For those of you currently doing business with URL, I want to personally thank you. We understand there are many options when it comes to placing your business, and we truly appreciate your partnership. We remain committed to supporting your success. For those who are new to URL, welcome. We are a full-service, family-owned national brokerage that has supported agents for more than 35 years. We offer single premium life, fixed and indexed annuities, traditional life insurance products, as well as individual and group solutions. We also have a senior division offering Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage products. After the webinar, I encourage you to visit our website at www.urlinsgroup.com to explore additional ways we may be able to support your business.

I’m excited to introduce Jessica Delio, Regional Vice President with Nationwide Insurance. Nationwide offers life and long-term care solutions for both single and joint insureds, including guarantees that many carriers simply cannot offer. These solutions allow you to leverage your clients’ hard-earned assets into robust long-term care strategies. Today’s webinar is designed to be a casual conversation, so please feel free to submit questions in the chat as we go. I’ll relay them to Jessica throughout the presentation. With that, I’d like to welcome Jessica.

Thank you, Jason. I appreciate the opportunity to be here with you and the URL team, especially during Thanksgiving week. This has been an impactful Long-Term Care Awareness Month, and I’ve seen meaningful conversations happening across the industry about the importance of planning for long-term care and the solutions available to help clients prepare for that journey.

Today we’ll focus on two Nationwide solutions: CareMatters, our individual long-term care platform, and CareMatters Together, our joint platform designed for two insureds on a single policy. We’ll discuss the long-term care insurance marketplace, what long-term care is and is not, what types of expenses are typically covered, and which are not. As Jason mentioned, this is meant to be conversational, so please ask questions at any time.

We’ll begin by talking about how to help clients prepare for long-term care. Many advisors start with the product and move straight into illustrations and proposals. I encourage you to approach this differently and think more holistically. Long-term care planning is not just about buying a product; it’s about preparing for an experience. That includes involving family members, discussing powers of attorney, setting expectations around care, and understanding where and how a client wants to receive care.

Many people assume long-term care means a nursing home, but that’s not necessarily the case. Most individuals want to remain at home for as long as possible. Unfortunately, families are often unprepared for what that really entails. Home-based care can place a significant emotional and financial burden on loved ones if proper planning hasn’t taken place. These conversations are essential before any product discussion occurs.

Survey data shows that the majority of people prefer home-based care. Staying at home often requires modifications such as ramps, stair lifts, reconfigured living spaces, or accessibility improvements. Many traditional long-term care policies do not cover these expenses. This is where understanding product differences becomes critical, and where CareMatters can offer meaningful advantages.

Long-term care expenses add up quickly, and many clients are misinformed about how those expenses will be covered. Health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term disability insurance do not cover long-term custodial care the way many people assume they do. Educating clients on these misconceptions is a vital part of the planning process and often reveals the need for additional preparation.

This leads us to the advantages of a linked benefit policy like CareMatters. CareMatters is primarily designed for long-term care, but it is linked to life insurance, meaning there is a death benefit if long-term care is never needed. This eliminates the “use it or lose it” concern commonly associated with traditional long-term care insurance. Whether the client needs care or not, benefits are paid.

CareMatters provides immediate guaranteed leverage and is not tied to market performance. Most clients do not want to take risks when it comes to long-term care planning. They want certainty. CareMatters offers guaranteed premiums, guaranteed long-term care benefits, a guaranteed death benefit, and guaranteed return-of-premium options. Once the policy is issued, everything is locked in. There are no future premium increases, which has been a major issue with traditional long-term care policies.

In addition, CareMatters offers paid-up benefits. If a client is on a multi-year premium schedule and decides partway through that they no longer want to continue payments, the policy can be locked in based on the portion already paid. Benefits are reduced proportionally but remain guaranteed. This provides flexibility if life circumstances change or if clients want to adjust their planning strategy in the future.

Another important feature is choice and customization. Policies can be tailored to each client’s needs, including premium structure, inflation protection, and funding options such as lump sum payments or 1035 exchanges. No two policies need to look the same.

