability benefits for up to 15 weeks with a maximum cap of $1800 per month. ( If you become unemployed due to layoff, you can collect for 12 months). I find this a bit insane. You’ve paid into EI for years, have never claimed, become disabled, and can only receive 15 weeks of benefits! (Sorry, I occasionally will have side rants)…
If you qualify for Canada Social Insurance disability benefits, the maximum per month is approximately $1,200.00! (Side Rant, yet again… you pay into something for years, and will never be able to access your full paid in amount! Unless you live to be 85+)!
Remember that the Premium Health Care Package I was talking about? It’s about 50% of his former income. If we were to claim his Social Insurance Disability as well, the disability insurance will deduct this from his disability payment.
Currently, I am unfamiliar with USA employer benefits packages and disability however I don’t think it’s much different from Canada. In my research as far as the Government Social Security Benefits go, it’s pretty much on par.
In the US, social security insurance benefits the Federal benefit rate is $771 for an individual and $1,157 for a couple. Not much different from Canada really.
That explains my title. The fall of an income. It can happen in a heartbeat, without warning. (Bleak of me, I know)…
Okay now that you’ve heard my sob story, this brings me to the point of disability and making money online.
Disability and Making Money Online
Yes, you can. You can make money online, even with a Disability! Finding the tools is the hardest part, and if they are FREE… even better!
Having an extra source of income can be a life saver in this case. The amount of income that is lost after becoming disabled, can be frightening! I will tell you that becoming a LapTop Rebel will give you an advantage to recovering some (if not all), of that income.
I’m going to give you a head start on this, and add to the list, as time goes by. These tools are the base that anyone with disabilities will need, and if you don’t have a disability, you may find them handy as well!
Free Tools
Right now, I am using voice text in Google Docs which is a free app. I will have to do some editing but it’s quite easy to use. Whether disabled or not, this app allows for easier writing. as with any voice to a text, there will be some editing needed, but it is the best free version available. (If you need a paid version, I recommend Dragon Naturally).
I am also using the free version of Grammarly… I will be upgrading this feature. The free version is fantastic but as I move forward I have decided to ramp it up! So why haven’t I upgraded yet you may ask? See my response below!
Hemingway editor. Currently, I am not using this one, but I do want to give it a try before I upgrade Grammarly. After hearing many great reviews about this application, I believe that I should give it a try before making my decision.
That’s 3 free apps, so far that can aid anyone, but specifically those with disabilities, in the LapTop Rebel life. Other free tools would, obviously include, the free training that I’ve mentioned in my You, Me, and Affilaite Marketing post.
Other essential free apps for everyone wanting a Laptop Rebel Life, include the following:
Google offers Google Webmaster and Google Analytics. These are essential tools for online presence. Free to use, these will give you Google rank, Insight performance insights. Helping with keywords, website position, and potential improvements to increase your traffic.
Along with Google, we can’t forget about Bing. Bing Webmaster Tools will give your site more coverage thus increasing traffic. As with Google you can rank keywords, traffic and see where improvements are needed.
Working Hard
You’ve worked hard before, you can do it again! A LapTop Rebel is hard work, but it can be easier than you think!
Have an AWESOME DAY!
Shaunna
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