Long-Term Care Planning For Real Life Families

Long-term care planning often stays invisible until a fall, stroke, surgery, or cognitive decline forces a family into instant decisions. On the Overcomers Approach podcast, Nichol Ellis McGregor talks with long-term care planning specialist Raymond Levine about replacing panic-based caregiving with purpose-based planning. The core idea is simple: most people have pieces of planning like a will, a trust, or a health directive, yet they still lack a real caregiving plan. That gap creates emotional stress, rushed choices, and financial strain right when the family is least able to think clearly. Planning ahead turns an overwhelming caregiving situation into a set of informed options.

A practical long-term care plan is not only about long-term care insurance, even though insurance can be a powerful tool for many households. It is also about deciding what help will be needed, who can provide it, and how to pay for it without draining assets or burning out a spouse. Raymond shares personal examples that make the point: even a short-term event like knee surgery can require support for daily tasks, transportation, and recovery logistics. Families often assume they will “just handle it,” but caregiving includes exhausting night interruptions, complex medical tasks, and the constant risk of mistakes when the caregiver is tired. Paying for professional home care, adult day support, or a care center can protect relationships and reduce caregiver burnout.

The conversation also clears up one of the biggest Medicare misconceptions. Medicare and traditional health insurance focus on doctors, hospitals, and short-term rehabilitation, not ongoing custodial care. Medicare may help with limited rehab, but it does not cover long-term caregiving needs that last beyond a short window. Long-term care benefits are about what an illness or injury does to your ability to function, such as needing help with activities of daily living like eating, bathing, and dressing, or supervision due to cognitive impairment. The episode explores additional funding routes people overlook, including veteran benefits in some cases and the idea that life insurance can be an asset rather than something to cancel. Knowing the rules before a crisis prevents expensive surprises.

For the sandwich generation supporting parents, children, and careers, the planning work is as much family systems as it is finance. Raymond and Nichol talk about choosing an advocate, using a mediator when conflict is present, and creating a simple readiness package: insurance cards, Medicare details, prescriptions, doctor contacts, legal power of attorney, and secure password access. Digitizing key documents can reduce chaos during emergencies when the patient is vulnerable and cannot answer questions. The deeper takeaway is dignity and autonomy: people want attention, they do not want to feel invisible, and they want choices about who provides care and where it happens. A thoughtful long-term care plan preserves independence, protects legacy goals, and gives families a calmer path through one of life’s hardest seasons.

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More on Raymond at https://raymondlavineofficial.com/

Thank you for listening!

Transcript

Welcome And The Overcomers Lens

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello, everyone. This is Nicole Ellis McGregor, the founder of the Overcomers Approach podcast, where I meet with different people with different expertise, different lived experiences, different walks of life. But the overarching theme is we have the ability to overcome almost anything that we're presented with in life if we if we plan and not be so reactive to the experience. Also, we have the ability, even in those decisions, and they might be difficult, we have the ability to walk through it more from a victorious lens than from a victim lens point. And I love the fact that I have Raymond Levine here today. He is an extended care benefits advisor, long-term care planning specialist, and founder of the Levine LTC benefits. Raymond helps families and businesses move from panic-based caregiving decisions to purpose-based long-term care planning. He brings clarity to one's life's most emotional and misunderstood topics. How can we prepare financially, practically, and emotionally for the care for the ones we love when they become in need? Raymond, thank you for being on the Overcomer's Approach podcast today. I appreciate you sharing the space, experience, and time to what you do and the lens that you present it with and how you help families and companies when it comes to long-term care planning. I know I want to just say before I get started, um, I just want if there's anything that I missed, if there's anything that you want to interject before I go into our conversation.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Well, I'll tell you a story that uh Robert Carroll, who is the uh biographer for Lyndon Johnson, says uh when he uh when Lyndon Johnson was introduced, um Lyndon uh would say, uh thank you for those uh nice comments. Um uh my father would appreciate it and my mother would believe it.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Awesome.

unknown 2:00

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Thank you. I can totally identify with that. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

