Insurance Broker

The second potential problem is that disability insurance is typically tougher for self-employed people to buy and more expensive as well. That goes double for people whose income may be tough to document and those who work in fields perceived to be high-risk, such as jobs involving animals.

"The best thing to do is work with an insurance broker, submit an application, and see what happens. Some companies that are easygoing provide up to $2,500 in maximum disability coverage that could be relatively easy to get, though I'm not sure how much it would cost," says Dave Ortolf, a broker with Adams Avenue Insurance Agency.