Posts tagged with "Long term care"

Retirement Challenges for Women

 

 

Conquering Retirement Challenges for Women

Looking ahead can help you conquer these unique obstacles.

 

When it comes to retirement, some women face obstacles that can make saving for retirement a challenge. Women typically earn less than their male counterparts and often take time out of the workforce to care for children or other family members. Added to the fact that women typically live longer than men, retirement money for women may need to stretch even further.1  Despite these challenges, there are a lot of reasons to be hopeful.2

Review your existing situation. Do you want to spend your years traveling together, or do you envision staying closer to home? Are you seeing yourself moving to a retirement community, or do you want to live as independently as you can? Sit down with your spouse, if you’re married, to discuss your visions for retirement.

You can’t see if you’re on track for your goals if you haven’t defined them. And if you find you’re falling short of where you want to be, you can work together to strategize about how you can either get to where you want to go or to adjust your strategy so that it fits your existing situation.1

 Get creative. These challenges don’t have to stop you from saving for retirement if you’re willing to get creative. If you plan to or have taken off time from the workforce, try and increase your contributions to your retirement accounts while you are working. If you’re staying home while your spouse works, you may be able to contribute to an individual retirement account.3

 Under the SECURE Act, once you reach age 72, you must begin taking required minimum distributions from a Traditional Individual Retirement Account and other retirement plans in most circumstances.  Withdrawals from Traditional IRAs are taxes as ordinary income and, if taken before age 59½, may be subject to a 10% federal income tax penalty. Under the CARES Act, the 10% penalty may be waived in 2020. Traditional IRA may be fully or partially deductible, depending on your adjusted gross income.

If you’re caregiving for an elderly relative, there are ways to be paid for your time. According to AARP, the Veteran’s Administration or Medicaid may be a potential source of income. Working with a professional who has expertise in this field can help you navigate the complicated medical structure while also helping you earn income for work that you’re doing.3

 Get involved. One of the best things you can do is to get involved in conversations about finances. Many women undervalue their knowledge in this area and having regular conversations with your spouse, family, and financial professional can help ensure that you always know where things stand.3

 

While women may face additional challenges, careful preparation with your financial professional may help you to live a fulfilling retirement.

 

 

 

This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.
Traci L. Kovacic is a registered representative of and offers securities through The O.N. Equity Sales Company, Member FINRA/SIPC, One Financial Way; Cincinnati, OH  45242; (513)794-6794
Riverfront Financial and The O.N. Equity Sales Company are unaffiliated companies

 

Citations
  1. CNBC.com, March 6, 2020
  2. Entrepreneur.com, August 13, 2020
  3. MarketWatch.com, March 6, 2020
Eldercare

How Much Do You Really Know About Extended Care?

 

 

How Much Do You Really Know About Extended and Eldercare?

Separating some eldercare facts from eldercare myths.

 

How much does eldercare cost, and how do you arrange it when it is needed? The average person might have difficulty answering those two questions, for the answers are not widely known. For clarification, here are some facts to dispel some myths.

 

True or false: Medicare will pay for your mom or dad’s nursing home care.

FALSE. Medicare is not extended care insurance.1

Medicare Part A will pay the bill for up to 20 days of skilled nursing facility (SNF) care, but after that, you or your parents may have to cover some costs out-of-pocket. After 100 days in a SNF, you will have to cover all costs out of pocket. The only way to “reset the clock” for Medicare coverage of these services is if the patient can somehow go without skilled nursing care for 30 or 60 days or if they require a hospital stay of three full days or longer.1

True or false: A semi-private room in a skilled nursing facility costs about $35,000 a year.

FALSE. The median cost of a semi-private room is now $89,297. A private room in an assisted living facility has a median annual cost of $100,375 annually. A home health aide could run you up to $4385 per month for full-time care. Even if you just need someone to help mom or dad with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating, bathing, or getting dressed, the median hourly expense is not cheap: non-medical home aides run about $23 per hour, which at 10 hours a week, means nearly $12,000 a year.2,3

True or false: Only around 40% of Americans aged 65 and older are expected to need extended care.

FALSE. Someone turning 65 today has a 70% chance of needing extended care. That means that by 2030, it’s estimated that around 24 million Americans will need extended care.  This is double the current number already receiving care.4,5

 True or false: The earlier you buy extended care insurance, the more manageable the premiums.

TRUE. Younger policyholders may pay lower premiums.  The best time to consider extended care insurance is when you are healthy. While you may be paying a premium for a longer amount of time, the expense may pale in comparison to paying for unexpected medical costs out of pocket.6

True or false: Medicaid can pay nursing home costs.

TRUE. The question is, do you really want that to happen? While Medicaid rules vary by state, in most instances, a person may only qualify for Medicaid if they have no more than $2,000 in “countable” assets ($3,000 for a couple). A homeowner can even be disqualified from Medicaid for having too much home equity. A primary residence, a primary motor vehicle, personal property, and household items, burial funds of less than $1,500, and tiny life insurance policies (with face values of less than $1,500) are not countable. So, yes, under these economic circumstances, Medicaid may end up paying extended care expenses.7

 

A little strategizing now could make a big difference in the years to come. Call or email us today to learn more about ways to pay for extended care and discuss your choices. You may need to find a way to address this concern.

 

 

Traci L. Kovacic is a registered representative of and offers securities through The O.N. Equity Sales Company, Member FINRA/SIPC, One Financial Way; Cincinnati, OH  45242; (513)794-6794
Riverfront Financial and The O.N. Equity Sales Company are unaffiliated companies

 

Citations

  1. Medicare.gov, March 26, 2020
  2. SeniorLiving.org, June 24, 2020
  3. APlaceForMom.com, May 11, 2020
  4. AmericanActionForum.org, February 18, 2020
  5. LongTermCare.gov, July 23, 2020
  6. Forbes.com, April 17, 2020
  7. LongTermCare.ACL.gov, July 23, 2020

 

This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.