Article Category General Articles Page 15

  Last Updated: 12/8/2009 4:20:35 PM Most of the discussion about health reform has centered around issues like the “public option” and abortion restrictions. But buried in both the House and Senate reform bills are important provisions that would make long-term care more affordable, help the elderly and disabled remain at home rather than move Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 11/25/2009 11:32:36 AM Carolyn Rosenblatt. The Boomer’s Guide to Aging Parents. AgingParents.com. 2009. 262 pages. $39.99 (click on book to order) As members of the boomer generation become caretakers for their parents, more and more guides are popping up. The Boomer’s Guide to Aging Parents provides practical information on topics that aren’t Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 12/8/2009 4:27:24 PM As the New Year approaches, taxpayers around the nation are thinking about making gifts or other financial moves before January 1 that will benefit them come April 15, 2010. Here are some year-end considerations of particular interest to seniors. A Reprieve on RMDs Last year, as the stock market Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 11/12/2009 11:17:25 AM For the first time since 1989, when a law was enacted protecting the spouses of institutionalized Medicaid recipients from impoverishment, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is not raising its guidelines for how much money the husbands or wives of institutionalized Medicaid recipients may keep. With no Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 9/28/2009 3:07:12 PM A proposal to establish a new national long-term care insurance program that would offer basic help to the elderly and disabled is under attack by the insurance industry. Although the proposed program is still included in major health reform bills in both the House and Senate, it is unclear Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 9/28/2009 5:51:06 PM Caring for a family member is hard work, and without support, caregivers can easily get burnt out or overwhelmed. However, there is help available for caregivers if they know where to look. The National Family Caregiver Support Program is a federal initiative that provides money to states to fund Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 9/28/2009 10:35:50 AM Don Silver. A Parent’s Guide to Wills & Trusts: For Grandparents, Too. Adams-Hall Publishing. Los Angeles, CA. 2008. 248 pages. $19.95 from Amazon (click on book to order) Getting started on an estate plan can be overwhelming. A Parent’s Guide to Wills & Trusts is an easy-to-understand overview of Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 9/28/2009 10:44:54 AM Trust protectors — long popular in offshore trusts set up by high rollers — are now gaining popularity in trusts established here in the U.S. by less affluent folks. A trust protector is someone who is appointed to watch over a trust that will be in effect for a Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 9/11/2009 3:25:21 PM Tax-free college savings plans and prepaid tuition programs — so-called 529 plans — can be used to buy computer equipment and services for an eligible student during 2009 and 2010. The change was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), aka the Stimulus Bill, enacted earlier this Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 10/23/2009 10:48:02 AM After not rising last year, the basic premium for Medicare Part B will shoot up 15 percent to $110.50 a month in 2010 from $96.40 in 2008 and 2009. But most beneficiaries will be exempted from paying this increase. Whether the rest will be able to avoid it as Read Full Article