insurance

Retirement health-care costs will vary depending on your health and longevity, but it may help to have a guideline.

If you are concerned about the high costs of long-term care but don't want to purchase traditional long-term care (LTC) insurance, you might consider two strategies that combine permanent life insurance coverage with long-term care benefits.

Comparatively speaking, of all the different types of life insurance available, term is usually the least expensive. Generally, term life insurance provides protection for a stated or defined period of time, usually from one year to 30 years. If you die during the coverage term, your beneficiary receives the death benefit from the policy. But what if you outlive the term?

One advantage of term life insurance is that it is generally the most cost-effective way to achieve the maximum life insurance protection you can afford. Many people first purchase term life insurance to protect their family's financial interests after a significant life event, such as getting married or the birth of a child.

The month of November is officially designated as the National Long-Term Care Awareness Month, to help spread awareness for the type of care needed by individuals who have a chronic illness or disability.

Life can be busy. The requirements of work and family often leave little time to step back and think about where you've been and where you're heading. But as your responsibilities grow, so does the need to evaluate what would happen if life for you stopped.

A funeral trust is an arrangement entered into with a provider of funeral or burial services. Prepaying funeral expenses may allow you to "lock in" costs for future funeral or burial services at an agreed-upon price. The funeral home sometimes serves as trustee (manager of trust assets), and you usually fund the trust with cash, bonds, or life insurance.

The Federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a tax-deferred retirement savings and investment plan set up to help federal civilian employees and military personnel save for retirement. The TSP is a defined contribution plan.

It's easy to confuse Medicare and Medicaid, particularly since they're both government programs that pay for health care. But there are important differences between each program. Medicare is generally for older people, while Medicaid is for people with limited income and resources.

What is Medicare?

If you're eligible for an early-retirement package from your employer, determine whether post-retirement medical coverage is included. These packages sometimes provide medical coverage until you reach age 65 and become eligible for Medicare. Given the high cost of medical care, you might find it hard to turn down an early-retirement package that includes such coverage.