Table Talk

We all go to dinner parties and meet groups of people we have not met before. While I usually like to ask people "what do you do for fun," invariably, I am asked “what do you do for a living?” Sitting at a dinner table with twelve people is not the time I enjoy bringing up tax-advantaged wealth transfer concepts, but I was stuck and so I did. To my surprise, the conversation captivated the group, which ranged in age from 30 to 60. Also to my surprise, all at the table were going to get or already had long term care insurance - clearly not an ordinary group and not the “usual suspect's” I often see at dinner parties. As the conversation continued I found that ALL the people at the table had an experience with long term care needs and did not want to put others in the position they found themselves - caring for a family member, watching family assets shrink, and witnessing income become diverted. Yes, the conversation moved on, but I was struck how those who have been affected "get it" from a consequences perspective - both financial and emotional. My goal is to help people "get it" before the consequences occur - but not during dinner.