From Panic To Purpose Planning

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Your work centers around shifting people's panic-based decisions to purpose-based planning. What does that mindset shift look like emotionally for families? What do you what is your been experience? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Well, whether you're single, meaning, you know, you don't have you know partners, spouse, family, um, or you do have partner, spouse, family. And I I emphasize that because um, you know, in in in my youth, uh, you know, it was always, you know, uh, you had a married couple. Now, you know, the world has changed, the culture has changed. We have different combinations. And sometimes, you know, families are you know, uh a family, blended family, uh, beyond bended family, you know, uh, they're all kinds of combinations. But what my purpose is, what I do for a living, yes, is people get sick. Now, what I do is uh I do the caregiving aspect of health care. It's not just you have the flu or a cold, it's something where uh it's really big. Yeah, or it actually can be small, um, but it's something where family and friends will be responsible for your caregiving, and you will be responsible for receiving this caregiving. And you know, in all these things, what I my purpose is it's the same as estate planning, it's the same as life planning, it's the same as retirement planning, is that most people do not have a caregiving plan. They may have a will, they may have a trust, they may have, you know, do not resuscitate, they may have all kinds of little things. Yeah, but the the big thing that happens to people is people will die. And so uh, you know, maybe people sometimes plan more for their uh funeral than they do before they die. But I'm the uh the person that uh works to help people to have a plan. It doesn't always need to be a long-term care insurance plan. Yeah, I advocate it uh because I'm in that business that you say we uh again, if you go to an attorney, I guarantee you they're gonna talk about wills and trusts and uh uh all kinds of estate planning things. That's why you go to an attorney. If you go to go to the doctor, they're gonna talk about your health. I mean, and so that's my purpose. Uh and the reason a lot of wealth advisors, financial planners, or even other uh accountants and attorneys don't often advocate or even talk about long-term care benefits. And the reason they don't, I mean, they might say, oh, yeah, you might want to look into it, but they really don't uh understand. And in some cases, if uh they're really in the business of planning, in a way it's it's not real mad malpractice, but it's a form of it, is that you need to bring it up and to say this is something uh you need to do. Why? Well, because if you have a uh a caregiving issue, first of all, it's expensive. It's you know, even if you have care, it's always about the money. I know that you know people say, Well, you know, I love my my family and and they love me, and uh, but it it eventually it's going to come to money because when people either have to, and I and this is personal in my life and and my parents' life, is that they had active careers, but at certain points my father had long-term uh care needs, and my mother had to give up her thriving practice in order to uh be the care uh in order to be the caregiving. So it isn't just this isn't some abstract thing with Raymond. This is something personal. In fact, in the next couple of months, uh I'm gonna personally be in a caregiving situation. My wife is going to have uh uh knee surgery. Now we have it set up. Uh uh let me confess something, you know, early early in this podcast is that um I'm in the long-term care business of you know working with people to have a long-term care plan. But I will also confess I really don't enjoy or want to be a full-time caregiver or even a part-time caregiver. Now let me explain what I mean. That doesn't mean I don't love my wife, it doesn't mean that you know I won't do things, but you know, I also have you know things I need to do and responsibilities. So, you know, we have plans in place that we can hire people to do things that either I don't want to do, I don't know how to do. Uh that doesn't mean that I don't have direct involvement. Um, it's like saying, you know, look, I uh some people don't clean their house, so you get a housekeeper. Right. And so, you know, there's some or or you know, you don't want to mow the lawn. So you get uh uh landscapers, you know, some somebody to do it. So the reason I have, you know, we have plans is that we don't we're not that Raymond or my wife will not be overwhelmed with taking care of each other, uh uh, or that there are things that people can do that you know I can't do or I don't want to do, you know. I mean the usual thing, eating and bathing. Now, uh, will I drive my wife to the doctor? Of course I will. You know, that uh that that I can do split splendidly. In fact, she actually um accompanied me. I had uh dental surgery last week, so she accompanied me and she was my advocate. It's great. And these these are situations where I can personally be you know responsible and helpful. But there are a lot of you know mundane things that uh uh either I can't do or I don't want to do. So what do you do?

