Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Remain wary of mail following white powder reports

Title: Remain wary of mail following white powder reports

Article Snip: "On Monday, June 19, Kansas Republican leaders say that while there has been a small amount of good news to come out of the investigation into more than 100 letters that contained white powder mailed to elected officials in the Sunflower State, the week has certainly been stressful. “At this point, it appears over 100 elected state and legislative officials have received threatening letters filled with a suspicious powdery substance,” said the legislators. “Thankfully, the KDHE is saying the substance is presumptively negative for any biologicals.” Kansans have been urged to remain vigilant and cautious as they open their mail..."

Reference: www.msn.com
Attacks on Republicans,






Monday, June 19, 2023

Your Roth 401(k) Is About to Become a Much Better Retirement Plan

Title: Your Roth 401(k) Is About to Become a Much Better Retirement Plan

Article Snip: "...Before this change, Roth IRAs were the only retirement-focused accounts that both allowed for tax-free withdrawals in retirement and let you keep your entire balance in the account throughout your life. For higher earners, getting money into a Roth IRA is a bit more complicated than getting it into a Roth 401(k), due to income limits on direct Roth IRA contributions. That can make it more challenging for many people to build a nest egg inside a Roth IRA. Now that Roth 401(k) plans will soon be exempt from those RMDs, it becomes possible to build that lifelong source of tax-free retirement cash without going through an IRA...."

Reference: www.fool.com
Retirement Financial Planning,ROTH,401(k),






Sunday, June 18, 2023

Federal Employee Pay Lookup

Title: Federal Employee Pay Lookup

Article Snip: "...Information available through this dataset may include name, job title, duty station, and salary for most Federal civilian employees. Some individual's names have been withheld by the OPM or specific agencies for security reasons. While FederalPay attempts to provide this dataset as a public service, exactly as provided by the OPM, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the results provided. ..."

Reference: www.federalpay.org
Federal Employee Pay Lookup






Monday, June 12, 2023

Traditional Medicare vs Medicare Advantage

Title: Traditional Medicare vs Medicare Advantage

Article Snip: "......the federal government reported that 13% of denials in Medicare Advantage would not have been refused under traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans are also increasingly ending nursing home and rehabilitation care before providers consider patients ready to go home...."

Reference: Federal Retirement
Traditional Medicare vs Medicare Advantage






Thursday, June 8, 2023

Why are Postal retirees being forced out of FEHB?

Title: Big Medicare Changes Coming For Postal Service Retirees

Article Snip: "...money is likely the driving force. ...this change could save the Postal Service $5.6 billion through 2031 while adding $5.5 billion in costs to Medicare during that span...For those who retire before April 2024, they can either enroll in Part B right away or pay attention and watch for more information about the SEP. My former client’s wife decided to continue with her current FEHB plan and enroll in Medicare Part A, hospital insurance. (This is premium-free and those who want to receive Social Security retirement benefits must be enrolled. It is a condition of receiving benefits.)"

Reference: www.forbes.com
Medicare Special Enrollment Periods (SEP),






Saturday, June 3, 2023

The great unretirement! How droves of employees are now being forced BACK to the workplace as inflation hammers their savings - here's what to know before you quit work

Title: The great unretirement! How droves of employees are now being forced BACK to the workplace as inflation hammers their savings - here's what to know before you quit work

Article Snip: "An estimated 1.5 million retirees re-entered the labor market in the year up to May 2022, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by Indeed economist Nick Bunker for The Washington Post. This is a reversal of the trend which saw millions of people fleeing the workforce during and following the Covid-19 pandemic. And according to a study by payroll services company Paychex this year, one in six retired Americans are now considering going back to work. ..."

Reference: www.dailymail.co.uk
Retirement under Democrats,Inflation 2023,Biden Legacy,Biden Economy 2023,






Friday, June 2, 2023

Medicare will continue to restrict coverage of a new class of Alzheimer’s drugs, even when fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Title: Medicare won’t change coverage policy for pricey Alzheimer’s drugs

Article Snip: "Currently, Medicare coverage is even stricter, as the agency will only pay for the drugs if a patient receives them through a clinical trial. The treatments in question are monoclonal antibody infusions that target brain plaque known as amyloid that’s a signature characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. The drugs are intended for early stage Alzheimer’s patients and are meant to slow the progression of memory loss, but are not a cure. They are costly, and there are only two: Eisai’s Leqembi and Biogen’s Aduhelm. Both were granted accelerated approval by FDA..."

Reference: www.yahoo.com
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)





Thursday, May 18, 2023

How your ex will know if you've been stalking their Facebook: Embarrassing glitch exposes snoopers - how to see if you've been busted

Title: How your ex will know if you've been stalking their Facebook: Embarrassing glitch exposes snoopers - how to see if you've been busted

Article Snip: "The bug sent automatic friend requests to any profiles people had viewed, leaving users scrambling to cancel them as quickly as possible. ...if you're still worried you've been affected by the technical defect, head to facebook.com/friends. From here, click 'Friend Requests' in the left-hand tab followed by 'View send requests' to review the pending requests. "

Reference: www.dailymail.co.uk
Facebook Busted You!






Wednesday, May 17, 2023

NOVOS Face Age Test | How Old Do I Look?

Title: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence To Visually Measure Your Facial Age

Article Snip: "NOVOS’ algorithms are based on Deep Learning and mimic human perception of aging. The algorithm has been trained on 12 million images and validated by human dermatological experts. This service is free as part of NOVOS being a Public Benefit Corporation, and does not require an app download.

Although accurate in most cases, it’s not perfect. Lighting conditions, camera quality, camera angle, lack of sleep, dehydration and other variables can impact your scores.

