Personal Finance

• Misunderstood Marvel — Long term care insurance can help keep a family from financial ruin and relieve stress in an otherwise trying time. The problem is people don't understand what it does and why it's important. Enlighten your readers with information about long term care — what it is and why to consider insurance.

• The Under 50 Set: Why You Should Care About Long Term Care... — If you think long term care insurance is something for the golden years, think again. With 37 percent of long term care services being used by people under 65[1], it's easy to see why people should consider it sooner. Need another reason? The younger you are when you buy long term care insurance, the less expensive it is.

• Retirement Reality — You've saved oh, so carefully for the year you retire. You've planned for everything from medical bills to vacations — but what happens when your spouse has to have long term care? With costs ranging anywhere from $2,500 to $6,000 per month depending on the type of care required, you can see how a $250,000 nest egg could be reduced in five short years. Long term care insurance can help alleviate those long term care expenses.

• 10 Things To Consider When Shopping for Long Term Care Insurance — Not all long term care insurance policies are built the same. Give your readers tips for selecting a policy that serves them well now and in the future.

• Assets: Accumulation and Preservation — Your house, your retirement, your investments — you've worked hard to accumulate things that give you and your family a secure and stable standard of living. So how do you preserve those assets in the face of long term care?

• The Downside to Living Longer — By now everyone knows that, on average, women outlive men. But what are the downsides to living longer? If you're living longer, the chance you might need long term care services in the future goes up. And if you haven't planned for it, you may outlive your assets. Help your readers understand the ins and outs of long term care insurance.

• How Will You Spend Your Golden Years? — Most people have an idea of how they would like to spend their final years on earth. Whether that is at home, surrounded by loved ones or at a peaceful assisted living facility, the reality is that your financial situation will most likely dictate where you end up. Long term care insurance can be provided for a number of options from adult day care to in-home care to nursing home care. It's one of the best ways to keep the options open at the end of life.

• Recruit, Retain, Relax — How's Hiring? — Employers offer the basics — health, dental, prescription — but what they put in their benefits packages speaks volumes to current and prospective employees. According to a June 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), employees ranked compensation and benefits as the top two factors required for job satisfaction. And according to the 2006 Unum Buyers Study, supplemental benefits are rising in popularity. How do employers in your city boost their benefits packages? How does long term care insurance play out in this market?
  

• Long Term Care Insurance: A Growing Trend? — According to a recent LIMRA study, nearly 64 percent of U.S. employers with 10 or more employees offer at least one supplemental insurance benefit. A May 2005 study by Eastbridge Consulting Group points to the fact that overall, the supplemental market more than doubled between 1997 and 2004, increasing from $2 billion to $4.2 billion in premium. In fact, in a recent survey by the Wall Street Journal, only 9 percent of those surveyed have purchased long term care insurance.[2] Are businesses in your area considering long term care insurance as a way to differentiate themselves in the marketplace?
  

• The Caregiver Connection — Productivity among employees has taken center stage in recent years with projections of losses in the billions from lost productivity for a variety of reasons. As the sandwich generation finds themselves caring for children and parents simultaneously, presenteeism and absenteeism will continue to rise. How is this affecting employers? How can a long term care insurance policy help alleviate this issue?