Building A Care Plan That Works

SPEAKER_01 7:40

You have a care plan in place where you can hire professional people to come into your home if that's what you choose to do, or if you uh depending on the situation, if you're uh alone or uh depending on what the illness or accident or frailty or cognitive may be. Maybe maybe it is better to go to a care center. But you know, there are good uh aspects of that, but there are a lot of things that people do wrong, and they do it wrong wrong. And and you brought it up when you're in a crisis, when it's immediate, when it's unexpected. And I'll also, you know, one more thing, and I'll then I'll stop talking is that most of us, and I and I and I and I'm uh like that. I wasn't I'm I didn't take courses in caregiving. Uh, but then again, I'm I didn't take courses in uh parenting. I think you know uh uh I did a we did a good job, but I didn't take a personal course in in in in parenting. And you know, that's that's an important job. Yeah believe me, it is a job. Um and caregiving is the same thing where you don't really take courses in caregiving. I mean you you you care for somebody, but you don't really have you know in caregiving. So, you know, for things again that I don't want to do or can't do, you know, I mean it it it could be uh uh it isn't just the intimate things, you know, the bathing and the dressing and getting getting somebody up. Uh there may be you know uh uh medical treatments, uh there may be injections, there may be, you know, changing bandages, ooh, you know, things that I don't necessarily um uh want want to do or know or know how to do. It's gonna have somebody that you know has that professional skill uh that can do those things. The other is that um in caregiving, uh, you know, somebody gets up at night, you know, it's gonna bother the other person. Well, you know, it'll affect the other person. So, you know, if you're tired, you know, uh uh caregivers make mistakes too, uh and they get impatient. Yes. So these are all these things where I, you know, if you really if people really want to know what does Raymond Levine really do, is that I, you know, uh I I don't convince people. I I want people to understand, you know, what the issues are, to say we need a plan and and uh it sure it would be practical to have a long-term care plan of whatever sort, or if you have you know the personal resources, but most people don't, that they then they can pay pay for services and have those those uh uh the option of paying somebody so that uh uh if if if the caregiver may not be capable, it may be age, it may be uh physical uh abilities, maybe uh uh a number of factors where it's better to hire somebody. So I'm I'm the money guy. Yeah, uh it's just like for your car insurance. Uh most people don't want to pay you know the car repair, whether they themselves are the per people that do it, or you know, somebody that you know they want to make sure that somebody has you know the uninsured or the or the or the insurance for it uh or warranties, same thing. You know, somebody says it's under warranty. People are happy because they say, Oh, I don't have to pay for it. It doesn't mean I don't want to, but let me let me just stop there so you can ask me another question.

SPEAKER_00 11:00

A number of things stood out where you were talking. You know, I love the fact that you talked about the shift in family dynamics, you know, and how what it may look for for like a person these days. It might be a single person, um, it may be someone who travels a lot, it may be uh blended families, um, and and that can bring a whole nother set of stipulations with that. Um, and and I think, you know, we have foster families, adopted families. There's so many things that defines an individual and a family. I love the fact that you spoke to that. And I also love the fact that you spoke to uh caregiving in terms of uh parenting, you know, like there's no book that comes with parenting, you know, we kind of navigate and figure it out. Um, but caregiving, I think I can speak to my own lived experience. You know, I'm my husband's caregiver. He had a stroke about 10 months ago. Um, he's recovering and it's still a long-term process. But in I in my natural per state that I am, I'm not I'm a natural caregiver. That's just kind of how I am. But with anybody, you can experience burnout and your marriage uh shifts, it defines, it takes on new and different roles. But you want to maintain the spouse, the relationship that you have with your spouse, it may be redefined, but it but and always being a caregiver can be complicating at times, you know. And so having a third person come in or another person with some expertise to take that weight off of you is extremely important because caregivers are so there's some studies done that they burn out and can get sick very fast as well. So I think using it as a tool, really understanding that is big, you know, and just like you made the uh, you know, the relationship with the car insurance that we have, you know, um, and and it's just a kind of like a safety net, it's kind of a tool because uh the more that you fail to plan or fail to plan to fail, or whatever that looks like, it could be so costly emotionally, mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you don't plan, it could just be catastrophic. And thankfully, I haven't experienced that. It's been definitely impactful and challenging at times. Um, but um, what I have learned is that I've met other families who've lost everything and there was no plan. And so I like the fact that you um kind of spoke to some of those different experiences regarding that. Uh, what do you think in terms of some people might say, well, I got Medicare and that's gonna cover everything? And I don't think it actually does. Um, and so I think that when it comes to long-term care, what do you think families um, you know, as they they begin to explore, like I might need a long-term caregiving plan? Um, what do you think some of the things that they should be thinking about if they if they are considering that? Um, what do what are some of the things that may come to mind when you when you think about that or when they start to think about that?

