Have you ever had one of those months? The water heater stops heating, the dishwasher stops washing, and your family ends up on a first-name basis with the nurse at urgent care. Then, as you’re driving to work, you see smoke coming from under your hood. Bad things happen to the best of us, and … Read more
Some people approach buying a car like they approach marriage, “‘til death do us part.” Others prefer to keep their options open, trading in every few years for the latest make and model, the most cutting-edge technology, or the highest horsepower. Whichever describes you best, we all face a similar decision when it comes to … Read more
Each month, you settle down to pay bills. You pay your mortgage lender. You pay the electric company. You pay the trash collector. But do you pay yourself? One of the most basic tenets of sound investing involves the simple habit of “paying yourself first” – in other words, making your first payment of each … Read more
Every year, the government prints millions of notes a day. Here’s a quick look at what goes into creating a $20 bill and what determines when a bill’s lifespan ends.1 PAPER A $20 bill starts out life as part of a large sheet of paper. While most paper is made primarily from wood pulp, the … Read more
The U.S. personal saving rate stood at 7.3 percent in October 2021, a significant drop from the 26.6 rate in March earlier in the year.1 The personal saving rate is the federal government’s estimate of what percent of their incomes U.S. households are saving. But market watchers and economists are mixed on what can be … Read more
American households with credit card balances carry an average debt of $8,602.1 The wise use of credit is a critical skill in today’s world. Used unwisely, credit can rapidly turn from a useful tool to a crippling burden. There are a number of warning signs that you may be approaching credit problems: Have you used … Read more
Do you need a life insurance policy in retirement? One school of thought questions this decision. Perhaps your kids have grown, and the need to help protect the household against the loss of an income-earner has passed. If you are thinking about dropping your coverage for either or both of those reasons, you may want to … Read more
If your red, white, and blue Original Medicare card is lost or stolen, or you can no longer use it because it is too faded or damaged, you can replace it by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (633-4227). You can also order or print a replacement card by logging into your mymedicare.gov account. If you get Medicare health … Read more
There are a number of ways to fill gaps in your Medicare coverage and/or to get assistance with Medicare costs: Job-based insurance: If you or your spouse is still working, and you have insurance through that job, it may work with Medicare to cover your health care costs. You should find out whether your employer insurance … Read more
Medicare’s prescription drug benefit (Part D) is the part of Medicare that provides outpatient drug coverage. Part D is provided only through private insurance companies that have contracts with the federal government—it is never provided directly by the government (unlike Original Medicare). If you want to get Part D coverage, you have to choose and … Read more
Medicare Part C is not a separate benefit. Part C is the part of Medicare law that allows private health insurance companies to provide Medicare benefits. These Medicare private health plans, such as HMOs and PPOs, contract with the federal government and are known as Medicare Advantage Plans. If you want, you can choose to … Read more
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