“Top Strategies to Pay for a Longer, Healthier Retirement,” by Robert Powell, The Street

“According to Vernon, if you don’t buy a long-term care insurance policy there’s another strategy to consider that he likes: Home equity. ‘It’s kind of a default strategy, keeping that home equity in reserve,’ he said. ‘And then, that’s the asset you might tap if and when you need to pay for long-term care. But I just want to say that long-term care is like the wildcard of retirement, and there aren’t good solutions out there.’”

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):

The problem with preserving home equity to pay for long-term care is that Medicaid exempts most home equity. When the time comes, your family will put you on Medicaid, probably in a nursing home, and preserve the value of your home for their inheritance.