As your parents age, there’s a good chance they will need long-term care. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than half of Americans turning 65 today will develop a disability serious enough that they will need daily help with the basic activities of living. Most will need care for less than two years, but 1 in 7 will need assistance for more than five years.

As tough as it might be to imagine your parents being unable to care for themselves, the thought of discussing this possibility with them probably seems even harder. But it’s important to talk to your parents sooner rather than later to develop a plan for long-term care if they ever need it. If you wait for an emergency to strike, emotions will be running high and you’ll likely have fewer options to deal with your parents’ need for care.

Chris Bor, LUTCF, CLU, ChFC, a loyal NAIFA member since 1998 and Immediate Past President of NAIFA-WA, testified at a hearing of the Washington State Senate Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee on the use of life insurance, annuities, and policy riders in long-term care planning. He gave an overview of a wide variety of LTC planning options and discussed the value of agents and advisors to consumers. Bor also serves as Vice-Chair of NAIFA's National Membership Committee.

Over the past few months, I’ve been revisiting my purpose, my why I do what I do.

Why? I used to be a live public speaker. As you may have noticed, there haven’t been a lot of live conferences and speaking opportunities over the past few years. For decades, creating live speaking presentations was a huge catalyst for me to create new content.

When you think of purpose, what comes to mind?

Will your current mind allow you to realize your purpose while your mind is being consumed trying to get your needs met through a person, place, position, or possession?

Your inner script and beliefs will illuminate or eclipse you during these historical worldly events, followed by economic highs and lows.

Today’s reverse mortgage loans have built-in protections designed to make sure the loan is a sustainable solution for the borrower. In this article, we’ll explore what a life expectancy set-aside (LESA) is, how it helps a borrower to pay property charges, when the lender’s underwriter will require it, and why, in some situations, it may be advantageous for a reverse mortgage borrower to voluntarily opt for a LESA.

Adam Sachs is a Financial Advisor for Centinel Financial Group, LLC. Since 1993, he has been serving clients by helping them understand their financial options — giving them the confidence to make decisions for their future. Adam is the recipient of the inaugural 2023 NAIFA President’s Citation. He has been a member of NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors) since 1994, is currently a Vice Chair of the National Membership Committee, and continues to serve on the NAIFA-MA Board. Adam has served as the past president of the Massachusetts chapter and was the 2021 NAIFA-MA Membership Chair.

In 2003, Kevin Bontrager hit a ceiling in his sales career. He wanted to help people in a more direct way, so he decided to become a financial advisor and created an independent firm. A few years later, Bontrager joined Randall Lehman, CLU^®, ChFC^®, AEP^®, RICP^®, and Rob Hayworth, CLU^®, ChFC^®, CASL^®, AEP^®, RICP^®, CFP^®, to create Summit Financial Group, a Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group. Now, Summit Financial Group has three Indiana offices in Fort Wayne, Angola, and Marion.

On December 6, NAIFA-National Trustee and Gateway Insurance and Financial Services Vice President Aprilyn Chavez-Geissler will be a featured speaker for the webinar "Beyond Sentiment: The Business Benefits of DEI," presented by Financial Planning magazine. 

The webinar will discuss how recent research can help you craft a strategy for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that is well-defined, driven by company leaders, and connected to business outcomes.

Jamie Hopkins is the Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions for Carson Group and is a Finance Professor of Practice at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business. He is the author of Rewirement: Rewiring The Way You Think About Retirement and Find Your Freedom: Financial Planning for a Life on Purpose. Jamie is a nationally recognized writer and researcher and has been published in dozens of financial, educational, and legal journals. He’s developed educational materials for The American College’s CFP^®, CLU, ChFC^®, and RICP programs as well as being a regular contributor to Forbes. He has been featured on Wall Street Journal podcasts, NPR radio, Fox radio, and is the host of the Framework Podcast.

While many advisors are well-equipped to help their clients evaluate their life insurance needs, some scenarios may call for outside-of-the-box solutions. Join NAIFA's Advisor Today on Thursday, December 8 at 2 pm eastern for the webinar, "4 Life Insurance Opportunities You May Have Missed," brought to you by Modern Life.

For NAIFA-CT President Addison Rosenbluth, CLTC, insurance is part of a family legacy. In 1957, his grandfather founded MERIT Insurance Services, Inc. During his senior year of college, he got an opportunity to travel to California for training. After gaining experience and earning his licenses, he returned to Connecticut and now works alongside his father, Jace Rosenbluth, running the family business.