Skip to content
  • Home
  • Essentials
        • ESSENTIALS
        • Goals and Budgeting
          • Overview
          • Organizing Your Financial Life
          • Budgeting
          • Your Personal Net Worth
          • Setting Goals
          • Financial Planning
          • Planning Your Charitable Giving
        • Credit and Debit
          • Overview
          • Good Debt versus Bad Debt
          • How Credit Can Help—and Hurt
          • Understanding Your Credit Score
          • Preventing Identity Theft
          • Paying Off Student Debt
        • Estate Planning
          • Overview
          • Estate Plan Basics
          • Creating an Estate Plan
        • Types of Accounts
          • Overview
          • Choosing the Right Accounts
          • Individual Retirement Accounts
          • Employer Sponsored Retirement Accounts
          • Small Business Retirement Accounts
          • College Savings Accounts
          • Custodial Accounts
          • Understanding FDIC and SIPC Insurance
        • Saving
          • Overview
          • Why You Should Save and How Much
          • Making the Most of Your Paycheck
          • Saving for an Emergency
          • Eight Savings Fundamentals
        • Investing
          • Overview
          • Getting Started with Investing
          • Stocks, Bonds, and Cash
          • Fractional Shares
          • Socially Responsible Investing
          • Understanding Mutual Funds and ETFs
          • Creating an Investment Plan
          • Finding the Right Asset Allocation
          • The Advantages of Diversification
          • Benefits of Compound Growth
          • Tax-Smart Investing
          • The Importance of Monitoring and Rebalancing
        • Taxes
          • Overview
          • Income Taxes
          • Income Taxes for Children
          • Calculate Taxes
          • Payroll Taxes
        • Insurance
          • Overview
          • Insurance You Need
          • Individual Health Insurance
          • Group Health Insurance
          • Understanding Medicare
          • Disability Insurance
          • Life Insurance
          • Long-Term Care Insurance
          • Auto Insurance
  • My Life
        • MY LIFE
        • STARTING OUT
        • BUYING A CAR
        • MILITARY COMMUNITY
        • Buying a Home
          • Overview
          • Buy or Rent?
          • How Much House Can You Afford?
          • Mortgage Basics
          • Beyond Mortgage Costs
        • Jobs
          • Overview
          • Changing Jobs
          • What to Do If You Lose Your Job
          • Managing Your Finances as You Change Jobs
          • Protecting Your 401(k)
        • Getting Married
          • Overview
          • Planning and Paying for a Wedding
          • Marrying Your Finances
          • Prenups: Do You Need One?
        • Starting a Family
          • Overview
          • Budgeting for a Child
          • Insurance and Estate Planning Needs
          • Planning for a Child's Education
        • Divorce
          • Overview
          • Preparing Your Finances for Divorce
          • Protecting Yourself During a Divorce
          • Managing Money After a Divorce
        • Helping Aging Parents
          • Overview
          • Talking Money with Aging Parents
          • Insurance Needs
          • Managing Income and Investments
          • Knowing Their Wishes
          • Social Services
        • Losing a Loved One
          • Overview
          • Handling Finances After Loss
          • Special Guidelines for Loss of a Spouse
        • Retirement
          • Overview
          • Starting Retirement
          • Nearing Retirement
          • Enjoying Retirement
  • Money Talk
        • MONEY TALK
        • Planning & Goals
        • Investing Basics
        • Insurance
        • Education Savings
        • Couples & Families
        • Kids & Teens
        • Estate
        • Retirement
        • Major Purchases
        • Banking, Credit & Debt
        • Budgeting & Saving
        • Taxes
        • About Money Talk
  • Teaching Kids
        • TEACHING KIDS
        • Basics
          • Overview
          • Rules of the Road at Every Age
          • Budgeting
        • Saving
          • Overview
          • Starting the Savings Habit
          • Motivating Your Kids to Save
          • Tips for Parents with Kids and Teens
        • Investing
          • Overview
          • Introducing Kids to Investing
          • Important Investing Concepts
          • Benefits of Early Investing
          • Investment Accounts for Kids
        • Giving Back
        • Life Lessons
          • Overview
          • Tips for Financial Success
          • Managing an Allowance
          • Help Teens use Credit Wisely
        • Buying a Car
          • Overview
          • Your Teen's First Car
          • Assessing Your Teens Needs and Budget
          • Cash or Financing?
          • Auto Insurance
        • First Job
          • Overview
          • Your Teen's First Job
          • Income Tax Basics
          • Payroll Tax Basics
          • Getting Serious About Saving
        • Going to College
          • Overview
          • Costs Beyond Tuition
          • Life Away from Home
        • Leaving the Nest
          • Overview
          • A Checklist for Leaving Home
        • Activities and Resources
          • Overview
          • Overview
        • Categories
          • Overview
          • Classroom Curriculum
        • Age Groups
          • Overview
          • Elementary School
          • Middle School
          • High School
  • Teen Academy
        • GOALS AND BUDGETING
          • Overview
          • Dream Big, Save Smart: How to Set Money Goals
          • Who Needs a Budget? Well, Everyone—Even You!
          • Spending Reality Check: Do You Need It or Just Want It?
        • JOBS
          • Overview
          • Got Your First Job? Understand Your Paycheck
        • CREDIT AND DEBT
          • Overview
          • Spend Smart: How to Use a Credit Card the Right Way
        • COLLEGE
          • Overview
          • Financial Aid 101: How to Pay for College
        • INVESTING
          • Overview
          • This Cool Investing Feature Is the Key to Reaching Your Goals
          • How to Invest Like a Boss—As a Teen
  • Tools & Resources
        • TOOLS AND RESOURCES
        • Worksheets
        • Calculators
        • Spending Tracker
        • Monthly Budget Planner
        • Financial Fitness Quiz
        • Documents and Forms
          • Overview
          • Form W-4
          • Form W-2
          • Form 1099
        • Financial Glossary
  • Foundation
      • FOUNDATION
      • Moneywise America
Search

Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI)

Frequently asked questions and answers.

Our two cents

Two Cents icon

Our two cents

A good agent who is truly representing your interests (not the insurance company's) will be a tremendous help in purchasing LTC insurance, so it's worth your time to find an agent you can trust. Your state's department of insurance can also be a big help. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your policy!

Here are some questions and answers to help you decide if long-term care insurance is right for you.

FAQs

Long-term care refers to help with what insurers call the "activities of daily living"—bathing, dressing, eating, using the bathroom and moving—associated with injuries, strokes and mental deterioration like Alzheimer's disease. Actually, the phrase long-term care may be a bit of a misnomer: someone with a broken hip, for example, may need this type of assistance for just a few months. Obviously, for short and simple problems, a family member can often provide the required care (though that often results in an onerous burden); more serious and lengthy issues require daily, in-home caregivers or care in a nursing home or an assisted-living facility.

Statistically, the answer is yes: you will probably need this type of assistance. Collectively, we're living longer, and that clearly increases the probability. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at least 70 percent of people over age 65 will require some long-term care services at some point in their lives.
 

However, the statistical probability that you'll need this type of care doesn't mean you need LTC insurance. If you're quite wealthy, you may choose to pay for your care out of pocket. Others may have children who can help either physically or financially. And finally, if you have a low net worth, you may qualify for Medicaid assistance.

Long-term care, particularly if required for a truly long time (from many months to years), can be expensive. Costs vary dramatically depending on where you live. For example, according to the 2023 Genworth cost of care survey, the annual national median cost of an assisted living facility costs $64,200 per year. And, the cost of a home health aide costs $75,500. 
 

If the cost of long-term care could put your financial security at risk, you may want to consider LTC insurance (most health insurance policies and Medicare do not cover this type of care). It's not cheap, but it may be worth it, especially if you purchase it when you're relatively young.

If you decide to purchase LTC insurance, you need to shop around. LTC insurance premiums vary widely, so do some research to help gauge costs. The earlier you buy it, the cheaper it's likely to be (although you will of course be paying premiums for a longer period of time). But cost isn't the only consideration. Make sure you understand:

  • The coverage (does it cover in-home care? nursing home care? both?)
     
  • The benefit (how much will the policy pay you? how long will it last?)
     
  • The waiting period, if any, before benefits kick in
     
  • The policy's inflation protection (health care costs typically rise faster than the general rate of inflation)
     
  • How benefits are paid (cash or reimbursement)

0924-S4HW
  • About the Foundation
    • Foundation
    • Moneywise America
  • Money Talk
    • Money Talk
    • Planning & Goals
    • Investing Basics
    • Insurance
    • Education Savings
    • Couples and Families
    • Kids and Teens
    • Estate
    • Retirement
    • Major Purchases
    • Banking, Credit & Debt
    • Budgeting & Saving
    • Taxes
    • About Money Talk
  • Essentials
  • My Life
  • Teaching Kids
  • Tools and Resources

This information on this website is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax, legal, or investment planning advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, you should consult with a qualified tax advisor, CPA, Financial Planner, or Investment Manager.

Charles Schwab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, private foundation funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation. It is not part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. or its parent company, The Charles Schwab Corporation.

© 2025 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ("Schwab"). All rights reserved. Member SIPC.

(0624-1EZE)