Martha H

It should not be so hard, and it should not be so expensive! The nursing homes are much more expensive than the best hotels in the world! The elder attorneys are more expensive than any other type of lawyer.

You can just give up on the idea of having any money left when it's all over. One answer for us - when we get a bit older, or now - is to gve any money we have now to our children and grandchildren before we get sick.

Outside of that I know no way to keep what you have saved for all your life. My generation (pre boomers, born during World War II) were taught to save first and spend later. No such thing as credit cards for over half of our adult lives. No one had 'personal debts' except their mortgage. Few even bought cars uless the cash was available (that's why mine is 11 years old - works fine too ) ..

NOW - young people spend to the maximum of several credit cards, buy everything on time , thus paying many times more than the original price, spend it all and when it's all gone - well, then they can declare bankruptcy.

Such a person will have no problem in old age if Medicaid still exists - they will be poor enough to get on it right away. The rest of us will have to hand over our hard earned savings to nursing homes, doctors and hospitals until we are poor as those who never learned to save - if we live long enough we then get on Medicaid a couple of months before we die.

What is wrong with this system? Where is the outcry ? People are lobbying for universal heatlh care - what about universal old age care???

If I seem too utopian, remember that our neighbor Canada and most European countries already have both universal health care and a government plan for old age care - so why not us?

Well, thanks for letting me vent here!

I have no faith in any funds, plans or trusts. The person who sells it to you gets a HUGE commission from the comapny, plus a huge fee from you, for 'saving' your own money. Bury it in the ground (joke, maybe? )

Love,

Martha