The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has agreed to pay $418 million over the next four years to resolve class action lawsuits brought by home sellers who said they were forced to pay inflated commissions to real estate agents. This is big news for homeowners and seniors thinking about downsizing. Under the settlement, each seller […]
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What are the New IRA and Retirement Saving Rules for 2024?
If your New Year’s resolutions included increasing your retirement savings efforts in 2024, there are a few changes to rules about IRAs, 401(k)s, and even 529 College Savings Plans you’ll want to know about. Contribution limits for 2024 have gone up. Annual contributions for IRAS in 2024 are now $7,000, up from $6,500 in 2023. […]
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2024 Bringing Big Savings for Medicare Patients Relying on Expensive Drugs
There is good news for Medicare recipients in 2024 who count on costly prescriptions. The Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022 puts an annual ceiling of $3,300 in 2024 for Part D drugs. The number could shift slightly depending on whether they take brand-name or generic medications. In 2025, the news is even better: the […]
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Don’t Make These Medicare Mistakes
Medicare can be complicated and mistakes can be expensive. Knowing the pitfalls in advance can make a big difference for seniors. Here’s an example of what can go wrong. A 66 year old actor from California enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. After receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis last year, he learned the specialists he […]
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No Estate Plan Means an Estate Disaster for Many American Families
Less than half of Americans over 55 have an estate plan in place – – which means, even after COVID, the number of households with an estate plan to distribute assets after death has fallen. People age 35-54 have placed their families and minor children at risk at even higher levels, with only 28 percent […]
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SECURE 2.0 Opens Door for Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts (“QLAC”)
Back in the spring, in a rare show of bipartisan action, the House and Senate passed a law intended to give Americans an incentive to save for retirement. The bill received over 400 votes in the House and over 80 in the Senate. The bill, dubbed SECURE 2.0, is a follow-up to the SECURE Act. […]
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Medicare Part B Premiums to Decrease in 2023
For the first time in over a decade, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that Medicare beneficiaries will enjoy a lower premium in 2023. That’s welcome news for seniors living on a fixed income and struggling with dramatic price increases on, well, everything. The standard monthly premiums in 2023 will be $164.90 in […]
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SECURE Act 2.0 and Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs)
The SECURE Act 2.0 continues to be revised, and it’s likely to dominate the House Ways and Means Committee ahead of the midterm elections. It seems likely that the retirement proposal may be combined with some of the expired parts of the 2017 tax law, creating a tax package acceptable to both sides. But the […]
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Happy Groundhog Day – Is Your Estate Plan in a Time Loop?
If you wake up every morning thinking that you need to get your estate plan updated, or worse, created, you might feel like Bill Murray in the classic movie “Groundhog Day.” Actually, a lot of days in 2020 felt like Groundhog Day: a never-ending time loop of working from home, dining at home, working out […]
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What’s Not Covered by Medicare?
Medicare provides health insurance for retirees, but it doesn’t cover everything. In fact, there’s a lot that Medicare does not cover, and many of these are health care costs that can consume a nest egg. Here are the top five healthcare costs that should be part of your retirement preparations: Medicare and Long Term Care […]
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