When to Take Away Granny’s Keys

If your ungrateful spores are trying to take away your car keys, don’t let them! Here are 10 tips to help you  stay in the driver’s seat longer:

1. Do not take unnecessary trips. Map out your errands before you leave home. Cluster errands around one area to avoid driving back and forth across town.
2. Avoid rush hour traffic whenever possible- if you’re retired, why deal with it?
3. Plan to drive during daylight hours only. Don’t risk poor visibility and fatigue.
4. Delay or change travel plans during bad weather. It’s better to arrive late than to crash.
5. Choose routes that are well marked- remember landmarks and exits that can help you navigate.
6. Plan your route to avoid as many left turns as possible- seriously. Going a few blocks out of your way to make a right turn is perfectly ok.
7. Buckle up, turn on your headlights, and adjust your seat and mirrors before you drive off.
8. Don’t drive too fast- or too slow. If you must drive more slowly than the flow of traffic, stay in the right lane.
9. Plan on taking a break every 90 minutes. Get out of your vehicle and stretch or walk.
10. Park in spaces that have easy access and good visibility. It is better to walk a little farther than to crunch fenders.

Information for this article was provided courtesy of the California Department of Insurance.

Visit our website at http://www.alliedbrokers.com/ for information about all the types of insurance we offer. Or call 1-888-505-7988 for a free rate quote.

Death Benefits You CAN Take With You

Would you like spend your retirement savings on your in-laws nursing home costs? Would you want your kids to spend their life savings paying for your assisted living expenses? Most people wouldn’t, yet most people don’t have long term care insurance. Whereas 153 million Americans own life insurance, only 8 million own long term care policies.

Most of us don’t plan for long term care until it is too late:

13% actively plan for how they will live when they are old and frail
40% begin planning only after a near catastrophic health crisis
47% must make long term care decisions in a very short period of time, usually at the hospital
75% exhaust all of their savings and assets while still alive trying to pay for long term care

Most of us also don’t understand the cost of long term care or how to pay for it:

92% incorrectly estimate the cost of nursing home care ($72,000- $83,500 annually)
77% incorrectly estimate the cost of an assisted living facility ($40,000 annually)
45% incorrectly believe Medicare covers assisted living costs
59% incorrectly believe Medicare will pay for extended nursing home stay

Home equity has traditionally been a reliable source of funding for long term care. Not so much anymore. For the first time in history, there is more debt than equity in America’s homes. And if you’ve already looked into long term care, you know it is expensive- prohibitively expensive for many of us. So what can you do?

The good news is that the senior care industry and lawmakers have recognized that life insurance is a new method to pay for the cost of long term care. Recent legislation makes it easier for families unable to keep making premium payments on their life insurance policy to cash it out to pay for long term care- instead of just abandoning the policy. Another new law mandates that the owner of a life insurance policy with an accelerated death benefit rider can trigger the benefit if they have been living in a nursing home for at least 3 months.

To learn about purchasing a life insurance policy that can be converted to pay for long term care, or how you can use your current life insurance policy’s death benefit while you are still alive, call Connie Prince at Allied Brokers. Connie is our in-house expert in long-term care, disability, life, home, auto and umbrella insurance. She holds licenses in UFC, health, fire and casualty and is a Silvar Affiliate Member. 26 years of industry experience and strong relationships with major carriers such as Mercury, Travelers, CIG, Hartford AARP, Genworth, Prudential and Banner help Connie advise her clients on how to protect themselves and the ones they love.

Visit our website at http://www.alliedbrokers.com/ for information about all the types of insurance we offer. Or call 1-888-505-7988 for a free rate quote.

Information for this article was provided by Chris Orestis, contributing editor to National Underwriter Life & Health Magazine, December 2011.

Long Term Health vs. Long Term Care

Long term care (LTC) is not something we ever want to need- and it’s definitely not something we want to pay for. Nobody likes to imagine a day when they or their loved ones cannot walk, feed, bathe or dress themselves. And who among us has enough savings or home equity to pay $83,500+ per year for a nursing home? Keep in mind that the average stay in a nursing home is 2.2 years for men and 3.5 years for women. Even home health care costs are upwards of $21 per hour- that’s $46,000 per year if you needed an assistant an average of six hours a day.

But the sad reality is that only 8-10% of aging Americans who could benefit from LTC insurance have it.  Many will get hit twice by LTC needs. Without LTC insurance, they will exhaust their finances and themselves caring for a loved one, and then face LTC needs of their own years later. The average American life expectancy is 78 years- up 29 years from 1900. Add in all the advancements in gene-therapy and biotechnology and we will likely live into our 90s.

Life is terminal, but fortunately we can delay or reduce the need for LTC through preventative health. Right now- with exercise, proper diet, stress-management and other lifestyle choices, we can combat most adult-onset diseases. The top 12 preventable causes of death, according to a Harvard School of Public Health study, are:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Overweight-obesity
• Lack of exercise
• High blood pressure
• High LDL cholesterol
• High dietary salt
• Low dietary omega-3 fatty acids
• High dietary trans-fatty acids
• Alcohol abuse
• Low intake of fruits and vegetables
• Low dietary poly-unsaturated fatty acids

Interestingly, three of the top ailments requiring LTC can be prevented or mitigated by healthy lifestyle practices:

Bone fractures. Older people don’t fall just because of carelessness. More often it’s due to arthritis pain, muscle loss, declining stability and strokes. Regular exercise, good diet and stress management can postpone or lessen the severity of these conditions.

Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Learning and creative activity have been shown to improve memory, perception and mental agility- and even grow new brain cells. Exercise and diet can fight inflammation, which may be a factor in neurological disorders.

Heart disease. The Mayo Clinic recommends five practices to keep your heart pumping: quit smoking, exercise 30 minutes a day, avoid saturated and trans-fats, maintain a healthy weight and get regular health screenings.

Of course, this is easier said than done. So if you can’t give up the donuts and Doritos, or you’re just interested in learning more about LTC insurance, call Connie Prince at Allied Brokers. Connie is our in-house expert in LTC, disability, life, home, auto and umbrella insurance. With 26 years of industry experience and strong relationships with major carriers such as Mercury, Travelers, CIG, Hartford AARP, Genworth, Prudential and Banner, Connie will help you plan for the future and protect the ones you love.

Visit our website at http://www.alliedbrokers.com/ for information about all the types of insurance we offer. Or call 1-888-505-7988 for a free rate quote.

Information for this article was provided by Richard Samson, contributing editor to National Underwriter Life & Health Magazine, December 2011.