During health plan or open enrollment time, your place of employment probably looks like many others. There are lots of “water cooler” conversations about different plans, past experiences, deductibles, and copays. Health savings accounts or HSAs are drawing your attention, and you want to learn more. Let’s say last year you spent $8,000 on the […]
medical care
Saving for Retirement While Helping Kids & Parents
If you’ve asked yourself how you’ll save for retirement while also financially helping your kids and parents, you’re not alone. A few years ago, the Pew Research Center reported that almost half of all adults in their 40’s or 50’s were either raising a child or supporting a grown child, while also helping a parent […]
What Should Others Know if Something Bad Happens to Me?
You’ve heard the saying, “hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” and maybe you’ve taken it to heart. You’re getting ready to buy life insurance and researching disability insurance plans. Perhaps you’ve even written down some information on ‘in case of emergency documents’. But it’s all you’ve managed to do, in terms of […]
How Can Smart Technology Save Me Money on Insurance?
In the past decade, technology solutions helping consumers save money have expanded into numerous industries, including cars, homes, and health insurance. Many Americans now demand tech-based ways to reduce costs, and they’re willing to switch companies to get them. As a response, insurance companies are offering more ways for customers to use technology and save […]
Healthcare Costs in Retirement – Avoid These Big Mistakes
Many of us don’t think about retirement or saving for it until it’s too late. When we do save, we plan for money to cover rent, utilities, groceries, and insurance. However, many people overlook saving for healthcare costs in retirement. This is by far one of the biggest mistakes you can make during your time […]
Advance Care Directive: what is it and do you need one?
Imagine you’ve become incapacitated. You may be unconscious, or unable to speak or reason. How do you want your medical treatment handled? If you’ve never documented your wishes or at least discussed them with your spouse, parents, or adult children, medical personnel will make those decisions for you. To ensure you receive medical treatment in […]
What Is Long Term Care Insurance and Should I Get It?
It feels like there’s an insurance product for just about every element of the human experience. After all, you can insure your health, your home, your car, your ability to work, and even your life. While some coverage is compulsory, at the end of the day, insurance is about hedging your bets. Sure, something terrible […]
Is Stressing Out Over Money Hurting Your Health?
You hate to admit it, but even if you don’t say it out loud, “I’m so stressed out” describes how you feel most of the time. Work is stressful. Getting the kids to daycare, school, and all of their activities is stressful. Helping your aging parents is stressful. Dealing with a challenging medical situation in […]
How Can I Save Money on Prescription Medications?
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, $3.8 billion in retail prescription drugs were filled at pharmacies in the United States in 2019. If you’re generally healthy, have good insurance, and only need to fill a prescription a few times a year (or less), you may not worry about how to save money on prescription medications. […]
Open Enrollment Time: What do I need to do?
It’s that time of year again. You’re getting emails from human resources talking about the upcoming Open Enrollment period. There are copies of different insurance plans and their costs available for review. You also hear people discussing their current health insurance plans and how they want to review other programs your employer offers. If you […]
What Important Documents Should I Keep and for How Long?
Are you one to set the mail on the counter when you get home from work? Most of it is junk anyway right? You know you need to take care of the bills and important documents but you keep putting it off, and the pile keeps growing. Eventually, you pay the bills. But then you […]
What Happens if I Cannot Pay My Hospital Bills?
You had an emergency appendectomy. You’re recuperating from a terrible case of the flu. Your child was stung by a bee causing a severe allergic reaction. Your spouse was hit by a car while cycling. There are many reasons why you or a family member head to the emergency room or spend time in a […]
What Happens if I Get Sick or Hurt While Uninsured?
Getting really sick or hurt while uninsured is a concern for millions of people. Going without health insurance coverage (even for a short period of time) puts you at serious financial risk. Should you get sick or injured and need to see a doctor, receive therapist services, take prescription medication, or require emergency room (ER) […]
Disability Insurance: Do I really need it?
Own a car and you probably insure it because you know it’s important. It’s so important most states require it by law. A 2016 Insurance Information Institute poll found 95 percent of homeowners held insurance and 41% of renters carried insurance too. We understand how critical good health insurance is. And many people purchase life […]
Power of Attorney, Why is it so Important?
Power of attorney documents (POAs) are legal papers in which an individual (the principal) designates another person (the agent or attorney-in-fact) to act on their behalf and make decisions on certain matters (a specific financial transaction for example) or on all matters. POAs may be limiting in actions and duration, or be all-encompassing and lifelong. […]