Medicare Limits And Long-Term Care

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Well, health insurance and Medicare are insurance plans. You know, health insurance usually get through your company or you buy it separately if you can afford it these days. Right. Or or Medicare is you know, for any any of us that are 65 and older. Yes, and it's you can get your A and B, and then you can get uh Part D or you can get a Medicare supplement uh plan. Those are health plans. That means for doctors and hospitals, that's what it pays for. Medicare will pay for short-term rehabilitation recovery care, but it will never pay for long-term care uh uh uh for your long-term care. It also pay uh uh will pay uh if you're in a rehabilitation, it'll pay up to 100 days. Uh but after that, then it's up to the you know the individual or or to do a copay.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Right.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Um so it's health insurance. Long-term care insurance is not health insurance in that fact, it is care giving insurance for people that uh uh need care, and it's defined by eating, bathing, dressing, cognitive uh for at least 90 days. So it pays, all right. Let me say it this way long-term care benefits uh don't pay for the health. It's what did the health do to you? For example, in your husband's uh has a stroke. Now, he may not necessarily at this point be eligible for care uh for long-term care benefits. Why? Because it's what has the uh uh uh stroke done to him that uh he would need, you know, activity what they call activities of daily living and eating babies, but now if there are a lot of things he can do, or you know, if it's uh program where he will recover, you know, in less than 90 days, it won't uh uh uh a long-term care plan won't cover them. Actually, there are exceptions. There are plans I have the the that there are always exceptions, but but um this is where people sometimes get upset with well, you know, if I get sick, you know, I'll uh I want to use my long-term care plan. You can't. It's what has the illness done to you that you know it it will be long uh a longer term um uh issue. And um so that that's important because sometimes, you know, uh even if you own a plan, some you know you forget. I I mean I forget, I forget. I don't always know you know exactly uh uh you know, in in uh sometimes if I go on vacation, I can't uh come back and I can't even remember my passwords. You know, it's something you do, you know, you do you do every uh every day. But if you have that plan in place, and I also put on the summary to say, you know, uh um, you know, the the you know, what is the criteria for for uh uh care uh for caregiving? And it is it is important because there are you know stories, people get mad or or influencers say, well, you don't want to own a long-term care plan because they don't pay. There are other ways that you can you know qualify for you know care benefits. I mean you can self-insure, self-insure, self-pay, don't recommend it, and and also the tax laws are not any more favorable uh um about it, but you can. Um Medicare will pay for rehabilitation, but you know, veterans benefits will also pay. There's another thing that people, if you own life insurance, and a lot of people do, whether it's uh uh you own permanent, you know, what they call cash value or um um term insurance, and if it and if uh uh it's convertible, never sell your life insurance. I know, never drop your life insurance, sell it. If you need the cash, sell your life insurance, go go to or talk to me, they're life settlement people. I can get you a contact, sell your life insurance, right? You know, I mean, if if you need it because you know to pay for you know uh your death expenses, keep it. But if you say, look, you know, I was gonna I was gonna cancel it, don't cancel it, sell it. It's it's an asset, sell it.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Wow, wow, that's good. I never heard that before. That that's very educational. That's a a good tool. That's something to know. So I appreciate that.

Sandwich Generation Stress And Support

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Many people are in the sandwich generation where they're supporting, you know, their parents and children and careers. What do you think the business biggest mistake that people do when they're they have so many responsibilities, they're carrying carrying a lot, but somehow they may have missed the mark. What do you think some of the challenges are in that in that space?

