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Im sure this may have been covered previously, but does anyone have their hands insured...or is that so totally vain and stupid...? just seems as both a designer and a magician that without them Id be kinda scr*wed...What are your thoughts on this?

I would say it depends on the level of cover.

For example if you have an accident that leaves you able bodied but mentally deficient the insurance might be useless.

If it is your main source of income you may be better to look at a PHI policy, however they do not normally come cheap.

They will offer a deferral period and will pay out for a set period of time eg. until your 65th birthday. They can also be index linked so if you can never return to work it will increase each year. Many of these policies will also pay for private medical assistance eg. physiotherapy, on the basis that if you get healed and go back to work they will save money long term.

You need to make sure it is appropriate to your situation though as some policies will have an "any occupation" clause and some an "own occupation" clause. The difference being one will only cover you if you cannot work at all, not if you cannot do your current occupation.

I would contact a financial adviser and they can help you find the right policy just be careful who you choose to use, if you decide this is something you do want to do and want some further pointers give me a shout.

Thats some soung advise mate, cheers.

Do you think you need to insure your hands specifically? A regular health insurance policy should cover you if you lots of use of your hands, ears, eyes or anything else that would be necessary for working (magic or otherwise).

Stories of ballet dancers insuring their legs are interesting and seem to make sense. There was also a tale that Ken Dodd insured his face *against* growing less ugly (which would damage his ability to be funny). I imagine that was more a publicity move than a serious policy

The majority of those who've done this sort of thing, such as Liberace, did it more as a PR stunt with Lloyds more than anything else. But at the same time, if you are a major award winning manipulator and being a purest of slight-of-hand is your primary mode of earning a living, it would be logical to "insure your tools"... We always had insurance on our big props so why wouldn't this make sense?

Mier Yidid (sp) made a huge reputation with his Finger Flinging routines in the early 80s but a freak accident cost him the one finger he started that routine off with. I'm certain he wished he'd had insurance on his digits when that happened But he'd yet to become an established "star" of the industry and the proposition probably wasn't just prohibitive when it comes to costs, it would have been viewed as arrogant (something Mier is far from being).

The Moral of the Story Being... IF you are a world class, award winning performer akin to Lance Burton or Jeff McBride you might consider it, but as someone just starting out and perhaps not even a full-time pro, it's not practical.