seniors
Do you qualify for a Medicare Special Needs Plans?
Individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid coverage are referred to as Medicare dual-eligible. The individual can enroll in a Special Needs Plan (SNP) where a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan coordinates the care plan designed to provide targeted care and…
Celebrating Social Security Fairness Act Milestone
The Social Security Administration recently celebrated a key milestone by announcing that we completed sending over 3.1 million payments, totaling $17 billion, to beneficiaries eligible under the Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA), 5 months ahead of schedule. When the SSFA…
The Social Security Board of Trustees’ 2026 COLA estimate
The annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) calculation uses the data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the third quarter of the year, specifically the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) readings from July through…
Will your Social Security check be cut?
Improper payments, generally overpayments, were made by the Social Security Administration between 2015 and 2022, totaling $72 billion. There are various reasons why overpayments occur; the most common error is failure to report changes involving income. By law, the Social…
Delaying retirement
As Americans approach retirement age, a growing number of them are delaying retirement, and more than fifty percent are expressing doubts about the future of Social Security. A recent survey found that almost two-thirds of pre-retirees are concerned about outliving…
Prepare to live in retirement for 40 years
Although life expectancy took a downward turn due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is on the rise again, with the average life expectancy in the U.S. for 2025 at 79.40. With people living longer, your retirement and retirement savings will…
How much in savings will the new deductions provide?
When the “Big, Beautiful Bill” was signed into law on July 4th, it included a new senior tax deduction (temporary) aimed at those seniors who pay taxes on their Social Security. Because this bill was a reconciliation bill, it could…
What does Medicare-approved amount mean?
Do you know the difference between what your provider bills Medicare and the amount paid by Medicare? It is called the Medicare-approved amount. The Medicare-approved amount is the total payment that Medicare has agreed to pay a health care provider…
Should you have an emergency fund in retirement?
We have all heard from financial experts that we need an emergency fund equal to at least six months of our working salary, but what if you are retired? Life happens, things break, people get sick, and you find yourself…
Retirement planning mistakes to avoid
The fear of running out of money or being unable to afford necessary expenses in retirement can be overwhelming. If you have retirement anxiety, several coping mechanisms can help you not to feel so overwhelmed. The first and most important…