One of the most significant differentiators of CareMatters is that it is a cash indemnity policy. Clients receive a monthly cash benefit directly into their bank account and can use it however they choose. There are no bills or receipts to submit and no restrictions on how the funds are used. Whether the money is used to pay family members for caregiving, make home modifications, cover transportation, or save for future care, the choice belongs to the client.

This contrasts sharply with reimbursement-based policies, where clients must first pay expenses out of pocket, submit documentation, and wait for approval and repayment. With CareMatters, benefits are paid upfront, providing simplicity and peace of mind for both clients and their families.

To put this into perspective, consider a client like Lisa, age 55, who inherits $100,000 from her mother. She doesn’t need the money for retirement, but she has firsthand experience with the challenges of long-term care and wants to ensure her children don’t face the same situation. By repositioning that $100,000 into CareMatters, Lisa gains immediate leverage of more than $500,000 for long-term care. This guaranteed leverage, combined with cash indemnity benefits, makes CareMatters an attractive solution.

From a structural standpoint, CareMatters works in two layers. The first layer represents the return of the client’s premium, which is paid out first. The second layer is the extension of benefits provided by Nationwide, creating the additional leverage. For example, a client who deposits $120,000 may receive $360,000 in long-term care benefits over six years. With inflation protection, that benefit can grow significantly over time, potentially exceeding $800,000 by age 80.

CareMatters provides guaranteed leverage, flexibility, and simplicity, all centered around helping clients prepare for a long-term care experience rather than just purchasing a product.

In addition to the guarantees and flexibility we discussed earlier, CareMatters offers multiple payment options, including the ability to use 1035 exchanges. During policy reviews, advisors often uncover older cash value life insurance policies that no longer serve their original purpose. The children may be grown, the mortgage paid off, and college expenses behind them. At that point, it may make sense to repurpose those assets toward long-term care planning for the insured. This allows clients to reposition existing dollars rather than introducing new out-of-pocket expenses.

CareMatters also offers multiple inflation protection options, several refund of premium options, retroactive payments during the elimination period, and separately identifiable premiums. The separately identifiable premium feature can be especially valuable for business owners. Because premiums are broken out clearly in proposals and statements, a client’s CPA may be able to identify potential tax deductions. While there are caveats and this requires coordination with tax professionals, it often resonates strongly with business owners who are actively looking for tax-efficient strategies.

The discussion so far applies to the product outside of New York. Nationwide also offers a New York version with slightly different mechanics. Additionally, CareMatters Together, the joint product, operates differently and will be discussed shortly.

Clients have flexibility in how they fund the policy. They may choose a single premium, a five-pay, a ten-pay, a pay-to-age-65 option, or even a pay-to-age-100 structure, which can feel similar to traditional long-term care premiums but without the risk of future increases. This allows advisors to meet clients where they are financially, whether they are repositioning a lump sum or spreading payments over time.

Policy reviews play a critical role in these conversations. Regular reviews help ensure beneficiary designations remain accurate and aligned with a client’s current wishes. Life changes, and failing to review policies can result in unintended and often painful consequences. Beyond beneficiary updates, policy reviews can uncover opportunities to rebalance coverage, evaluate performance, or shift priorities. For some clients, long-term care planning may become more important than maintaining excess death benefit, creating an opportunity to reposition existing policies into CareMatters using a 1035 exchange.

Inflation protection is another critical component of long-term care planning. Clients can choose no inflation, three percent simple, three percent compound, or five percent compound inflation protection. Starting from the same monthly benefit, inflation can dramatically increase coverage over time. By age 80, the difference between no inflation and compound inflation can be substantial, and Nationwide’s illustrations help advisors evaluate crossover points based on age, gender, and planning horizon.

Consider a client like Michael, age 55, who wants to plan for long-term care after witnessing a loved one go through the process. His primary concern is certainty. He wants guaranteed premiums and benefits without market risk or future surprises. With CareMatters, Michael selects a payment schedule that fits his budget, adds three percent compound inflation, and starts with a $5,000 monthly benefit. By age 80, that benefit grows to more than $10,000 per month for six years. If Michael never needs care, his family receives a death benefit. Even if he uses every dollar of his long-term care benefit, a residual death benefit remains, which can help cover final expenses.

