Retirement is a time to relax and enjoy the things you have worked hard for all of your life. For many people, that means spending more time at the golf course or spoiling grandchildren. For others, it means adventure and traveling to places they have always wanted to go. In…
The New York Department of Financial Services recently published a proposal to add a “best interest” standard to insurance regulations that imposes suitability requirements on annuity recommendations by producers and insurers in New York. The move comes soon after the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) suitability working group issued…
The new tax laws taking effect in 2018 give both individuals and couples even more flexibility to plan for their estates and ensure the largest possible part of their estate goes to beneficiaries on a tax-free basis. While the changes will remain in effect until 2025, families should start formulating…
Promising statistics recently came out early this year indicating the mortality rate for older Americans is down from 2015 to 2016, perhaps due in part to the greater access to healthcare our elders enjoy now that insurance companies cannot deny individuals with pre-existing conditions. For Americans age 75 to 84,…
The White House recently announced it planned to scale back initiatives put in place by the previous administration to reduce wasteful spending created by the complexities of the country’s healthcare system. As a result, officials from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Studies (CMS) said they will no longer be…
A recent audit conducted by the Social Security Office of the Inspector General found that the program has failed to fully pay the overwhelming majority of surviving spouses entitled to receive survivor benefits in addition to the regular Social Security benefits. According to the report, the Social Security Administration shorted…
When someone passes away, he or she typically designates an individual as the executor of the estate in a last will and testament. As the executor of the estate, that individual has tremendous responsibility to fulfill his or her duty to the deceased and carry out that person’s final wishes…
When someone dies, a death certificate records on paper the time and place where the decedent passed away. While the funeral director where you lay your loved one to rest will usually obtain several copies for your records, it may be necessary to obtain a certified copy that has a…
In a rare showing of bipartisanship, Congress finally passed a long term budget to keep the federal government open and fund everything from the military to vital healthcare programs millions of Americans rely upon to survive. Additionally, the new budget included provisions to shore up issues with Medicare that often…
As part of recent measures to protect the Social Security numbers of Medicare beneficiaries, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Studies (CMS) has issued new Medicare ID cards with a random, 11-digit number. However, reports suggest scammers are simply retooling their efforts with more creative ways to extract personal financial…