You work hard to do the best you can today. With all the pressures you face, it's tough to think about tomorrow. But with the equity you're building now, do you really want to risk losing it later on?

Most people know someone who needs long-term care. Many of us have already provided this kind of personal care to a loved one. And many of us will one day need this kind of care ourselves. When it comes to long-term care, it doesn't pay to be short-sighted, because the future may well find us ill-prepared...both emotionally and financially. The costs of home health care and nursing home care are rising dramatically, with nursing home costs averaging $36,000 per year and reaching $72,000 in some regions. (HIAA, Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance, 1995.)

Why don't more of us prepare for untimely illness and accidents that too often strike people of all ages? Why do we automatically insure our homes and our cars but not our futures? We can rationalize "it won't happen to me." But think about this: We're much more likely to need long-term care than we are to experience a burned-down house or a serious car accident. (LAN, 1993. New England Journal of Medicine, 1991.) The good news is that it's now easy to take control of your future.