Preparing For Tomorrow podcast

The Alzheimer's Association released a Special Report that updates dementia and dementia care information. I have on;y read about 1/3 of the info so far, so I expect I'll have a lot more to share over the nexrt several weeks. The industry is getting better at discovering, diagnosing, and managing dementia. I tried to get a link to the report, but I can't find it. The title is "2026 Alzheimer's Dis...

We need to decide if we're going to make our own care decisions when we can no longer live alone or independantly. Or are we going to leave those decisions to a governement employee who must follow whatever the current government decides is approved for your care. Medicaid is being gutted, so please don't believe that you can rely on that at your most critial time in life. Please check out the lin...

Professionals in geriatrics and gerontology define "elderly" and "advanced age" as 65 and older and those with chronic needs. It's hard to believe I'm almost elderly?!? The fact that there are professional specialties and new Ai tools, websites, apps and software programs focusing on this enormous age group should indicate to us younger than 60 to prepare for those days ahead of us. There are peop...

A client with whom I've maintained a relationship for over a decade was almost talked into buying a new LTC plan earlier this year. I'm glad she called me to ask for help! I researched her risk and offered a very similar plan with significantly lower rates. Research is the key to finding the best plans for your family. When you are offered a quote for LTC insurance, ask the person quoting you how...

Don't let your 50 year old kids regret not having planned for future extended care needs when they first thought of it. A first question I ask when meeting with someone is "What made you decide to look into LTC planning now?" Far too many reply with some form of having thought about this years ago, but for whatever reason they came up with, they decided to wait. Now, the plans we're considering co...

This week, I'm sharing a story of what happened when I was walking my dog on Saturday. This can happen to anyone. We don't have to be old or sick to have an accident. So many people wait to buy LTC insurance because it's for old people, but 1/3 of people receiving care today are under age 65. And we need to be healthy enough to qualify for coverage. If we wait until after an accident, or a diagnos...

According to an AARP report, the Department of Health and Human Services reported a 48% increase in cost for home care and assisted living from 2019-2024, while median household income for families 65 and older rose only 22%. That's an average 8% annual increase! And people doubt when we use 5% annual increases to project future needs.... View a summary of the report here See what current and proj...

This week, I received a very disturbing call, and this was soon after I met a man whose job is to protect people (mostly seniors) from scams. I'm so glad that a woman reached out to me for guidance before spending over half of her mom's little bit of savings she needed for her care. Listen and learn, then schedule time with me to prepare for your tomorrow. When we're prepared, we're less likely to...

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...

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 a...

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...

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...

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 f...

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 optio...

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 a...

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,...

Happy New Year! Let's make 2026 the year we design and fund our LTC plan without destroying our budget. This week, Diane shares ways to pay for long term care insurance with alternatives to simply using income to fund it. Listen and learn how to reduce the impact on the budget while preparing for that day when we do become more dependent on other people to help us get through our days. We're makin...

We recorded "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" along with a few other classics about 15 years ago. My husband, Paul, is the guitar master, and I am playing flute. Please enjoy, and share with those you care about most as you gather to celebrate this week. As Christians, our family is celebrating the birth of our Savior. Whatever you celebrate this season, do so with love and joy in your hearts. If yo...

When discussing worksite LTC with employers, two question come up all the time - 1) How much work do I as an employer or HR director have to put in? 2) I heard LTC insurance is expensive. How much more will the company be spending to add this benefit? Jason Dutra clearly addresses both of these questions this week. For more info, reachout to me diane@preparing4tomorrow.com Or research first at htt...

That title is an oxymoron. Truthfully, if you'll never qualify for Medicaid, that means you'll pay for all of your long term care needs yourself. In this week's episode we're sharing things you need to consider today, long before care is needed. You need to prepare for tomorrow's needs today, whether you choose to own insurance or not. You need to create a roadmap for your caregivers to follow if...

Diane received an email this week from a long time listener who received a notice of a 301% rate increase request from his LTC insurance company. This episode discusses the process of requesting and seeking approval for rate increases. This process is heavily regulated from multiple angles. It's definitely not a random insurance company tactic to create more profit or to force policy holders to ca...

Thank you all who are listening to these podcasts and for the great feedback you've shared over the years. I can't believe we're in our sixth year already. I'm so thankful that these poscasts are helping so many people learn about long term care and all the strategies available to protect our families. Enjoy your family this Thanksgiving weekend, and always be thankful. If you're ready to plan for...

This week, Jason and Diane discuss UNUM's February 2026 ceasing of LTC group and employer sales. How should employers and employess react to this decision? What are the next decisions that must be made? What can employers now offer to newhires? Should current policyholders keep their policies? When you don't have answers, the best thing to do is talk with a long term care planning specialist like...

We need to recognize the contributions and sacrifices that family caregivers make to help those they love who can't provide for their own daily needs. The reason most people own LTC insurance is to help those caregivers to not feel alone and isolated. If you don't own LTC insurance and you want to protect your family, assets and choices, schedule time with me to plan here Below are many resources...

This week, I'm kind of on a soapbox. It seems that some people will keep asking about LTC insurance until someone tells them they don't need it. No one knows if we'll need help living at some point or not. We need to ask ourselves who the insurance is going to help. We're going to get care whether we plan or not. We need to ask oursleves who wil suffer the consequences of our failure to plan. It's...