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Controlling the Cash: Smartly Planning and Managing Retirement Income
While the average American would relish the prospect of complete control over their cash flow, most retirees living off their savings would say such responsibility is more overwhelming and nerve-racking than empowering. And as millions of baby boomers begin retiring without the pensions of yesterday,…
Planning for Social Security if you are a woman
I get this question a lot—should I wait to take my Social Security at age 70? Although, I get this one almost as often—should I start my Social Security benefits at age 62 so I don’t lose money if I die early/Social…
Medicare Overhaul Considered For Chronic Care
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is proposing a new approach to health care aimed at avoiding hospital stays for older people, when possible. Under what the group is calling the Better Care Program, teams of doctors, nurses and social workers would…
Most vigilant retirement savers live in North America and Asia-Pacific
A higher percentage of investors in North America and the Asia-Pacific are saving for retirement than in other regions of the world, according to a global survey conducted by Nielsen. Out of 30,000 people surveyed worldwide for the Nielsen Global Survey…
Target breach extends to Social Security debit card holders
The Target security breach may just be the tip of the iceberg. It now appears it’s also affecting those who collect Social Security. When you qualify for Social Security you receive a pre-loaded debit card. It allows users to pay bills,…
Take Advantage of Disenrollment and Special Enrollment Periods for Medicare Advantage Plans
As we begin the New Year, SHIIP, the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, wants to remind North Carolinians about two special enrollment periods for people who have Medicare Advantage plans. The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment period runs from Jan. 1 through…
Insurance industry ad blitz to preempt Medicare cuts
This time around, the insurance industry isn’t even waiting for the Obama administration to threaten cuts to private Medicare plans: It’s launching a peremptory strike. America’s Health Insurance Plans announced an all-out advertising campaign Tuesday. Maintaining the same“Seniors are Watching” theme…
Falling Rate Of Personal Income Growth: New Risk Factor?
Friday’s weak jobs report has taken some of the air out of the optimism balloon for the US macro outlook, but in the search for things to worry about I’m more inclined to focus on the discouraging trend of late with personal…
Why Slower Healthcare Cost Inflation Isn’t Fixing Medicare Finances
Followers of the national healthcare policy debate may have noticed an interesting recent turn. After the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s troubled rollout, the law’s supporters shifted to a new line to promote it: specifically, crediting the ACA with slowing the…
7 Secrets of Highly Effective Retirement Savers
Mark Twain famously said: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” He could’ve been talking about all those depressing studies showing how little Americans save for retirement, on average. It’s the “on average” part that bothers me.…