Articles

  Under current law, federal estate tax applies to all individual estates worth at least $5.6 million. But, because assets transfer tax-free to the surviving spouse upon the death of a husband or wife, a married couple can shield up to $11.2 million from the...

Every September, Medicare Advantage enrollees receive the Annual Notice of Change that highlights all of the changes that your insurance carrier has made to your plan, including to hospital or doctor networks and other important variables. Sometimes it will list the...

Health professionals encourage home care for recovery when it is possible and won't put the patient's life in danger. Insurance companies may encourage it as well to prevent unnecessary expenses that drive up the cost of insurance for everyone. These issues have led...

At some point we all feel it, those regular body aches creeping in, getting tired easily and feeling low on energy. And you ask yourself: Why do I feel so old? People reach their physical peak when they are between 30 and 35 years old, and after that, the average...

Medicare announced in February that it would start a pilot project that would require pre-treatment approvals before patients can access certain types of care at select outpatient surgical centers that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has identified as...

Medicare members can enjoy the benefit of prescription drug coverage by simply enrolling in Part D plans, which are hosted by private insurers. However, there's a catch: If you don't sign up for a Part D plan when you first sign up for Medicare, you will face lifelong...

We would all love to pass on a decent-sized legacy to our heirs. But too many estates are all but entirely consumed by the high costs of medical care, especially as we get older. Yes, we have Medicare to cover the major medical expenses of those Americans over age 65....

Sadly, thousands of Americans lose their homes every year because they can no longer make the insurance and mortgage payments on their home following the unexpected death or disability of a family breadwinner. In many cases, this is unnecessary. Term life insurance in...

One of the biggest mistakes people make in planning their health and life coverage is assuming they'll never need long-term care services, or that if they do need these services, they will pay for them with their savings. And many people shy away from long-term care...

If you have a home heating unit and/or appliances that use natural gas, there is always the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning in case of a leak or if a burner on your stove wasn't shut off properly. Accidental CO poisoning kills at least 420 people and sends more...

For high-net-worth individuals, the financial consequences of being sued can be serious business. They typically have more assets at risk should be they be hit with a large court settlement or judgment and, while compensatory damages may be standard across the board,...