54. Everything You Need to Know About Long-Term Care, Disability, and Life Insurance with Sarah Leitzke

The Fiscal Feminist

No one likes to talk about the worst-case scenario, but we need to be prepared for the unexpected. In this episode, Kimberlee talks with her colleague Sarah Leitzke, director of risk management at the Bahnsen Group. Sarah provides a primer on the 3 main types of insurance you should consider to secure your and your family’s futures. She also answers some of the most frequently asked insurance questions, like when to buy insurance, how to find the right policy, and what insurance will actually cover.

Episode Recap:

• Today we’re talking with risk management director Sara Leitzke (0:01:01)
• Mentorship is key for women in the workplace (0:05:57)
• What is risk management and why is it important? (0:11:03)
• What qualifies as a disability for insurance? (0:15:54)
• Whole life vs. term insurance: Which is right for you? (0:24:13)
• When should you buy long-term care insurance? (0:34:02)
• How to choose the right long-term care insurance (0:41:34)
• Should you purchase a joint or individual policy? (0:49:03)
• Long-term care is an investment for you and your family (0:51:05)
• Today is the best day to get coverage (0:58:00)

Resources:

• Find every episode of the Fiscal Feminist podcast
• “The Fiscal Feminist” book
• The Bahnsen Group website

Quotes:

“I think some people think, especially when we’re younger, we think ‘I set up my emergency account, I'm investing, I’m saving money, I’m good.’ But we need to plan for other risks, because there are other risks in our lives that an emergency account just won’t cut it. If you need to change jobs and you’re maybe going without a job for a few months, your emergency account is probably going to get you there. But if you have suffered an injury that puts you out of work for a long time, if you have an illness that puts you out of work for a long time, your health insurance probably isn’t going to cut it because they’re not going to pay you to not have a job. So then you turn to different types of insurance. So maybe you need to buy some disability insurance to insure your income. Because your most important asset is your income.”

“If you are thinking about getting coverage of any kind and you’re dragging your feet — which I have done and had to snap myself out of — you’re as young as you’ll ever be today, probably as healthy as you’ll ever be today, and all of this, every type of insurance we’ve talked about today, requires medical underwriting. And the best time to do it is today.”