Friday, August 15, 2008

Can you deduct the cost of Long Term Care Insurance?

Most individuals do not ask this question but for those that are sole proprietors or partners in a business, they should be asking. I have attached a link to an article that was written in Kiplinger's Financial by Kimberly Lankford that gives a very nice explaination. In a word, YES. The insurance is deductible. Now go read the details and caveats to see how you can take advantage of this. http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2008/q0814.htm

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Almost everyone that I spoke with today answered the question, "How is your health?" with the answer, "Good!". People frequently ignore their changing health to their detriment. I had one gentleman tell me that his doctor said he was in great shape. However, when I took his medical history I found that the doctor had actually said that he was in great shape considering all the medical problems that he has. We sometimes hear what we want to hear. Any change in your health or medication can make you uninsurable for 90days, 6 months, 1 year, 10 years, or forever.

When I am asked what's the best age to seriously consider long term health care insurance, my answer is always that the younger and healthier applicants get the best options and prices. We are not like a great bottle of wine, we don't usually get better with age. However, like wine, we do hit our prime and then decline in body and spirit. Waiting is rolling the dice on your health changing due to aging, disease, or accidents.
So what to do? Don't ignore your health and protect your assets.