Navigator · $199 · 2026 edition
Long-Term Care & Medicaid: The Family Navigator
When a loved one needs care, you don't have to go broke — or figure it out alone. Long-term care is the financial risk most families never plan for, and the rules around Medicaid are written to be confusing. This guide walks you through it in plain English, with a planner to estimate your costs and see where you stand.
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"When a loved one of ours became ill, we had to learn and navigate this system ourselves. This is the information we wished we'd had."
What's inside
The full picture — and a plan you can act on.
The guide (PDF)
- What long-term care is, and why Medicare won't pay for it
- What care costs in 2026 and the four ways families pay
- Medicaid's income and asset rules — what counts and what's exempt
- How federal rules protect the healthy spouse (assets and income)
- The five-year look-back, gifts, the home, and estate recovery
- A crisis playbook for when care is needed right now
- How to find your state's rules and choose an elder-law attorney
- A document & asset organizer, questions for your attorney, a 2026 quick-reference card, and a glossary
The tool (Excel)
A Cost & Medicaid Planner built for clarity under stress:
- Estimate the cost of care and your funding gap
- See an educational snapshot of where you stand against the asset rules — including a spouse's protected share
- Record your state's specific figures in one place
Works in Microsoft Excel, free Google Sheets, or LibreOffice.
Who this is for
- Anyone planning ahead for the cost of care
- Families facing a sudden crisis — care needed now
- A healthy spouse protecting assets and income
- Adult children helping a parent navigate Medicaid
- Anyone preparing to meet an elder-law attorney
What you'll walk away able to do
- Understand how Medicaid long-term care actually works
- See what a healthy spouse can keep — assets and monthly income
- Avoid the well-meant mistakes that trigger penalties
- Know the exact first steps in a crisis
- Walk into an attorney's office organized and ready
Education that keeps you safe — not legal advice
Medicaid planning is the practice of law and is state-specific. This guide teaches the federal framework that applies everywhere, shows you how to find your own state's figures, and prepares you to work effectively with a certified elder-law attorney — and it tells you clearly when one is essential. It contains organizing worksheets, never fill-in legal forms.
Cover Social Security and Medicare too
Get all three guides and all three tools with the Retirement Navigator Pass for $299 — instead of $497 separately.
See the Navigator PassQuestions
Before you buy
Is this legal advice?
No. Medicaid planning is the practice of law and is state-specific. This guide is education that prepares you to work effectively with a certified elder-law attorney — and it tells you when one is essential.
Will this work in my state?
The guide teaches the federal framework that applies everywhere and shows you exactly how to find your own state's specific figures. The planner includes a worksheet to record them.
Is it current?
Yes — updated for the 2026 program year, with free updates each year.
What if it's not for me?
Reply to your receipt within the refund window and we'll make it right.