This week, Diane shares a story of what can happen when there is no plan for extended care or long term care. With cataract surgery adjustments today and super dialated eyes, rhis is all that can be said this week. Sorry for any typos, I can't see well at all. Listen sand schedule to design your family's plan
We're getting bad news from what seems like every direction these days. Governments and media are all talking about wars and destruction. But this is not new. We've been through these kinds of events before, too many times, and we're still here and moving forward. We can't let panic, wars and market crashes control our choices. These thnigs happen without our input. We can control our clarity, courage and conviction to stay on course. If you've been considering planning for future extended care ...
Hello all, I recently had cataract surgery in both eyes, and my eyes get tired if I look at the computer too long. I need to take breaks while recovering. Instead of discussing shared and individual LTC annuities this week, I need to share an episode that was aired last summer. This will remind you how LTC annuities can help both protect your family if you need extended care and also eliminate all those gains on your non-IRA annuities you've been holding on to because you don't want to pay more ...
After reviewing planning strategies for hybrid or linked benefit LTC plans, this week we are comparing shared and individual traditional or stand-alone LTC plans. Yes, there have been rate increases on these plans, but over the last 20 years or so, traditional LTC plans have gotten much healthier. Listen and learn how. When funding using income or on a budget, these plans can help families afford to get through an extended care need without bankrupting their loved ones. It's easy to see that the...
Anna & Marty compare shared hybrid life/LTC plans with separate LTC plans for each of them. It's a matter of preference and goals. The LTC and death benefit are directly related, so plans with higher LTC benefits have larger death benefits. The death benefit acts as a return of premium if care isn't needed. The key differences in shared and individual plans is who can use the LTC benefits and for how long, who can be beneficiary, and when does the death benefit pay? Listen and learn how thes...
This week, Jen asked if she and her husband can own a long term care plan together and share the benefits with each other. She asked what happens if one person uses all the benefits. And what happens if neither of them need extended care services. She wants to know if it would be better to have two separate plans or share one and can they be each other's beneficiary. She also asked if this is the same as LTC Partnership. Listen and then schedule with me to design a plan to protect your loved one...
This week, we need to pay attention that LTC is not just a women's issue. It used to be more focused on women because we live longer and are more likely to live alone when help is needed. Today, with so many divorces, we have a lot of single men who will also be living alone when help is needed. But men are the providers for their kids and familiues. There is no time to consider that you won't be providing. LTC insurance helps you continue to provide for and protect your kids, even if you can no...
This week, Diane shares what she learned while attending the 2025 Genworth LTC Symposium "Sustainable Solutions: The Future of Long Term Care Financing". We all agree on the problem and wonder how long it will take for all parties (public & private) to agree on a solution. The links below provide info on who is supporting the Well-Being Insurance for Seniors to be at Home (WISH) Act. Please reach out to your Congressmen/women and ask then to support this Act as it will help our most vulnerab...
Government is talking about cutting Medicare and Medicaid funding while costs of care are increasing. Dementia used to be considered a mental defect, and people were hidden from the rest of society and not talked about publicly Today, we know tis is a disease that needs to be managed. We also know that younger people are developing memory concerns. The plus is that we're not afraid to talk about it anymore. The negative is that we're delaying the needed planning until it's too late to design mea...
This week, I interviewed Mike Simenstad, an LTC veteran with 34 years of experience working for several LTC carriers and distributors. He currently works for National Guardian Life (NGL), a traditonal LTC company across the United States. Mike, and others in his role help me and other LTC specialists to be able to work smarter for our clients. We all work together as a team to find the best solution for each family. Mike answers questions about tools/resources consumers use to research and why t...
We often hear from sons and daughters who want to buy LTC coveeage for a parent. This could be to preserve a family home, to avoid Medicaid, or because they watched their parents care for their own parents for several years. They don't want to go through that again. This works if the parent is still healthy enough to be approved by an insurance company. Different kinds of planning strategies are offered by different companies up to various age limits, and health questions differ as well. We can ...
This week is about tax deductions and tax savings with LTC insurance. Individuals and business owners often overlook the tax advantages that a long term care insurance plan offers. Listen and learn who can use what kind of tax planning when funding their LTC plan. Disclosure: I am not an accountant or tax advisor. I'm simply sharing what tax saving strategiesa are available. Consult your CPA or tax advisor for specifics to your situation. Note: I mention non-forfeiture benefits on traditional LT...
This week, I'm hearing that people want to plan for potential LTC needs, but they are afraid to do that today because of our uncertain economy and stock market fluctuations. It's more important than ever to own our own plan today. Federal programs are being gutted, and Medicare and Medicaid are the two biggest expenses on the federal budget. Medicaid is not going to do more in the future. People who thought thay had enough savings to self fund care are seeing today that that should not be a lone...
We and our financial advisors are preparing to need money to last 30 plus years in retirement, yet we don't trust LTC insurance companies to help protect us during that time. If we think we're going to live that long, do we really believe we will remain as strong, healthy and active as we are today? Look at our parents and grandparents. Humans slow down as we age. Dementia is showing up in our 60s. People are having strokes in their 50s due to stress. We need to be prepared. LTC insurance is str...
