Quiz: How Much Have You Thought About Health and Health-Care Costs in Retirement? FOREMOST ADVICE When planning for retirement, it’s important to consider a wide variety of factors. One of the most important is health and its associated costs. Thinking about your future health and the rising cost of health care can help you better plan for retirement in terms of both your finances and overall wellbeing. This quiz can help you assess your current knowledge of health and health-care costs in retirement. QUESTIONS 1. Health-care costs typically rise faster than the rate of inflation. True or False 2. You could need more than $500,000 just to cover health-care costs in retirement. True or False 3. Medicare covers the costs of long-term care, as well as most other medical costs. True or False 4. The southern, warmer states are generally the healthiest places for seniors to live. True or False 5. If you’re concerned about health-care costs in retirement, you can just delay your retirement in order to maintain your employer-sponsored health benefits. True or False ANSWERS 1. True. The average inflation rate from 2010 to 2017 was less than 2%, while the average spending on prescriptions, doctors, and hospitals grew between 4% and 5%. From 1970 to 2017, annual per-capita out-of-pocket spending on health care grew from about $600 to approximately $1,100 (in 2017 dollars). 2. True. In 2017, America’s Health Rankings projected that a 45-year-old couple retiring in 20 years could need about $600,000 to cover their health-care costs, excluding the cost of long-term care. The same report projected that about 70% of those age 65 and older will need some form of long-term care services. And according to the Department of Health and Human Services, the average cost of a one-year stay in a nursing home (semi-private room) was $82,000 in 2016. 3. False. Original Medicare Parts A and B help cover inpatient hospital care, physicians’ visits, preventive care, certain laboratory and rehabilitative services such as physical therapy, and skilled nursing care and home health care that are not long term. Medicare Part D helps cover the cost of prescriptions (within certain guidelines and limits). Medicare does not cover several other costs, including long-term care, dental care, eye exams related to eye glasses, and hearing aids. 4. False. Interestingly, America’s Health Rankings found that the five healthiest states for seniors were (1) Utah, (2) Hawaii, (3) New Hampshire, (4) Minnesota, and (5) Colorado. 5. Maybe true, maybe false. Many people believe they will work well into their traditional retirement years, both to accumulate as large a nest egg as possible and to take advantage of employer sponsored health benefits (if offered beyond Medicare age). While this is an admirable goal, you may not be able to control when you actually retire. In a 2018 retirement survey, nearly 70% of workers said they planned to work beyond age 65; 31% said they would retire at age 70 or older. Many of those individuals retired earlier than planned due to a health problem, disability, or other unforeseen hardship.
FINANCES
MEET INVESTMENT ADVISOR VINCENT ESPARZA CFP, CLU, NSSA
V
incent is an Investment Adviser Representative with American Portfolios Advisors, Inc. and SEC Registered Investment Advisor specializing in the unique financial needs of individuals, business owners, and retirees. Vincent’s main focus is on investment advisory services and financial planning. With this he provides sound and experienced advice and financial planning tools for his clients. As a non-proprietary, fee-based certified financial planner, Vincent is able to become a client’s advocate by counseling his clientele on an individual basis. By coordinating the skills of professionals such as your attorney and accountant, he can help you realize your personal and financial goals. Vincent holds Series 7, 24, 51, 63 and 65 securities licenses. Vincent holds the designation as a Chartered Life Underwriter and holds several insurance licenses and brokerage agreements with multiple insurance and annuity companies. He also holds the National Social Security Advisors
certificate to better assist with all matters involving Social Security. Vincent has been a recognized financial planner in “USA Today”, a national news publication, Financial Planning Journal, a professional publication, as well as “Ticker” magazine and “Latina”, a national women’s publication. Vincent has appeared on Channel 10 Fox News with Rick D’Amico addressing tax and retirement planning issues. He is an Arizona native and resides in Cave Creek, Arizona with three of his children and wife Claudia. Vince also has three adult children and five grandchildren. Vince has always been actively involved in the community and is the past President of the Central Arizona Babe Ruth League and past President of Duffers for Charity, a local non-profit organization. If not attending a family function, birthday, anniversary or otherwise, Vince and his family enjoy charity events, RV traveling, golfing, baseball and football games.
The bottom line is that while it’s hard, if not impossible, to predict your future health needs and health-care costs, it’s important to work these considerations into your overall retirement planning strategies. Take steps now to keep yourself healthy — eat right, exercise, get enough sleep manage stress. And be sure to account for health-care expenses in your savings and investment strategies.
Vincent Esparza, CFP, CLU, NSSA 23335 N. 18th Dr. #136 | Phoenix, AZ 85027 480-473-9450 | www.vincentesparza.com Registered Representative offering securities through American Portfolios Services, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC Investment Advisory services offered through American Portfolios Advisors, Inc., and SEC Registered Investment Advisor - Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable and are subject to change without notification. The information presented is provided for informational purposes only and not to be construed as a recommendation or solicitation. Investors must make their own determination as to the appropriateness of an investment or strategy based on their specific investment objectives, financial status and risk tolerance. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Investments involve risk and the possible loss of principal.
6 • April 2019 • DEER VALLEY TIMES
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