Modeling a future long-term care expense

This article will show you how to model a future long-term care expense.

Last published on: August 29, 2025

Income Lab can help you answer questions like, "How much should I reduce my spending today if I want to plan for future long-term care expenses?" The video and screenshots below walk you through this process, which is very similar for other questions about specific planned cash flows.

 

Video: Modeling a future long-term care expense

Video Transcript

 
 



 


Add a self-insured long-term care cost

  1. In the plan inputs, click on Expenses and select the Other/Variable Expenses subsection. 

(Other/variable expenses are the place where "temporary," "lumpy," "special," "significant," or "what if" expenses are best placed.)

 

  1. Fill out the information for the expense, then click the gear icon.

 

  1. Enter the frequency for the expense. For unique expenses, such as long-term care, that are based on the end of a client's plan, use the From end of plan begin date option to have the expense start in the last 3 years of the plan (for example).

 

  1. Enter the inflation treatment. Then, for joint expenses, enter any survivorship details to adjust the expense amount if one spouse passes away, then click Save.

 

You will see your long-term care inputs within Cash Flows under Expense Details and in Life Hub under the Other/Variable Expense tab.

 

View in Cash Flows

 

View in Life Hub