A pressing question facing many of the 70 million American baby-boomers is whether or not to purchase long-term care insurance (LTCI). Recently, the oldest members of this generation reached 62 years of age. Due to technological advances and healthier lifestyles, baby-boomers are expected to live longer than any previous generation in history. However, boomers will also be facing higher costs than ever before for long-term care services and facilities. With current nursing home rates of $77,745/year for a private room, $68,985/year for a semi-private room, and $35,628/year for an assisted living facility (Metlife Mature Market Institute, 2007), these costs can quickly deplete an individual's assets.
Long-term care insurance has been available since the 1980's and is now a multi-billion dollar industry. More than 100 companies offer coverage, some of which have decades of LTCI experience, while others are relatively new to the LTCI business (American Health Insurance Plans, 2004). Depending on which policy options are selected and the individual's age when the policy is purchased, premiums for LTCI can vary considerably and can be very expensive (Lown & Palmer, 2004). Additionally, agent commissions can significantly add to the cost of LTCI. Consumer Reports states "agents can reap hefty commissions-50 percent of your first year's premium and 10 percent of your payment for every succeeding year" (Consumer nion, 2003).
Today, there is a dramatic increase in the prevalence of metabolic disorders linked to the “insulin resistance syndrome”. In particular, obesity and maturity onset diabetes is being referred to as an epidemic, and from a public health perspective preventive actions are needed. One factor that could be exploited is a diet characterised by low GI foods. Such a diet has been implemented as one important tool in the prevention1,2 and treatment3,4 of diseases related to insulin resistance, and appears to ameliorate not only the insulin resistance per se, but also certain metabolic ramifications of a lowered insulin sensitivity.
There are several ways of altering the GI features of carbohydrate foods, either through the choice of raw material or food processing conditions. Of particular relevance is to exploit possibilities to optimise the GI of cereal products since a high GI characterizes most of the commonly produced bread and breakfast cereals5. Among the food factors that are known to lower the rate of glucose delivery to the blood from cereal products are the inclusion of coarse cereal grains and/or viscous cereal dietary fiber in bread and macromolecular interactions in pasta.8 In addition, certain organic acids have shown to lower postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses in healthy humans, when included in bread-based meals.9-11 In the case of bread added with the sodium salt of propionic acid, the reduced glycaemia observed in healthy humans was caused by a reduced gastric emptying rate.10,12 Also in a study with acetic acid, the improved glycaemia could be attributed to a decreased gastric emptying rate.
Competency in managing money appears to be a skill that doesn’t come naturally to eve ryone. Unless a person is exposed to the practice of money management, he/she is less likely to understand how it works and its long-term benefits. It is easy to develop poor spending and financial habits resulting in significant negative consequences such as a poor credit rating, denial of credit, rejection for a checking account and bankruptcy, to name a few. Early financial literacy is the best way to pre vent such consequnces .
Financial institutions have a vested interest in supporting or providing financial literacy programs. Relative to cost, financial literacy provides both immediate and long-term returns. The most obvious is brand recognition and market share. Financial literacy offers an excellent opportunity to personalize ones institution among consumers who have myriad options in selecting financial service providers. Consumers who understand the merits of responsibly managing their financial resources a re more likely to effectively and profitably utilize the services of a traditional financial institution.
