Retirement

As the Covid-19 public health emergency ends, many older adults who need a post-hospital stay in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) will be in for an unpleasant surprise: Traditional Medicare may not pay. The change, one among dozens that affect older adults, restores rules from before the pandemic. But they are complicated and will shock

House Republicans have now passed legislation that would drastically cut people off from a wide range of programs vital to their financial security in exchange for a promise to let the federal government honor its past commitments and pay its bills. These cuts if indeed enacted would sharply reduce spending on a number of programs

Your spouse recently died leaving all her assets to you. Your attorney has assured you that no estate tax is due, but you still need to file an estate tax return. Do not overlook the importance of filing the return. It may save your family millions in estate taxes after your death. The estate tax

People fear the unknown. Are you one of them? Think of how you felt when you started a new job. Were you a bit anxious the first time you walked into the office? Or how about your first child? Did you wonder if you had what it takes to be a good parent? While they

A lot has been written as to why you should wait until 70 to start collecting your Social Security benefits. In the right situation, that is a true statement, but everyone’s situation is different. I have always said that there are as many good reasons as bad reasons to wait to collect your Social Security

Are you worried about getting Social Security as promised? If you’re not, don’t read the following paragraph. The Social Security Administration recently issued a message to the public summarizing The Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds report. It stated, “The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund will be able to pay

One of the things that limits textbook financial planning from offering the biggest benefits to wealth management clients and do-it-yourselfers is that the not-so-almighty dollar is just one of several scarce resources at our disposal. When viewed only through a singular lens, and irrespective of the remaining resources, money simply does less good. But when

Friday’s strong jobs report was a surprise. The unemployment rate is only 3.4% —lower than last month, lower than just before the pandemic, and just a bit higher than the historic lows in 1955. Jobs are up 235,000, well above expert forecasts. But fewer people are entering the labor force even though higher wages and

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has moved to increase pay for home care aides and others who provide personal care for frail older adults and younger people with disabilities. It has proposed new rules requiring Medicaid home care agencies to direct at least 80 percent of program payments for personal care

Our government is currently focusing on the mental health of elders, particularly the loneliness they experience. For those with aging loved ones, pandemic related social isolation exacerbated what was already an underlying problem. Many elders do not have consistent, meaningful connections with enough others to prevent the sadness and hopelessness so many experience every day.