Monday, July 29, 2024

Balancing a fixed income with inflation, a Georgia retiree feels stuck

Title: Balancing a fixed income with inflation, a Georgia retiree feels stuck

Article Snip: "... Retired and taking care of her husband, Breland has seen rising prices for everything from groceries and utilities to insurance and home maintenance eat into her fixed income. She has also seen her friends struggle with inflation, as well, through the church she volunteers at. ... increasing financial pressure and has been looking to cut her monthly expenses in the face of rising prices for groceries, utilities, insurance and home maintenance. “All the money I will ever have come in is what I have now,” she said."

Reference: www.nbcnews.com
Inflation






How is America Doing Under Kamala Harris and Joe Biden? Not so good! Credit Card Data Identifies The Economic Fail

Title: Credit card balances past due reach highest level since at least 2012: Philly Fed

Article Snip: "percentage of credit card balances past due reached the highest levels since at least 2012. ...New card originations also fell on a Y/Y basis, falling by $3.8B, or 3.6%. Number of accounts fell by 3.4M, or 17%, Q/Q and by 1.3M accounts, or 7.4%, Y/Y.

Mortgage originations bottomed out at a series low at $44.4B and 80,100 accounts in Q1 2024, the study said. However, with the price of houses continuing to climb, the average new loan size rose to $554,450. The median new mortgage size increased 9.6% to $335,000...
"

Reference: www.msn.com






Sunday, July 28, 2024

Alzheimer’s blood test catches 90% of early dementia cases, study finds


Alzheimer’s blood test catches 90% of early dementia cases, study finds


'...One part of the blood test — called plasma phosphorylated tau 217, or p-tau217 for short — is one of several blood biomarkers scientists are evaluating for use in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. ...'


Reference: www.cnn.com
Tags: Plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217),

Saturday, July 27, 2024

There’s a catch in USPS insurance program for Medicare-eligible retirees

Title: There’s a catch in USPS insurance program for Medicare-eligible retirees

Article Snip: "As preparations ramp up to launch a new health insurance program for the Postal Service, the Office of Personnel Management is anticipating the possibility that some USPS annuitants will opt out of Medicare prescription drug coverage without realizing the full consequences. For USPS employees and annuitants, Open Season will look somewhat different this fall. In tandem with the standard open enrollment period for participants in the existing Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program, all USPS employees, annuitants and their family members will have to switch into the new Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) program. ...USPS annuitants who opt out of Medicare Part D will lose underlying prescription drug coverage, according to OPM's regulations. ..."

Reference: federalnewsnetwork.com
Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB),Medicare,Medicare Part D, Drug Coverage, Retirees (Postal),






Sunday, July 21, 2024

Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General Releases Scam Report to Congress

Title: Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General Releases Scam Report to Congress

Article Snip: "...Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released its quarterly Scam Report to Congress. The report provides information about scam trends in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2024 (January 1 — March 31, 2024). “As public servants, we must use every tool at our disposal to raise awareness and protect the American ... To learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones, visit our Protect Yourself from Scams page. If you receive a suspicious call, text, email, social media message, or letter from someone claiming to be from Social Security: ..."

Reference: ssa.gov
Social Security’s Quarterly Scam Report 2024, Social Security,






Thursday, July 18, 2024

Best states in the country for retirees

Title: Best states in the country for retirees

Article Snip: "...Florida remains one of the best states in the country for retirees because of its tax laws overall, according to U.S. News and World Report. “Making the move to Florida comes with multiple tax benefits,” U.S. News reported. ..."

Reference: www.meadvilletribune.com
Best states in the country for retirees






Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Biden Is Starving Retirees On Social Security; Trump Will Help Protect Your Social Security

Title: Trump's new platform pledges to 'end inflation' and maintain the retirement age to receive Social Security and Medicare benefits

Article Snip: "...The platform addresses a range of economic issues, including a pledge to "end inflation" and "make America affordable again." It also says it would preserve Social Security and Medicare benefits without any cuts and not raise the retirement age.

The platform says the GOP would address inflation by ending illegal immigration and lifting restrictions on American energy production, which it says would allow access to more affordable energy. ...
"

Reference: www.businessinsider.com
Social Security Under Trump,Protecting Retirement, Trump 2024,






Monday, July 15, 2024

West Virginia is the most affordable state, study says

Title: West Virginia is the most affordable state, study says

Article Snip: "...CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — If you’re looking for an affordable state to live and buy a home, several recent studies say that West Virginia is your best option in the U.S. A recent report by doxo used the 2024 Cost of Bill Index (COBI) found that West Virginia’s standard cost of living is 25% lower than the national average. ..."

