Would you insure your smile for $1,000,000? How about your voice? Or your legs? What if your income depended on them? Protecting one’s livelihood with insurance has a long and interesting history, thanks to Lloyds of London.

Consider celebrity leg insurance. It started in 1940 with Betty Grable, an actress, singer and dancer. She insured her legs for a cool million. That’s nearly $15 million in today’s dollars. And soccer star David Beckham has insured his legs for an astounding $70 million. Quite a hefty sum! But considering that his total salary for 2007 is estimated at $37.4 million, he is insured for only about two years of income. Would two years of coverage be enough for you?

Your ability to earn an income is probably your greatest asset. For instance, if you earned $75,000 for the next 20 years, you would take home a total of $1.5 million. But what if you got sick or injured and couldn’t work?

We are three times more likely to suffer long-term disability than to die. As of 2005, disability was the leading cause of personal bankruptcies and caused 46% of all mortgage foreclosures. So if you think life insurance is a good idea, you may also want to consider disability coverage, too.

Long-Term Disability Insurance benefits include:

• Disability due to injury or illness, physical or mental.
• “Own occupation” coverage.
• Covers earnings and bonuses.
• Waiting period as short as 90 days.
• Benefit period up to age 65.
• Portable, you own it.
• Discounted up to 40%.
• Guaranteed renewable.
• Non-cancelable.

Though it is probably only a rumor that Jennifer Lopez has insured her body for $1 billion, considering her lifetime earning potential, maybe she should.