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 resources to help them? If you don't have kids, I ask you to think about who will be taking on that role for you? LTC insurance is simply a tool the provides funding for you to be able to control your care experience and to decide with your doctors and family where the best place is for you to receive that care. Who wants to hand that control over to the state Medicaid department?  Not anyone I know. Whether to decide to own insurance or not, you need a plan.  You need to write that plan down and share it with your family so they know what you want and where you want to be. Email me at to request two free planning guides to help you help your family help you. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

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 and savings. If you're considering planning for future extended care needs, don't wait! Do it when you first decide to do it.  You are currently the youngest and likely the healthiest you'll ever be.  Use your health and youth to your advantage to obtain the most leverage for the dollars paid into a plan. Shcedule some time with me to first determine if some form of insurance is an appropriate tool for you.  If it is, we'll design a customized plan that  meets your family's unique needs. Schedule and get ready to Prepare for Tomorrow!

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 increase benefitrs over time as we know the costs of care are increasing. This couple was planning tu use their $200,000 for care if one or both of them needs help living at home, in assisted living or in a nursing home environment.  By adding the leverage of the insurance plan, they each have nearly doubled the amount of money set aside for care needs. When we plan in our 40s or 50s, we see leverage at 8-10 times the amount paid in most of the time. I know it seems like we should wait to plan for LTC until later in life, but the leverage when buying younger is amazing.  And, with many plans, if you don't need care, then money goes back to your heirs.  And when younger, we are more likely to be approved for coverage. Schedule with me     to schedule a short call to see if this is something for you to consider.

This week, let's all be thankful for the people we have in our lives. We'll get back to preparing to help them help us better when we need help living  - after enjoying those we love most today! Happy Thanksgiving

This week, I interviewed Lynda Krueger with Owl Be There Tampa.  Owl Be There isn't a quick referral by zip code resource.  Or a DIY search through Google. Lynda and her associate improve the lives of seniors with wise guidance around senior living and care. Lynda shares the details of what it takes and how she works to find the right place based on client needs, lifestyles, spiritual beliefs, proximity to family and more. Reach Lynda in the Tampa Bay area at Or search nationwide at and click on locations It's always easier (less complicated) when you have a LTC insurance to help pay for needs at this time of life.  Then the fa,ily can focus on what's best rather than what they can afford.  Schedule to ask me for help planning.

There are so many ways to design a long term care plan.  However, different planning strategies offer their own unique benefits. For example, LTC Partnership Protection is only available on stand-alone LTC plans. Cash benefits and return of premium options are stronger with hybrid life/LTC and annuity /LTC plans. We will work together to decide which plans and benefits will meet your family's needs best. Listen and learn more and then schedule with me to design your plan

Lisa asked if LTC insurance requires us to use the whole benefit every month or can we use less and stretch the benefit period to pay longer. The answer is "that depends". What kind of plan do you have? What kind of care do you need? Where are you living to receive care? Who will be helping you? Listen and schedule with me See what your state lets you keep

This week, a client emailed me an article from Moneywise's retirement section that discussed Medicaid estate recovery. Read the article here -  The reason we plan is so that Medicaid won't take our house or impoverish our family. This link shows what different states let us keep and still qualify for Medicaid to pay for our care - There are several ways to protect against the risk of needing help living at some point in our lives.   Many people think, "I'm healthy. Why would I need long term care assistance?" A lot of times, we don't need help because we're sick.  It's because we get old and become more frail.  It's hard to imagine we may be frail at some point, but our aging parents used to be stronger and more agile than they are today.  Why would we be any different if we live a long life? We need to prepare today for that day when life gets more complicated and difficult for us and for our families. No one really wants to rely on the state for care and be "put" into a Medicaid bed in a nursing home.  We want to stay in control throughout our lives. Having a plan that uses some insurance and some savings/income wil help us to maintain that control  We are paying for our own care, so we get to decide where that care will be provided. Given a choice, it won't be in a nursing home.  And the state won't be involved in out financial plan. Let me help you prepare for your tomorrow today, whle you are yong enough and healthy enough to obtain a LTC plan that meets your unique needs. Schedule

I promise I'll start talking numbers and cases again next week. We made it through the storms and things are almost normal in our community. This week, I received a question about me rather than about long term care, and I felt the need to answer. Do I get depressed talking about getting old or getting sick all day long? I've been working as an LTC Specialist for over 20 years, and you would think I am sad every day. Listen and learn why that is not the case, and then schedule time with me so I can help you and your family prepare for your tomorrow.