Reference: www.wboy.com
Many Are Moving Out of the Democrat's Expensive & Crime Infested Cities,






Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Federal employee gets conflicting advice on Medicare

Title: Federal employee gets conflicting advice on Medicare

Article Snip: "...Your friends are correct: You should enroll in Medicare Parts A and B when you retire. The rules regarding when and how to enroll in Medicare also apply for federal employees, a change that took place a few years ago. Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) must ..."

Reference: www.reviewjournal.com
Medicare Parts A and B, Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB),Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB),






Monday, July 8, 2024

1 in 4 Americans in their 50s will become 'silver squatters' and need financial support from family in retirement

Title: 1 in 4 Americans in their 50s will become 'silver squatters' and need financial support from family in retirement

Article Snip: "...Few retirees dream of spending their golden years living in their adult kids’ basements or begging family members for money. Unfortunately, that's the harsh reality for a significant number of GenXers, according to Prudential's 2024 Pulse Of The American Retiree Survey...."

Reference: yahoo.com
Silver Squatters,






Sunday, July 7, 2024

When You And Your Spouse Meet While Partying

Title: When You And Your Spouse Meet While Partying

Article Snip: "The most common is when one partner stops wanting to party so hard and the other still does. ...the partner who isn’t ready to give up constant socializing or getting drunk at work happy hours will really frustrate the partner who is ready to transition to a more stable life...Another issue that can plague couples who primarily spent time together when drunk/partying is a difference in sexual desire. When low libido people are drinking or using drugs, their libido may be artificially inflated and their inhibitions are much lower. ...If this resonates with you, read the memoir Smashed. The author talks about how she was thought to be, and felt internally, much younger than her age because she had only really learned to socialize when drunk. When she stopped drinking, she realized she had lost years of social development and was basically frozen at the age that she was when she started binge drinking, which was early adolescence. When you don’t learn to talk to others when sober at a younger age, you need to learn this later on."

Reference: www.drpsychmom.com
Couples who deal with issues like these can often benefit a great deal from couples counseling.,






The big problem with couples retiring at different times?

Title: The big problem with couples retiring at different times?

Article Snip: "...The big trouble, however, is with couples retiring at different times — and how it impacts long-term financial security. More than half of American households do not retire all at once if you count individuals working in retirement and spouses retiring at different times. ...The result is that 6 in 10 couples “experience spending volatility at the beginning of retirement ..."

Reference: finance.yahoo.com
Finances in Retirement, Big Spending Partners vs. Financially Responsible Partners,






Saturday, July 6, 2024

The disability benefits application process just got a little easier thanks to SSA adjustments

Title: The disability benefits application process just got a little easier thanks to SSA adjustments

Article Snip: "The Social Security Administration (SSA) is adjusting its evaluation process to help Americans with disabilities more easily access the benefits they need. Typically, when an individual becomes disabled, the SSA offers benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. ..."

Reference: www.foxbusiness.com
disability benefits application






Thursday, July 4, 2024

I Used to Think It Was Possible to Retire on Social Security Alone. Here's Why That's Definitely No Longer My Plan.

Title: I Used to Think It Was Possible to Retire on Social Security Alone. Here's Why That's Definitely No Longer My Plan.

Article Snip: "I can admit that there was a time when I thought it was possible for a person to retire comfortably on Social Security without any other source of funds. ...But relying on Social Security alone to cover your budget in retirement is a horribly bad mistake. And I'm grateful that I learned that years ago so I could switch gears on my long-term financial planning. My new game plan Even though I've only been writing about Social Security for about 10 years now..."

Reference: www.aol.com
Retire on Social Security, Destruction of Retirees,






Monday, July 1, 2024

Biden’s Medicare Advantage Cuts May Come Back To Haunt Him

Title: Biden’s Medicare Advantage Cuts May Come Back To Haunt Him

Article Snip: "President Joe Biden’s move in April to cut Medicare Advantage benefits for seniors may come back to haunt him. ...The Biden administration in April finalized plans to cut MA benefits, which experts said could lead to an additional $33 a month for out-of-pocket costs, or $396 a year, for enrollees. Critics of the cuts said they would be especially devastating to seniors living on fixed incomes who are already coping with ongoing inflation issues. ..."

Reference: dallasexpress.com
Biden Destroys Retirees, Medicare,