A variety of medical conditions—including mental handicaps like Alzheimer’s or dementia, physical problems like paralysis, and the lethargy and arthritis that comes with increasingly old age—can necessitate an extra level of care for an individual’s wellbeing. Unfortunately, getting insurance to cover that care is tricky. Knowing how to talk to insurance companies, using legal force, and ___ will help you receive the insurance help that you need to stay healthy and safe when it becomes harder (if not impossible) to do it on your own.

Know How to Talk to Them

The goal with insurance companies is to get them to cover as much as possible so that you don’t have to pay out of pocket. Keep your descriptions of your life straightforward, and refrain from adding in emotional arguments. Don’t ask for all the benefits you can receive, and don’t mention extra, perhaps unnecessary activities you participate in (like vacations, frequent outings, even your voluntary contributions to other causes). Essentially, you want your insurance adjuster to believe that long-term care is absolutely necessary because you cannot function in your daily tasks without help. Anything more can be held against you as examples of things you are able to do without help.

File a Lawsuit if Necessary

Taking an entire insurance company to court is a giant of a challenge, but may be necessary if you feel they are unfair in their treatment of you and your needs. Find an attorney who knows how to handle these kinds of cases, who have experience with insurance specifically. Many lawyers are skilled at winning personal injury cases against insurance companies. These lawyers may be a good resource (or at least starting point) to getting you the claim you deserve based on your own conditions. Look for wording and details in your policies that may prove your situation qualifies for the insurance packages you need. If nothing else, you may be able to use this concept of “good faith” (a clause included in insurance contracts promising charitable action) to argue for your claim.

Present Your Case Professionally

Insurance companies will take you more seriously if you provide a serious argument that has been clearly researched, laid out, and established within legal understanding. The better presentation you give, the better chances you have of good long-term care insurance coverage. Put in the work required for a good case!

This kind of assistance is so important in helping you live a healthy life. Find the long-term care that is best for you and don’t settle!

Read this next: How to Earn Passive Income in Retirement

Retirement has the potential to be an exciting time that is full of opportunity. With some passive income coming your way, it will be much easier to make sure that you can make the most of your retirement. Finding ways to earn passive income isn’t as hard as it seems, and there are plenty of opportunities that might surprise you.

Look to Dividend Paying Stocks

One way to start generating passive income is through dividend paying stocks like blue-chip stocks or index funds. Blue-chip stocks tend to be pretty reliable investments because you are investing in established companies with a solid history on the stock market. This allows you to make money off of your investment without taking as much risk as some other investments can take. Index funds are another low-risk option because you group with other investors to purchase stocks across an index, so you have a better chance of gaining funds over time.

Source: https://grow.acorns.com/why-to-invest-in-blue-chip-stocks/ 

Invest in Real Estate

Real estate investing is another great way to keep income coming in throughout your retirement. Investing in commercial real estate can allow you to have continual funding while you live your life in retirement. This can be a lot of work if you try to handle it all yourself, but you can make sure to find ways to make it easier on yourself. For example, hiring a property manager helps you relax and enjoy the passive income stream. That way you can enjoy your retirement even more.

Source: https://www.podium.com/article/commercial-property-management/  

Rent Out Extra Space

If you are an empty nester in your retirement, you likely have some space that you aren’t using. Renting out that space, whether it is a basement, a spare room, or a vacation home can be a great way to bring in some extra cash without expending too much time or energy. Think about the logistics before you get started and look for help if you think you will need it (whether that means hiring someone or going through an agency). With the right planning, renting out your extra space can be very profitable.

Source: https://www.wisebread.com/the-11-best-websites-for-renting-your-extra-space 

Your retirement is a time to be enjoyed and having extra money will help you to make that happen. Take time to think about the money, space, and assets you already have so you can make the best choice for your retirement. You can always try something new once you have gotten your current project down so you can continue learning and earning throughout your retirement.

Read this next: How to Prepare Your Finances for Your Passing

If you are planning on going into retirement soon, you might also be worried about what happens when you are no longer on the insurance provided by your job. You might be afraid of the possibility of a major injury and how you will be able to pay for it. Luckily, there are a couple options in place to help you pay for these kinds of expenses.

Long-Term Care Insurance

To clarify, long-term care in medicine is anything that requires more medical attention over an extended period of time. This includes things like chronic illness or some retirement facilities. For that reason, you can get long-term care insurance. The best time to apply is before you retire because it becomes more difficult if you wait until you need it. Insurance companies do not want to take on someone who already has illnesses because then they are not making as much money off of you than someone who is perfectly healthy.

Reverse Mortgages

Converting your home equity to cash is often an option to pay for a senior living facility. If you are moving out of your home, you no longer need it anyways, so a reverse mortgage allows you to make money off of something you already paid for. However, you cannot do a reverse mortgage unless your home is completely paid off. This poses an issue if you recently bought your house and have not been able to fully buy it yet. A similar option would be to sell the home instead.

Save by Deducting

Taking off from your taxes because of your retirement is a great way to save money that can be used to pay for long-term medical expenses. Typically, you can deduct any expense related to long term care if you are part of the insurance plan. You also need to provide evidence of what care you got and why you needed it. This helps you or your accountant to know how much to deduct off your taxes. Deductions are meant to benefit those who need it, and as a non-working citizen, you rely on any help you can get.

Long-term illnesses or homes are already expensive and often sad for everyone involved. By implementing these payment ideas now and in the future, you will no longer have to worry about your 80s and 90s because you know that you will be taken care of.

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It is quite common for seniors to be taken advantage of financially. As people age, their mental faculties are decreased, they become more trusting and optimistic, and they might not be as adept at making decisions. This makes them particularly susceptible to fraud and it’s important to know good practices to avoid it happening to you.

Only Buy From Reputable Companies

As you amass more wealth, you might want to turn to investing to help grow your money. If this is the case, you’ll end up purchasing some financial products. It’s important to only buy these products from reputable companies. Working with these companies can help you avoid fraud because they are trusted by many and are properly vetted. Make sure anyone you work with is properly licensed and ask them to prove it if necessary. You want to carefully choose a financial advisor so you can remain safe.

Read the Fine Print

While it does take extra time and effort, it’s a wise idea to read the fine print of any contracts before you sign anything. When reading over contracts, it’s easy to focus on the benefits you’ll receive. The fine print is where most of the drawbacks will be located, including extra fees, exclusions, and more. Reading the fine print can also help you see if you are being taken advantage of. For example, there are predatory loan services out there that use fraudulent tactics to take advantage of people financially. Predatory loans often have high fees and interest rates. Identifying these and other factors can help you avoid being taken advantage of.

Be Aware of Common Scams

People will try to take advantage of seniors because they believe it to be easy. If you want to stop fraud from occurring, you need to be aware of common scams and practices. Many scams will use relationships to get to your money. Someone might call pretending to be a grandchild in trouble and in need of money. Others will engage in online dating, claim to be in love, and then begin siphoning money. People may also claim you’ve won the lottery, that they’re collecting money for charity, or that they are offering you much-needed home repairs. In every situation, it’s important to ask lots of questions and thoroughly vet people before giving any money.

Unfortunately, some people will target seniors due to their age and status in life. If you want to keep yourself and your finances safe, you need to educate yourself on finances as a whole and especially on good practices. Doing so can protect you from fraud.

Read this next: How to Protect Yourself against Wild Market Swings in Retirement