I wanted to title this episode "Stable & Controlled" because that's what LTC health underwriters look for in every applicant's medical history. Today, I share several things not to do until after you've applied and been approved for some form of LTC insurance. We don't need to be in perfect health, but we need to be aware of red flags that the insurance companies will view as an unacceptable risk. Listen and learn what not to do until both you and the insurance company of your choice have ma...
I was introduced to a couple ages 79 and 72 who thought it might be too late to plan for LTC protection. Thankfully, companies that offer LTC coverage continue to create new ways to plan and help older Americans protect their loved ones when an extended care need shows up. If you think you may have waited too long, you might be surprized at what is available today. Schedule a meeting to learn more Estimate LTC insurance premiums (These are not the plan I'm sharing today) Check out current and pr...
This week, we answer two questions by sharing some history of the long term care industry. 1) Do I have to go to a nursing home to receive my benefits? 2) Can I use my LTC policy to pay my family? Listen and learn how the LTC industry has evolved over the last 51 years to accomodate needs and desires of our aging population. Estimate LTC premiums Schedule to ask me a question Learn how much income and assets your state Medicaid system let's you keep Catch more episodes Learn current and projecte...
Would you rather pay $145,000 or $245,000 in total premiums to have $1,300,000 in long term care benefits at age 85? When we pay our premiums over a shorter number of years, we almost always pay less than if we pay a smaller rate for the rest of our lives. It's important to understand the big picture of both physical and financial health when designing a plan. If I don't ask questions, I won't know if there is a way to pay $100,000 less for the same benefits. Estimate recurring LTC premiums Sche...
Many believe that Medicare pays for long term care needs. Many also confuse Medicare and Medicaid. Listen and learn how both of these government programs work and why we need to understand why it's important to plan for ourselves and maintain control over where we live and who is helping us when we are unable to care for ourselves for an extended and unknown amount of time. What state Medicaid offices let you keep Schedule a meeting with me 15 minutes to ask a question - schedule Check out curre...
This is always the question. We all want to wait as long as we can before paying for something we don't want to own to protect our family from something that we don't want to happen. Let me tell you - if that something is going to happen, it will whether we plan or not. Don't end up where the state Medicaid system "puts you" because you didn't plan ahead. Most people plan 25 years before along term care need arises. When should you plan? Listen here. Schedule a meeting Ask a question Estimate LT...
Estimate LTC premiums Schedule a meeting with me Ask a quick question Listen to more episodes Learn what your state lets you keep to qualify for Medicaid Cost of care estimator is
Annuities can be confusing, and we tried to help keep this clear and understandable, but ---- annuities can be confusing. Schedule a meeting with me to learn more Ask a question Estimate LTC premiums Listen to more episodes Project future costs of care in your area Learn what Medicaid let's you keep This last link is a link that is shared by 6-8 LTC professionals, so if you'd loke to shecule, pleas eus my first limk above. Thank you
There are multiple ways to design LTC plans to get mney back of care isn't needed. Listen to many options today. Part two comes next week. Estimate LTC insurance premiums here: Schedule a meeting with me here: Get a question answered here: Listen to more podcast episodes here: What your state lets you keep: Cost of Care estimstor:
Estimate LTC insurance premiums here: Ask a question here: Listen to more podcast episodes here: What your state let's you keep: Schedule a phone or Zoom meeting here:
LTC Resources Estimate LTC insurance premiums here Ask a question here Listen to podcast episodes here What your state let's you keep: Cost of care estimator: Social Security life expectancy table: Social Security life expectancy by DOB:
Schedule with me at Ask a question at Website: Podcast episodes: What your state let's you keep: Cost of Care estimator:
We wish everyone a joyful Christmas and holiday season. Celebrate with those near and far, and enjoy all the bountiful gifts of love and family. Open your hearts and love those you love even more this season. Welcome those who are far from your hearts! I hope you enjoy the song my husband wrote a while back to celebrate the true Reason for the Season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Psst: It's me on flute again
As you gather with family and friends this holiday season, I ask you to notice sons and daughters helping their moms and dads perform simple tasks like cutting their food or getting in and out of chairs. Ask yourself and your spouse/partner what you would like to have happen when you reach a point when it's your turn to need help. Do you have kids? Can they, and do you want them to be forced to help you alone? Or do you want to prepare a written plan that includes answers to their questions and ...
Diane shares two client stories and some of her own family's story that have all developed over the last two years. So many people want to wait as long as they can to own LTC insurance, but they fail to understand that health is what buys this stuff. When health concerns show up, sometimes we'll be required to wait a specified period of time to be able to apply for coverage. Or we may become an uninsurable health risk, negating all the plans we had wanted to be able to use to protect our family ...
This week, we're sharing how Joe & Jenny used a single payment to create a paid up LTC and/or death benefit that pay tax-free when care is needed or when death occurs. This couple is in their 70s and are thankfully healthy enough to be approved for coverage. At 71 and 72, the leverage isn't as strong as when we're inour 40s, 50s or 60s, but we were still able to create a plan that pays significantly more than what is paid in. At younger ages, we would definitely use an inflation rider to inc...
