You probably think you don't need this.
Let's actually find out.
Most pages on this topic try to scare you into buying. This one doesn't. Eight calculators, a few honest questions, and the actual math behind the decision — by the end you'll know exactly where you stand, including whether to walk away from it entirely. Promise.
The three facts most retirement plans miss.
Tap each card. Government data, not insurance industry data. These three numbers are the entire reason this product category exists.
Imagine a morning fifteen years from now.
Pick a scenario. We'll walk through what care actually looks like — not a brochure version. Then we'll talk about who pays.
If care happened tomorrow, who actually pays?
There are only four answers. Let's stress-test each one. Spoiler: three of the four don't hold up under scrutiny.
What would it actually cost your daughter?
Most adult children who become caregivers cut back at work or quit entirely. Drag the slider — see what they'd give up.
The most expensive misunderstanding in retirement.
About 6 in 10 Americans believe Medicare covers long term care. It doesn't. Click each myth to see what's actually covered.
First, you have to be broke.
Medicaid is the largest payer of long term care in America. To qualify in most states, an individual can have no more than about $2,000 in countable assets. Move the slider to see what you'd spend down first.
How long would your savings actually last?
Many people assume the nest egg will cover it. The math is sobering — and this doesn't include taxes on retirement withdrawals or what your spouse needs to live on.
You already insure three of the four big risks.
A broker named Brad showed me this diagram on a napkin in 1998. It's still the clearest way to see why this conversation exists. Tap each risk.
What if you only used the interest, never the principle?
This is the back-of-the-napkin argument that gets clients off the fence. Move your savings, your typical return, and your age. The math does the rest.
Why waiting almost never works.
Two things happen every birthday: premiums go up, and the odds of being declined for health reasons go up too. Slide your age and see.
A policy is a pool, not a paycheck.
A Long Term Care Insurance policy isn't a check every month — it's a benefit pool you draw from however and wherever you need care. Drag to build.
$111,000 a year today. What does it cost in 2046?
Long term care has grown roughly 4% per year for two decades — not 2-3% like general inflation. This is the most boring chart on this page. It's also probably the most important.
Pick the path that sounds like you.
There is no single right answer. Different families fit different products. Here is the honest version of each.
OK, but what if you're wrong about all this?
Every objection we hear, with the honest answer. No spin. Click any to expand.
Here's where you actually landed.
Pulled from your inputs above. Nothing here is sent anywhere — it lives in your browser only.
See your numbers in 15 minutes
One Zoom screen share. Quotes from up to 11 carriers — traditional, hybrid, and annuity-based — for your specific age, health, and state. Ask anything, leave with a printed comparison either way. No commitments. No follow-up if you're a no.
About this tool. Educational illustration only. Not financial, tax, or legal advice. Sample premiums are illustrative averages for a partnered policy with a 36-month benefit, 90-day elimination, and 3% compound inflation protection. Real-world rates vary by carrier, state, health, and plan design. Insurance policy guarantees are subject to the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing carrier.
Source data. Genworth Cost of Care Survey 2024 (median cost figures); HHS Administration for Community Living (lifetime care need statistics); Medicare.gov (coverage limitations). Nothing here constitutes a recommendation to buy or not buy a specific product. Coverage suitability depends on your full financial picture. Talk to a licensed broker (us or any other) before deciding.