This week, our 31 year old son asked when he should be adding LTC coverage to his retirement plan.  Diane shares things to consider when planning to be sure you can both qualify and afford LTC insurance.  11 states are working on creating a mandatory LTC tax.  As of today, it looks like the only way to avoid the tax is to not be working or to own your own private LTC plan.  Washington state has already done this. The other states currently  working on a tax plan are CA MI CO MO NY VT OR HI MN IL and NC.  California is closest to a plan.  If you're aleady considering LTC and live in one of these states, you need to move quickly.  Contact me at [email protected]

Most people state they don't want to burden their children with long term care needs like bathing, dressing and going to the bathroom, but they too often don't consider the financial burdens that go along with that.  Affluent people often believe that they don't need to discuss LTC needs because they have enough money to pay for any care they will need.  It's more important to have a plan when there are more assets as siblings tend to argue about the right way to care for mom or what to spend or not spend for care.  Not having a plan too often disrupts families forever.  A plan doesn't always have to include insurance, but it needs to be a plan and it needs to be discussed before life shows up and changes the rules in an instant.  Ask me for guidance at

Because I included a case study in last week's episode, go back and listen to Aaron's options for a plan to provide LTC and also reduce his tax obligations.  This week, listen and learn about two laws that have been enacted, LTC Partnership Act and Pension Protection Act, to help consumers preserve assets and let insurance companies create tax reducing strategies for policyholders.  Contact me for guidance and plans to meet your unique needs at [email protected]

Last week, I attended my first ILTCI conference in Raliegh, NC.  I met a bunch of great people, and I learned so much valuable information that I will share with you here and over the next months. What are states doing to alleviate the Medicaid system?  How will state programs work alongside private LTC insurance?  What can we do to encourage solid legislation that works? How is our country going to be able to afford to care for an aging population?  How can we as consumers be prepared for tomorrow?

This week, Diane and her guest, Angelett Johnson with Small Assited Living Coalition, share how having a guide, a plan and a team to help us live safely when we can no longer care or provide for ourselves. Visit to learn more about how they can work to help families help their loved ones better.

This week, Nancy & her daughter Tammy decided to choose a hybrid, cash indemnity plan that will let Nancy use the money to pay for whoever and whatever care she needs, or it will pay a tax-free death benefit to Tammy if Nancy never needs care.  Disclosure: In this episode, I stated that the hybrid plans were not available prior to the Pension Protection Act (PPA) being implemented in 2010.  They were actually available before then, but the PPA law made the benefits completely tax-free if used for care or as a death benefit.  Before that, benefits could not be combined and tax-free.

Nancy found a cash indemnity hybrid LTC insurance plan that will pay her daughter and pay for licensed professional care if needed.  She just needs to decide if whe wants a larger and level LTC benefit or if she wants to start small and grow the benefits over time.  Listen to her options and email me at to share what you think she would choose, or what you would choose.  We'll learn next week of her final decision

Nancy is moving into an addition her daughter has added onto their home for her.  She wants a long term care plan that can pay her daughter to help her or pay for professional care at home or in a facility.  She wants to know if there are plans that do both.  The answer is yes, and Diane shares several options for cash indemnity LTC plans available for Nancy as she prepares to protect her family from having to sacrifice to provide for her if extended care is needed.

Diane interviews Kelly Stuart Williams with Pegasos Public Relations and learns how her parent's LTC insurance helped Kelly and her kids manage two parents' needs with two different forms of dementia.  Without a plan, the family could have and would have been thrown into a medical, financial, physical and emotional catastrophe.  Dementia is a big problem already, and having financing and resources from their insurance helped to lessen some of the negative impact of these needs.  Kelly knows her parents loved her, and that they prepared so she could build and grow her marketing business while raising her kids to become three amazing young adults.

The best Valentine's gift you can give your family is a plan for when you need extended care.  The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP recently published "Caregiving in the U.S. 2020", and Diane shares some of their statistics on unpaid caregivers. When you own LTC insurance, you are helping your family to be care managers rather than care providers.  Let paid workers do the work while your kids and family can continue their lives and careers while overseeing your care needs.  Love IS being Prepared for Tomorrow!