Your Best Path Forward: A Practical Guide to Navigating Senior Living Options and Planning

Are you or a loved one considering a retirement community but feeling overwhelmed by the many choices and unsure where to begin? Maybe you’re leaning toward staying in your own home but questioning whether that’s a practical long-term option. If so, this book is a smart and thoughtful place to start.

Drawing on years of experience and the most frequently asked questions from families, individuals, and professionals alike, retirement living expert Brad Breeding offers clear, unbiased guidance to help you navigate this important stage of life. This book is designed to be your first step in the research process—delivering straightforward answers in a concise, accessible format.

Inside, you’ll gain essential insights into the retirement living landscape, including:

• Why it’s so important to plan for the later phases of retirement
• What you must consider when deciding between staying in your home and moving to a retirement community
• What defines a retirement community, and how to distinguish between the different types
• The relationship between retirement communities and long-term care services
• The cost of long-term care
• Options for funding a senior living move
• Payment and resident contract structures for retirement communities

Brad C. Breeding, CFP® is the CEO and co-founder of myLifeSite, a company that provides online tools and content resources designed to help older adults and their families make better-informed senior living decisions. Before launching myLifesite, Brad spent nearly 14 years as a personal financial advisor, focusing on sound planning for retirees. An engaging presenter, Brad frequently speaks at conferences, seminars, and retirement communities across the country, sharing his valuable insights on topics ranging from senior living lifestyles and long-term care to retirement and financial planning considerations. As the go-to expert in his field, Brad has been quoted in Kiplinger, Money Magazine, AARP, New York Times, Dow Jones MarketWatch, USA Today, and more. His popular weekly blog posts at myLifeSite.net cover a range of topics that are pertinent to both senior adults and professionals within the senior living industry.

Brad Breeding began his career as a personal financial advisor, spending well over a decade serving his clients and earning the prestigious Certified Financial Planner(R) certification along the way. During this time, he identified a critical need among older adults and their families for impartial support in navigating the complex and financially significant decisions surrounding senior living. This revelation led to the creation of myLifeSite, an innovative online platform providing resources, guidance and tools to help people make informed senior living choices- particularly regarding Continuing Care Retirement Communities, also known as "CCRCs" or "Life Plan Communities." Mr. Breeding's expertise has been sought out by reputable outlets such as Money Magazine, AARP, Kiplinger's, Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch, USA Today, and The New York Times. He also regularly contributes to myLifeSite's blog, adding depth to discussions on aging, wellness, finances, and senior living. Beyond his writing and media contributions, Mr. Breeding connects with audiences through speaking engagements at senior living and financialadvisory conferences, retirement communities, and other forums, where he shares his insights and expertise firsthand. He also contributes to lifelong learning as a volunteer instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Instituteat respected institutions like Duke University, NC State, and UNC Asheville. This work reflects his dedication to fostering informed senior living and retirement planning decisions.