More financial professionals are revisiting older permanent life insurance policies as long-term care costs rise, hybrid solutions gain traction, and consumers look for ways to reposition existing assets without triggering taxes.

By Louis Slagle, guest contributor

Few planning conversations create more emotional hesitation than long-term care (LTC). Most people understand the possibility exists, but many still push the topic aside because it feels expensive, uncomfortable, or too far away to address right now. Eventually, though, concerns about healthcare costs, independence, and the protection of family members become impossible to ignore.

Congratulations to Life Happens for receiving a prestigious Silver Telly Award for Best Not-for-Profit Video in the 47th Annual Telly Awards. This national recognition honors the outstanding work Life Happens is doing to educate consumers, elevate the importance of financial protection, and share powerful stories that move people to take action.

Thomas Petersen did not set out to build a career in insurance. In fact, for much of his early life, he ran in the opposite direction.

Growing up in a family deeply rooted in the business, insurance was a constant presence at the dinner table. His father, who entered the disability insurance field in the late 1940s after witnessing firsthand how the lack of coverage cost his own family their farm, viewed the profession as a calling. To him, disability insurance was not a product. It was a way to protect livelihoods and preserve dignity in moments that could otherwise be devastating.

For many Americans, the Social Security claiming decision feels simple. They log into their Social Security account, review the estimated monthly benefit amounts, and decide when to begin payments. But as Martha Shedden, president and co founder of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, explained during NAIFA’s recent webinar, Social Security literacy goes far beyond choosing a claiming age.

This week marked another important step toward the launch of 530A “Trump Accounts,” as the U.S. Department of Treasury confirmed that the app millions of Americans will use to manage these accounts for their children is set to launch today.