Most individuals with a disability live at home and are cared for by their families. Some of these individuals will require family support for their entire lives. However, few family caregivers are afforded a complete picture ahead of time of what the actual costs of care will be, and, therefore, are unable to plan for the future as they would for other major life expenses, such as the purchase of a house or higher education. Without a well devised strategy, the financial costs to many of those caring for a relative with a disability are significant and beyond the means of most families. In this article, the authors compare the annual expenses of families in caregiving situations to the annual costs of higher education and housing in order to demonstrate the true size of the financial burden these families bear.