Will I Need Long-Term Care? Reviewing the Statistics with Christine Benz from Morningstar

Long-term care is an issue that is really hard to grapple with and talk about. Yet it is an important one that we all need to think about. You may have dealt with it with your own parents or you may be dealing with it now. On this episode, Christine Benz, director of finance with Morningstar and author of 30 Minute Money Solutions, joins me to discuss long-term care, long-term care insurance, and what’s in store for the baby boomers who are now living longer than anyone in history. 

What are ADLs?

When discussing long-term care and long-term care insurance you may hear the term ADL thrown around. Checking someone’s ADLs is a great way to assess if someone is really up to independent living or if it is time to seek assisted living. ADL means activities of daily living. They include tasks such as; personal hygiene, dressing, eating and preparing food, maintaining continence, and mobility. Not only are these indicators an important way to decide if you or a loved one needs long-term care, but they are also used by insurance companies in the same capacity. 

What is a long-term care event?

Often when we think about long-term care we may immediately jump to thinking about dementia, but the reality is that long-term care is needed by people in many different situations. Since the daily care of an ailing elderly male is often shouldered by his spouse, women tend to have more need for long-term care than men. We also tend to think of a long-term care event as being a sudden thing, but more often than not, people graduate up through different levels of care. 

Let’s talk long-term care insurance

The obvious answer to the exorbitant costs of long-term care is to purchase insurance. But the reality is that it’s a broken marketplace. Long-term care insurance holders can suddenly find their rates increasing by 30%-50% or more after paying in for many years. Long-term care insurance is still a relatively new product and the insurers discovered that they initially underpriced their product. Learn about what the future of long-term care insurance may look like and some long-term care insurance alternatives by listening to this interview with Christine Benz. 

Long-term care is scary

Yes, the thought of needing long-term care is scary on many levels. The thought of becoming vulnerable and losing control of your functions at the end of life scares the wits out of us all. But the financial ramifications can be just as scary as well. One way to help ease your mind into this fearsome territory is to plan for it in advance. Listen to this series on long-term care to help you prepare for any eventuality. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

• [2:45] What are ADL’s?

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

• [5:44] Christine Benz joins me to discuss long-term care
• [8:07] What is a long-term care event?
• [16:35] Let’s talk long-term care insurance
• [19:40] We’re at the beginning of the wave of baby boomers

LISTENER QUESTIONS SEGMENT

• [26:45] How can Charlotte minimize health insurance costs before Medicare kicks in?
• [29:21] Can the inherited IRA RMD amounts over 10 years be different or do they have to be the same over that stretch of time?

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

• [31:56] Check out the link in 6-Shot Saturday that contains all the data that Christine Benz refers to

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Healthcare Before Medicare (If you have questions about this topic, start here!)

BOOK - 30 Minute Money Solutions by Christine Benz

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center