My Comments: You already know my opinions about the PPACA and how it will morph over the next ten years. Here’s another element that will focus people’s attention as contrasts start to appear between states that are willing to participate and those that do not. Since Florida has chosen to NOT participate in the Medicaid …
Continue reading The Affordable Care Act’s Most Important Date: Not What You Think
My Comments: I hope everyone had a safe and happy celebration to start 2014. With it coming during the middle of the week, my internal calendar is kinda messed up; it seems today has to be Monday. But back to the real world. My first inclination when asked to understand something not readily understood, is …
Continue reading Don’t Fret About Soaring Asset Prices – This Time Is Different
My Comments: How many of you actually made a list of New Year’s Resolutions? I used to make them, but it became pointless. Very little conformed to reality and few were accomplished. So no list of resolutions for me this year. But it is helpful to be somewhat organized, and if you live a middle-class …
My Comments: Years ago, it was simply a matter of waiting to reach 65, showing up at the Social Security office and then waiting for a check to appear in the mail. Today, that idea is quaint and naive. As the baby boomers reach age 62 and beyond, it’s become a chore to figure out …
Continue reading Restricted Application for Social Security Benefits
By John Gapper | The Financial Times The New York minicab service I used to favour communicated in code. When you rang and gave your address, the radio dispatcher would reply “five minutes” and hang up. This meant a cab would arrive at any time from one to 10 minutes later. “Seven minutes” meant 20, …
Continue reading Why Taxi Cab Drivers Cannot Put Down Their Smartphones
My Comments: Who knew? If I'd known this before, would I have planned any differently? Maybe. By Dan Kadlec Dec. 12, 2013 With a savings crisis so deep that more than half of American adults are unsure they could scrape together $2,000 within a month for an emergency, it may seem tone deaf to worry …
My Comments: In part this is a follow up to the posts about the US-Iran deal recently completed. What is often not seen or talked about is our increasing lack of dependance on Middle East oil. That dependency has been the reason for our friendship with Saudi Arabia. This despite where most of the 9/11 …
My Comments: Yestersday my post declared that the cost of what we call Long Term Care will go up for women in 2014. This is because there are more and more people reaching the age where bad things start to happen. The law of supply and demand says that when the demand increases, more people …
My Comments: This has always proved to be a difficult conversation with clients. When they are relatively young, the topic is far away unless they have a parent with issues. And then the money has to be reserved for their care. And when you reach my age, there is still a strong denial that you …
Continue reading Long Term Care Insurance Rates for Women Will Go up in 2014
My Comments: I’m stepping in political waters here but I can’t help myself. This came from the Financial Times and the insights shed a lot of light on how we got to where we are in Washington. There is no reason to think this doesn’t apply to both the Republicans and the Democrats alike, but …
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