We need to believe that we're going to get through these world events that are being thrown at us every day.

We have to believe that we're going to live a long life. When we live a long life, we get old, and when we get old we need help.

The massage today is short, and I hope it encourages each of you to continue planning to protect those you care about most.

The new 2025 Cost of Care updates were released thjis week and you can see current nd projectewd costs where you live here

We're seeing a 13% increase in home care costs across the country. If we want o stay home when we need help getting through our days, we need to plan now to be able to do that.

Schedule a phone or Zoom meeting with me to get started here

Just like when we go to an all-you-can-eat buffet, our eyes are bigger than our stomach.

With LTC protection, bigger than our budget.

We want the best policy that will pay for everything we need for as long as we need care, but our income and savings say we can afford something with less coverage.

Or we apply as a couple and one is declined for health.

Does this mean we don't get any coverage at all?

No! It means we get as much as we can afford for the duration of premiums.

If half of our expenses are paid for with insurance, that's using our own assets and income to pay the other half rather than paying for all of our needs ourselves.

Our family will be thankful for anything we do to help them help us better.

View 2024 and projected costs of care where you live here

Please use a 4% or 5% increase in costs when looking in the future years as that's how costs have increased over the last three decades.

Learn what your state let's you keep to qualify for Medicaid here

Schedule a phone or zoom meeting to start designing your plan here

I get so many calls from families trying to find caregiving support answers for their older parent or relative.

They've reached a point where they are overwhelmed and need help providing for their loved one.

This is not the time to look for insurance.

The choices are limited and have higher costs because at age 75 or 80, we're close to or at the age when the insurance companies think we'll open a claim.

That parent should have considered LTC funding options at 50 or 55.

But 50 and 55 year olds too often believe we'll be in the same health mentally and physically at 75 or 80, and that's usually not the case.

We need to plan for this WAY before that need shows up.

Parents who waited too long must encourage their kids to plan now so this doesn't turn into a never ending cycle of kids spending all of their time and money providing for parents and then not being able to provide for themselves later, depending on their kids' time and money, etc.

I promised links to learn more about Medicaid.

This link shows what each state let's us keep to be financially eligible for Medicaid benefits: What your state let's you keep

This link shares how each state qualifies an individual for Medicad benefits: Elder Law Answers

Schedule with me here to start working on your plan to protect your family, assets and choices and avoid being told where to live by the state.

Many people inquire about LTC insurance and unfortunately get incorrect or incomplete information.

This is why it's important to work with a LTC Planning Specialist, like me, who studies this continually.

Years ago, there were a lot more companies offering LTC insurance, but all the plans looked and worked very similarly.

Today, there are less companies offering this insurance, but these companies are each offering more unique ways to design and fund plans to meet more needs.

Listen to these podcast episodes and arm yourself with the questions you need to ask when designing your plan.

You deserve to understand why an advisor or insurance agent is or is not offering you a plan to protect your family, assets and choices.

Reach out to me to schedule time to learn more and start to design your plan here

Ask me a question by scheduling here

Providing care for a very sick, injured or elderly family member is hard! Especially without help.

There are currently over 50 million family caregivers sacrificing their time, family, health and future to provide that care.

LTC insurance is not designed to replace you; it's there to help you be able to help without hurting yourself or getting overwhelmed from doing it alone.

Who is going to pay for those 7.8 million licensed care providers as the Baby Boomer generation reaches 80 this year and continues to age?

It's either us, our family, or the government.

Part of "us" is LTC insurance - so we won't force our famly members to exhaust themselves.

You can view current (2024) and estimate future cost of care where you live here

I recommend you use 5% COLA and not the 3% that defaults when you open the page.

I said I would add a link to the site that discusses LTC reform and how Medicaid impacts the entire industry, but the link is not active today. I have LTC Bullets emailed to me weekly. Hopefully, it's up and running again soon. The link is here for when it is online again

Schedule a meeting with me here

Jason Dutra with BuddyIns joins us this week to share a case study on worksite LTC benefits.

There are companies that will offer guaranteed issue (no health questions) hybrid life/LTC plans to a company with as few as 3 employees.

Listen and learn if this is a tool you would like to offer, or that you would like your employer to offer.

Then schedule an introductory meeting with me to discuss options for your company here

If you'd like to learn more first, use this link to research at BuddyIns https://buddyins.com/worksite

You can schedule a meeting with Jason by submitting a referral at the top right of the page.

Please remember to request me as your specialist.

I look forward to helping you protect those you care about most.

Hello to all our new and returning listeners!

Because we've had a large increase in listeners, I thought I'd share what we discuss during our initial consultation (which costs you only time).

It's good for long time listeners to get a refresher as well.

Our first meeting, via phone or Zoom and sometmes in person, is mostly educational. It's impossible to make a decision on something as important as preparing for futue extended care needs unless we understand what we are deciding.

LTC insurance is not for everyone. It must fit in with the rest of your retirement plan in order to protect both your assets and your family.

You can view current (2024) and projected costs of several types of care where you live here

A 2025 update will be released in March, 2026.

You can schedule a phone or zoom meeting with me here

I look forward to meeting you and helping you to protect those you care about most.

Because we have so many new listeners, we decided to get back to the basics of long term care and LTC insurance.

The best starting point is to learn current and future costs of home care, assisted living, and nursing home care. Use the cost of care website to find costs where you live at https://www.carescout.com/cost-of-care

Once we understand the risk we're up against if we suffer from dementia, a stroke or a severe car accident (for example), we need to decide where we would want to live when help is needed to get through our days. We need to consider who we want to have helping us, and we need to decide how we're going to pay for this care.

Listen and learn how different types of insurance plans decide when and how claims are approved or declined.

Learn which kinds of plans can be tax deductible and which can be paid using HSA funds.

Get your current policies and proposals out and schedule time with me to evaluate them and learn if they best meet your needs.

Schedule a phone or Zoom meeting here