Q&A: I’m at High Risk for Alzheimer’s. Is $2.5M Enough to Take Care of My Family?

Most retirements in the U.S. aren’t voluntary. Layoffs, health problems or caring for a family member decide the date for most people, so real financial planning has very little to do with skipping lattes. Paula and former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy answer three listener questions. The first is from an Air Force major with $2.5 million saved whose parents both have early-onset Alzheimer’s. The second is from a 58-year-old early retiree deciding whether to rent or buy her next home. The third is from a couple weighing whether to pay down a 6% mortgage. In this episode, we discuss: Why to buy disability and long-term care insurance before you take a genetic test How to plan for long-term care costs without draining the rest of your family Which estate documents to sign now, and the trust step most people skip Why the person raising your kids and the person managing their money shouldn’t be close friends How to use the price-to-rent ratio to decide whether to rent or buy Whether paying down a 6% mortgage really earns a guaranteed 6% return Why extra mortgage payments won’t hurt you if you refinance later If you’ve been treating personal finance as a budgeting exercise, this episode shows what planning ahead looks like. It also shows why planning makes you more flexible, not less. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS Note: Timestamps may vary slightly depending on dynamic ad placements. (00:00) Why most retirements aren’t your choice (06:57) What Charlie Munger regretted at 99 (15:35) $2.5M saved and a family history of Alzheimer’s (17:11) Why to buy insurance before a genetic test (29:46) How to handle the sticker shock of long-term care (32:21) Estate paperwork to sign before you need it (38:53) Why your kids’ guardian and money manager shouldn’t be friends (54:56) The one ratio that tells you to rent or buy (1:07:39) Is a 6% mortgage a guaranteed 6% return? (1:14:03) 15 families could pay off their mortgage. None did. 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED IS YOUR FAMILY COVERED IF YOU CAN’T WORK? MAP YOUR INSURANCE, SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT ON ONE FREE PAGE AND FIND THE GAPS 👉 http://affordanything.com/cornerstone 👉 Joe Saul-Sehy’s show, Stacking Benjamins: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com 👉 Lacey Langford’s MILMO Show (money planning for military families): https://laceylangford.com/expert-resources/milmo-show 👉 Our interview with estate planning expert Andrea Baumann Lustig: https://affordanything.com/725-what-most-families-get-wrong-about-passing-down-wealth-with-andrea-baumann-lustig See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.