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Yeah. Take a vacation. I'm a great believe believer in, you know, and when I say vacation, I mean, you know, where it can be a you know, two or three-day vacation, or you know, uh uh uh take a vacation. But this is also the cultural thing too. Yeah, if you you know uh consult with me or any, I mean there's a premium attached. So you know, you gotta be, you know, somewhat, you know, you have to be um financially uh in the position to do uh you know to have have the conversation with me. But uh, you know, even if you say I have a limited budget, I can still you know work with you. I mean, if you say I'll always spend $25 a month, uh but you know, if we can if we can get to 125, you know, now now we got something to talk about. But the but the point is that when you feel overwhelmed, and there are days look, I feel overwhelmed. Like, you know, what am I trying to do here? And and how am I gonna, you know, uh uh do all the things I I need to accomplish? You know, take some breaths, get up, walk around, and then uh say, all right, what uh if if I'm gonna uh talk about uh um you know all the responsibilities I have, is to say, what are what are my responsibilities? What thing you know, who's responsible you know, who am I taking care of? And uh it may be you know if you have families to say, you know, have the family, you know, get the family together if you can, and and if they like it, you know, they'll talk to each other, or if there is conflict in the family and all families have is issues. You're telling the truth. And so, you know, uh uh if you know this is where you know one person is designated because they're the good one or they're female, or you know, and and in a way it's sort of unfair to say that the females are doing there are a lot of there are a lot of us males uh uh that are out, you know, that are that are doing something and are and are responsible. So, you know, they always think that it's the females, the girls that you know, uh it's always always the go-to. But what happens if you're you know, have a family of boys? You know, that's right. Of course, they can say, well, you know, uh uh the uh their spouses, if they have it, uh, will be involved. But if you have these kinds of issues, is it get a gerontologist or get people, uh, you know, if you're faith-based, you uh um, you know, you can get uh uh a faith-based person, but get somebody that has you know those kinds of skills to help with family, where they can, you know, that you can you can go to this person and have the you know uh in the university get the family together, but have the person be the mediator. That's right. Because you know, there are a lot of people that say, you know, 25 years ago you were mean to me. You know, you know, I mean, they're all of course, you know, look, there are there are also things in families too that uh uh come up, especially uh uh uh older people uh uh usually don't want to tell their families about their finances, right? You know, things that they have, you know, they may have other families, they may have other kids. You know, they they may have made you know financial uh um investments or things, you know, that they don't want them to know. Now, I'm the kind of person where uh uh I tell my my family I uh uh um I admit to everything and I deny nothing. In that way, you know, I'm having I'm you know, I'm saying, you know. I'm, you know, if you when you have these conversations, you know, when uh when when there's a crisis, I mean, you may still need to do it, but it's it's a bad time because you know you're you're you're making all these decisions. I mean, if somebody has been in the hospital and you and I assume your husband uh was at the hospital, when you leave the hospital, you get a stack of papers. You get you know uh uh uh um the um the the prescription list.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

Um, you know, you have to decide, you know, are are there home modifications that you mean may need may need to make or or equipment to buy? I'm not saying that you know, I'm also you know an advocate and I talk to my uh uh clients or uh or people that I talk to is to say it isn't just you know a care a caregiving plan is isn't just a long-term care plan.

