Article Category General Articles Page 17

  Last Updated: 10/6/2008 For the first time in eight years, Medicare’s monthly premium will remain unchanged for most of the program’s 44 million beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Part B premium will remain at its 2008 level of $96.40 for 2009 for individuals earning $85,000 or less Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/27/2008 What will happen to your estate if your primary beneficiary does not survive you? If your will does not name an alternate beneficiary, your estate will be divided according to state law. The way the state divides your estate may not agree with your wishes. Your money may go to someone Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/6/2008 Joseph Roubicek. Financial Abuse of the Elderly: A Detective’s Case Files of Exploitation Crimes. Ruby House Publisher. 2008. 161 pages. $13.05 from Amazon (click on book to order) Although elderly individuals are often the victims of fraud, there is another type of financial abuse that is more difficult to prosecute. This Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/6/2008 Many people continue to work beyond retirement age, either by choice or out of necessity. But if you are receiving Social Security benefits, you need to be aware of how working can affect your benefit payments. Earning income above Social Security thresholds can cause a reduction in benefits and mean your Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/7/2008 Alexandra Armstrong, CFP, and Mary R. Donahue, PhD. On Your Own: A Widow’s Passage to Emotional and Financial Well-Being. 4th Edition. Armstrong, Fleming, & Moore, Inc., Washington, DC. 2006. 415 pages. $19.95 at Amazon (click on book to order) Becoming a widow at any age is one of the most difficult Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 3/24/2009 Moving can be stressful for anyone and especially so for seniors. On top of hiring movers, packing, and setting up the new home, there is the emotional toll of leaving a house the senior may have lived in for years. If the move seems overwhelming, a senior move manager may be Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/7/2008 The Social Security Administration (SSA) has unveiled a new online calculator that allows you to project what your monthly Social Security benefit will be based on your actual work record. The Retirement Estimator also lets you create “what if” retirement scenarios based on different earnings projections and retirement ages. The calculator Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/7/2008 Taking care of a parent can be a full-time job. Children may have to give up paying jobs in order to provide care to aging parents. Unfortunately, caregiving is usually unpaid work. Parents who want to compensate a child who takes on the burden of caregiving may do so in one Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/7/2008 Alexander A. Bove, Jr., Esq. The Complete Book of Wills, Estates and Trusts. Henry Holt and Company, New York, NY. 2005. 3rd. Ed. 364 pages. $11.56 from Amazon (click on book to order). Everything you ever wanted to know about estate planning is contained in The Complete Book of Wills, Estates, Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/7/2008 A new Web site, seniorDECISION, features consumer ratings and reviews of nursing homes, assisted living, retirement communities, and home health care agencies. The site is a forum for seniors, caregivers, and aging professionals to share opinions on more than 75,000 senior care and housing services nationwide. Unlike many Web sites that Read Full Article