Return of premium options provide additional flexibility. While very few policies are ultimately surrendered, having options gives clients peace of mind. Clients can choose from vested refund options, step-up refunds, or a maximum long-term care benefit structure with a lower refund. Most clients favor maximizing long-term care benefits, but the availability of alternatives reinforces the policy’s flexibility.

The elimination period is another key differentiator. CareMatters uses a 90-day calendar-day elimination period rather than service days, which can significantly delay benefits under other policies. Benefits are paid retroactively, meaning that on day 91, the client receives a lump sum covering the first three months of care. For a client with a $10,000 monthly benefit, that results in a $40,000 payment. These funds can be used immediately for home modifications, equipment, transportation, or other needs that help the client remain at home.

CareMatters Together, Nationwide’s joint product, provides long-term care coverage for two insureds under one shared policy. It is the only cash indemnity joint life linked benefit solution currently available. This structure simplifies planning for couples who may be uncertain about how much coverage each spouse will need. Instead of purchasing separate policies, couples share a single pool of benefits and decide how to allocate them at the time of claim.

The benefit period is expressed in payments rather than years, with options of 48, 72, or 96 payments. Benefits can be used sequentially or concurrently, depending on each spouse’s needs. One spouse may use benefits first, both may use benefits at the same time, or one spouse may ultimately use the entire pool. Nationwide does not dictate how benefits are split; that decision remains with the insureds.

When both spouses are on claim simultaneously, each receives the full monthly benefit, accelerating the use of the shared pool. This flexibility allows families to adapt coverage to real-life circumstances rather than locking in assumptions at the time of purchase.

The product maintains the same core guarantees as the individual policy, including guaranteed premiums, benefits, and death benefits, along with cash indemnity payments. Because benefits are paid in cash, families maintain full control over how funds are used without submitting receipts or waiting for reimbursement.

Eligibility for CareMatters Together differs slightly from the individual product. Issue ages start at 30, and maximum issue ages vary by design. The maximum age difference between insureds is 25 years. Underwriting is based on a standard risk class, providing more flexibility around mortality factors such as height, weight, and blood pressure, though morbidity risks remain exclusions. Nationwide and the URL team provide strong support in evaluating underwriting eligibility.

Payment options include single premium, five-pay, ten-pay, twenty-pay, and pay-to-age-100 structures. A key advantage of the joint product is the full waiver of premium while either insured is on claim. Premiums are fully waived without repayment or recalculation for the duration of the claim.

Inflation options include no inflation, three percent compound for life, five percent compound for life, or three percent compound for 20 years. The limited inflation option can be particularly attractive for older clients who want growth leading into their expected claim years without paying for lifetime increases.

The guaranteed minimum residual death benefit for CareMatters Together is ten percent, payable even if all long-term care benefits are exhausted.

To qualify for benefits, an insured must be unable to perform two of six activities of daily living or have a severe cognitive impairment. Once the elimination period is satisfied, it is satisfied for life, even if the insured comes off claim and later returns.

Nationwide assigns a dedicated care manager to each client at the onset of a claim. This individual supports the insured and their family through the entire process, from care planning to benefit payments. Clients also have access to a caregiver advocacy service that helps locate and evaluate local care resources, including home care, adult daycare, and assisted living facilities.

Advisors have access to robust resources, including prequalification guides that help determine eligibility before submitting an application. Client guides and educational materials support conversations around both the product and the broader long-term care experience. Advisors also benefit from Nationwide’s sales support, underwriting assistance, advanced consulting group, and retirement education resources.

In closing, Nationwide’s CareMatters and CareMatters Together solutions provide guaranteed, flexible, and client-centered approaches to long-term care planning. These solutions help advisors replace uncertainty with clarity and give clients confidence that their care needs will be met without burdening their families.