Advocate Prep And Document Checklist

SPEAKER_01 22:52

It really isn't. It's home modifications. Do you have your uh um um important documents in place? Do you know where they are? And and you know, simple things like you know, uh, where's your where's your insurance card? You know, where's your Medicare card? Um uh, you know, where are your prescriptions? Um, who are your doctors? What are their phone numbers? Um you know, uh you know, um you know, passwords. Passwords are really important too. They are. Yeah, so I so I encourage people that you know to have all these things in place because the person that is your advocate, and believe me, and I personally, I I've had two heart attacks where uh uh I've been in the in the uh um emergency room, and I'll tell you, you know, personal stories, you know, don't bother me with these questions, you know. Ask Barbara, you know. I don't I I don't want to be bothered with all these uh uh however they need to ask me, you know, like you know, what is your pain level? You know, one to ten, I say 15, and they'll say, no, that's not, you know, you know, I'm really I'm really in pain, you know, talk. But these these are the but the advocate is the person that you know, because I'm I'm not capable. You I may think that I'm being rational, I may think that I'm being um um you know providing information, but I may be a little bit out of it. So I'm much, you know, so if you if you have somebody and and if you don't, then you know, uh uh ask somebody you know to be your advocate, you know, if it's unexpected, to say usually, I mean, if you have a spouse or partner, you know, talk uh uh uh tell tell that tell them you know what you uh what what you want them to uh uh do for you, or that uh if if uh uh the doctor or the nurse in an emergency situation, you know, uh things that you can tell them, or some, you know, because my wife, you know, has known me so knows me well to say, yeah, he he doesn't want to do this, but yeah, he really needs to do it.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Wow, that's good. That's good. I love the fact you touched on a number of things that are really true. I think you spoke on, you know, how, like you said, some older people, some younger, it just depends. Sometimes there's decisions that were made, or you don't want to talk, have this conversation, family conflict comes up, and um we have to have these discussions. So really finding out who that mediator is, who the advocate is within the family. Uh, I think that is like so, so important because I think that's where you can get things kind of moving in the right direction. You know, passwords, prescriptions, all that I could totally identify with that. Um, and then uh having a backup person, you know, in the event that you know something happens, like, and and I think that is just so critical to even planning. But you spoke some truth to that. And other sometimes those can be uncomfortable conversations for some families. Um, you and the fact that you said, you know, a family member might be upset about something that was said 25 years ago, those are real life experiences and they do happen. Um, and I think us opening the door for communication and mediation is part of that process. So I love the fact that you spoke on that. It that's that's that's big, that's major because we can't even really get to the other parts if we don't open that door to that, you know, and so good. And then uh families giving each other grace because again, um, until it happens, you know, or even if you plan some certain things can still come up. And so I love the fact that you that you spoke to families and and how families kind of have to work through that to get to the next step. So that that's good.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Or if you're a single person or you know, divorced, widowed, survived. Yes, you know, is uh you know, have your own plan of uh uh you know who who do you know that that would advocate uh uh for you? A neighbor, a friend, you know, you know, uh a partner, maybe you don't live together, but you know, some you know, somebody that you can designate uh to be to be uh to be your advocate. Especially, you know, again, when you're in a um health situation, an advocate uh uh um is everything.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

And also, you know, but also you know, have somebody that you uh um you know knows your information or knows where your information is, or you can tell them uh where it is. Now I do it two ways. I do I have uh um um information in a file, like my you know, my my birth certificate. But I I've also now in the process I'm going to uh uh digitize it, you know, and I have a uh um uh software service that I can upload all these things. And then from time to time, you know, I the that I that I could update it. And it really isn't as awful as it may seem. I mean, so long as you have you know the the the the actual document, uh that you can scan it, you can update it, you know, I mean uh uh uh put it in a digital program. Um but you know the important thing, you know, uh have your birth certificate. Um uh have uh um uh if you depending on uh you know have have your uh um um um medical power or uh legal power of attorney. So you know have uh have your insurance card, have your Medicare card, have your Social Security, have those things, you know, uh digitized, uh, or also uh in a place uh if it if it uh no I I I have both. I have copies uh in my in my wallet, but I also have copies uh in my uh files. And I can say, you know, uh Amanda, you know, it's it's here, Barbara is here. Um a password is a little bit more complicated, right? But uh uh, you know, but you uh you know, but if for your bank, you know, for your bank accounts and stuff, because you see, this is also involved in caregiving, depending on you know what the state of the person is, that you know, you're gonna be uh somebody's gonna need to be responsible for their uh financial, you know. Yes. If you live at home, bills bills don't go away. Yeah, and I guarantee you that the uh uh if you don't pay the electrical bill after a period of time, they will turn off your electric uh electricity, even if you say, Well, I'm you know, I'm in caregiving, they will. So uh so and and also you you don't you don't want to uh with your personal finances uh you know have uh uh fin uh financial issues where um you're not paying bills or um you know somebody isn't taking care of you know whatever your assets are so your assets don't get uh uh depleted. Because you know, I mean some people uh you know many people you don't want to uh leave a legacy. Yes. And and you know, people say, well, you know, I don't have enough to leave somebody. You know, it could it can be a lot of things. Uh somebody may admire uh uh the tools that that you have, the clothes that you have, jewelry, um, a lot of things that you know people may uh uh uh may say, I I I want that. Now, obviously, you know, if you have uh uh colleges or you have uh faith base or things that you want to leave a legacy, yes, the best way, you know, uh is is to preserve your assets so that it doesn't go to caregiving, but you can leave uh uh uh a legacy to things that matter to uh to you. Now I'm not saying it has to be so much that you're naming a building, but you leave you you leave you you leave what you can leave or what matters to you.

