Updated April 22, 2026·1 min read
Can I Afford Long Term Care Insurance?
A trust-building guide to who should and should not buy Long Term Care Insurance based on income, assets, retirement goals, and alternatives.
Guide
What this page will cover
This page will frame Long Term Care Insurance as a suitability decision, not a product everyone should buy.
- Income and asset ranges where LTC insurance often makes sense
- When self-insuring may be realistic
- When Medicaid planning may be the more appropriate conversation
- How to avoid becoming insurance-poor
- Ways to right-size benefits instead of overbuying
- How premiums compare with the potential cost of care
Working position
Long Term Care Insurance tends to fit households with meaningful assets to protect, enough income to pay premiums comfortably, and a desire to avoid shifting care decisions to family. It may not fit households where premiums would strain retirement cash flow, or where assets are either too limited or large enough to self-insure.
Related next steps
For policy design trade-offs, see Why Buy LTC and Long Term Care Insurance Cost.