SPEAKER_00 30:26

Yeah, I love the fact that you said that. You made it really practical where it can make sense to almost anybody. I I love that. And like you said, um opposed to making, you know, maybe the legacy you want to leave is is those things, but then how can we plan ahead so that it there could be some kind of balance in in that? And and I like the fact that you said certain things come with a premium cost for that, but if we think about what we invest in, you know, that might be kind of frivolous, you know, because I can think of $125 can just go out the window off of anything, and and I think uh making it towards future planning is is I think really important so people kind of take that assessment as well.

Dignity Through Attention And Choice

SPEAKER_00 31:07

Um, my last question, and I'll give you an opportunity to leave your website if anyone wants to reach out to you for some of the services that you offer is how does long-term caregiving planning preserve a person's dignity, independence, and voice later on in life?

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Interesting you asked that question. There are there are three things that almost in any culture that we want. Yes, and those three in Raymond's is we want attention. What I mean by attention is pay attention to me. Yes, look at me, yeah, think about me, love me, you know, do something for me. That's attention. Yeah, you don't want to feel invisible. That's right. And uh uh uh you know there are a lot of things that you know can happen in life where you feel invisible. You go someplace or you're on the plane, and you know, people are doing things and they they don't uh uh you're not they don't recognize you or they don't want to be polite to you. So you're you they're sort of you you're invisible to them. People don't like that. I don't like it. Right. And and and and and and and here's for the big whammy that I people uh uh when they're not well or they're in a situation beyond the control, it's they feel vulnerable. That's right. And nobody likes to feel I don't, I don't, you know, I don't care uh how learned you are, I don't care how uh um uh affluent you are. Yes that if uh uh if you feel vulnerable, that's also gonna affect you know your your your your amygula, it's gonna affect your endorphins because you're scared. That's right. Scared. And and uh, you know, I look I I I was in Vietnam and I was in combat. I have a CIB and I was scared, you know, I felt real vulnerable. Even though you know I had you know the full weight of the United States Army sort of behind. I mean, but uh uh there are times in my life I mean I felt really vulnerable. And obviously, when I had my heart attacks, uh I was feeling vulnerable. In fact, uh there were things that it made me recognize that I didn't do that I should have done in my own planning. I was sort of like, you know, they what did they say, the shoemaker, or you know, I'm I I repair everybody's shoes. My shoes weren't weren't as repaired as they should. Right.

SPEAKER_00 33:26

Yeah, that's good. Yeah, wow. Thank you, thank

Website Tools, Medicaid Risks, Paying Options

SPEAKER_00 33:31

you. That is so important. Well, Raymond, if anyone wants to get in touch with you for your services or has questions, what web link can they go to to inquire more? Glad you asked.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

Um my website is www.levine l-a-v-in-e-l-t-c-in-s.com, but there's more. If you go, you know, when you go to most websites, you know, it it has, you know, uh the usual stuff, but I've tried to make it uh where uh it really is useful stuff. And uh so if you go to the upper left of my website, okay, um, you can uh uh go into a website, it's it's water lily, and it will uh put it, you can put in your your lifestyle and give you an idea of how what you're uh when you're more likely to probably need caregiving and your lifespan. And then I'll go into you know the costs of care, and then you can put in information uh that uh uh I can have health information that can uh so if you want to schedule a time to talk to me, you can do that. But it gives you a visual, you know, because most times when people think uh is how much does it cost? I mean, that's always the and then look, it's easy. We we we do it every day when we're on the internet and we're you know looking for stuff and want to buy stuff, it's how much how much does this cost to something something else? So uh uh it'll give you an idea about that. However, in the lower right corner, rather than the 46 frequently asked questions that you know we always have in a website, and it may or may not ask your question, you can put in you know uh the question, how much is long-term care benefits? What's the premium? You can put in who's Raymond Levine. I mean, or you can put in uh uh what what are the benefits of long-term care? So you can get a lot of that information. That's good. Yeah, or you can put in, you know, what is Medicare? I mean, you can put in a lot a lot of these questions rather than you know have to look at the 46 questions. It's like you know, when you go and you say, How do you do such and such? And then uh it sort of gives you an idea, but it never it never corrects it for you, or it never it never says here, you know, here here's the here's the link. Go here and and do this. And even though sometimes the uh uh the the the link uh you you go in and say, but it's not there. Yeah. Anyway, I try to try to do it where you know people can ask these questions. Oh, one other thing, I yeah, uh uh Medicaid, a lot of people say Medicaid will uh pay for your uh uh caregiving service. It will. Okay. You want to bet on it uh in in 2026 and in the in the future, uh what uh what your benefits uh are are going to be, because there are two things. First, uh you may be eligible, we but you're not entitled. Right. Qualify for it. The other thing is people say, well, I'll I'll I'll I'll give away all my assets and then I could be on Medicaid. You really want to give up uh uh your assets and pay uh an attorney, elder care attorney 15, 20,000 to do that. If that's what you want to do and you think it think it works, uh then that's what you'll do. But the other thing is most people, most Americans like to make choices.

SPEAKER_02 36:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 36:37

You want to give up those choices, do it to give it up to social services. Let them tell you, you know, uh who will be there. And if you don't like the person, you know, can you replace them with somebody else? If you have a caregiving plan, you have those choices of where you want your care, who who will be responsible. Because everybody, you know, family and friends are going to be responsible, but uh professional caregivers can also be helpful. And then then for the big big one is how you got to pay for it. That's right. And and and it isn't just you know, uh, well, I don't know if I want to pay for a a uh a licensed uh caregiver. Okay, fine. If you have your family, there are plans that will put that will uh uh compensate them for uh the uh the caregiving services of the caregiving that the they need. Fan family and friends can be compensated, you know, depending on the plan. Right. So there are a lot of ways because a caregiver is all it's an expense. You really think that driving over is free and the and and and you can put uh uh on the line item for your tag. Hey, I spent uh $35 uh in in gas expenses uh so I can be a caregiver. There isn't a line item for this stuff. Yeah, so true. You're telling us there's an expense for all these things. So uh uh you know so it's a way that you can compensate uh compensate people for people uh you know, for family or friends or professionals to help you with uh your caregiver. Did I mention that you know this caregiving stuff is not inexpensive? Uh and if you think that not buying a plan uh uh will be less expensive than uh um you know your your own asset, really think that uh cash flow uh um remember that's after tax. Right. You own a long-term care plan. It's uh uh there aren't uh well if you own a business, you can actually deduct a lot of the premiums, but any any uh benefits you get from long-term care plan is not taxable.

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Wow, that is good information. I think uh it sounds personalized, which I like because it's not cookie cutter. It's everybody wants to be able to make their own choices. I think that's very good. It gives people autonomy, and I think people want to feel empowered to make the choices that they want to make. And I think having tools like this out here is very, very helpful. And I like the fact that you like that people ask questions because I think when you ask questions, that's where you can cultivate whatever, whatever you want to do, whatever choices you have. If we don't ask those questions, then we're just kind of we could be stuck at the the reactive phase of what this might look like, which could be more costly, you know. And I like the fact that you said, you know, gas costs, you know, caregivers might have to drive, you know, or fly or you know, yeah. And I love the fact that you said small business owners, there is a possible tax um benefit to having this type of plan as well, potentially. So I like the fact that you've kind of put some you know, nuggets of information. I'm sure it's even more broader than this, but I think you've given a good foundation for people who are curious and want to know more and and um want to plan, you know, for themselves or their loved ones or whatever that looks like because life is gonna life, you know. And I and I know that there's some people that don't want to give up assets, you know, if they if they can prevent it, you know, you might want to do that, you know, but there's options out there. So I love the fact that you expressed that. That is very, very impactful

Closing Thanks And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 40:08

and important. I will make sure that your web link is in my narrative in the podcast after I'm done editing it to release it. Um, but it has been an enjoyable conversation. I love the humor that you integrated in with that, your own lived experience, you know, some practical tools and tips, you know, to go along with it. And, you know, I think that probably speaks to how you do your work, which is which is very great. And and I appreciate that. So thank you for being on the podcast today, Raymond. I greatly appreciate it. It's been my pleasure. And if you ever want me back sometime, we'll talk about other other things. I'll come back. Okay, sounds good. Thank you, thank you. And well, the doors open for that potential. I greatly appreciate it. You have a wonderful day. I know my listeners will take some away, and I know I have as well. Thank you. My pleasure. Happy Monday, happy Monday, my pleasure as well.