Your face should be centered similarly to how the model in the example below is shown. Make sure it is well lit from the front. Move hair back as applicable, remove any glasses, extensive make-up or mask. ...TAKE THE TEST NOW

"

Reference: novoslabs.com
NOVOS Face Age Test





Monday, March 27, 2023

15 Cheapest States to Live In

Title: 15 Cheapest States to Live In

Article Snip: "...The rise in inflation over the last year has led many Americans to consider shifting to states with a lower cost of living. The annual inflation rate rose to 9.1% in June 2022 to its highest level since the 1980s. To combat the raging inflation, the US Federal Reserve has already raised the benchmark interest rates...a significant number of Americans migrated out of states such as New York, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Meanwhile..."

Reference: yahoo.com
Inflation 2023,Less Expensive States to Live ,




Senior living industry tells federal lawmakers of ‘unprecedented’ financial issues

Title: Senior living industry tells federal lawmakers of ‘unprecedented’ financial issues

Article Snip: "...Collectively, senior living providers incurred more than $30 billion in expenses, including gowns, gloves, masks and other infection prevention and control supplies; wage pressures; higher recruiting and retention costs; and regulatory, licensing and employee certification costs, Elehwany said. “Because of supply chain disruptions and exponential demand for personal protective equipment, costs became exorbitant..."

Reference: www.mcknightsseniorliving.com
Senior living industry




Tuesday, March 21, 2023

New York tops list of least affordable states to retire in

Title: New York tops list of least affordable states to retire in

Article Snip: "The Empire State ranked at the very bottom in terms of affordability, and 46th overall when factoring in quality of life and healthcare, according to a report by WalletHub comparing all 50 states. ...The report noted that even with $1 million in retirement savings, the average person would only be able to cover about 14 years of expenses. “Retirees must evaluate the burden of state and local taxes when making their residential decisions..."

Reference: nypost.com
Worst states to retire in,New York,Least affordable states to retire in,






Sunday, March 19, 2023

Riots erupt in France over retirement age increase

Title: Riots erupt in France over retirement age increase

Article Snip: "Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne of France invoked a special constitutional power to avoid having the lower assembly vote on the pension reform bill Thursday. ...The protests stemmed from Macron’s attempt to raise the age to receive a full pension following retirement in the country from 62 to 64 years old by invoking special constitutional powers that allow him to skirt the national assembly..."

Reference: www.foxbusiness.com
France, Destruction of Seniors, Working Until You Die, Retirement is for the Wealthy Not You,






How to Build a CD Ladder for Retirement

Title: How to Build a CD Ladder for Retirement

Article Snip: "...Retirees often give certificates of deposit short shrift, and that’s unfortunate. Leveraged properly, CDs can give people living on a fixed income the one financial necessity they need in retirement: a reliable income stream with low relative risk. That’s especially true with CD laddering – Wall Street’s way of building a reliable interest rate-return staircase in their golden years...."

Reference: usnews.com
Finances, CD's,

Saturday, March 18, 2023

The Pros and Cons of a Credit Union Versus a Bank

Title: The Pros and Cons of a Credit Union Versus a Bank

Article Snip: "Credit unions can offer higher savings rates compared with traditional banks. ...The main difference between a bank and a credit union is that a bank is a for-profit financial institution, while a credit union is a nonprofit. ...Credit unions are insured by the federal National Credit Union Administration, which provides the same protections that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation applies to banks – insurance coverage on deposits up to $250,000. NCUA's website allows credit union members to check on their insurance coverage; the agency also recommends checking for a prominently displayed sign at the credit union that says it is NCUA-insured."

Reference: usnews.com
National Credit Union Administration (NCUA),


Friday, March 17, 2023

Long-term care pause | Two-year freeze on applications

  Long-term care pause | Two-year freeze on applications

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has paused all new applications for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program.

Unenrolled individuals cannot apply for the program.

The suspension period, which will run for 24 months from Dec. 19, 2022, is designed to give OPM and the John Hancock Life and Health Insurance Co., the program’s carrier, “time to thoroughly assess benefit offerings and establish sustainable premium rates that reasonably and equitably reflect the cost of the benefits provided,” according to the suspension notice on the program’s website.

Current enrollees’ coverage will not change as long as they continue to pay their premiums. However, current enrollees may not increase coverage.

Those who applied for the program before the cutoff date will have their application considered and, if approved, will receive all relevant information.

For those in claims status, there is no change to coverage or claims reimbursement as long as benefits have not been exhausted.

For more information on the suspension, call LTCFEDS at 800-582-3337. For other benefits-related questions, contact the Wellness team.

Reference: USPS News Link via NPMHU Local 317 - Alabama



Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Don't even think about retiring until you have these 3 things completely paid off — your mortgage isn't one of them

Title: Don't even think about retiring until you have these 3 things completely paid off — your mortgage isn't one of them

Article Snip: "'Hold onto your money': Jeff Bezos issued a financial warning, says you might want to rethink buying a 'new automobile, refrigerator, or whatever' — here are 3 better recession-proof buys. ...Here are the three loans Americans must pay off before even considering retirement..."

Reference: moneywise.com

Monday, March 13, 2023

Biden attempts to comfort citizens over U.S. financial collapse

Title: Biden Urges Confidence in US Banks After Collapse

Article Snip: "...President Joe Biden on Monday assured Americans that the nation’s financial systems are sound, following the swift and stunning collapse of two banks that prompted fears of a broader upheaval. “Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe..."

Reference: www.newsmax.com
U.S. financial collapse,Biden Legacy,Run on Banks,Biden Economy 2023,


Saturday, March 11, 2023

There are 10 types of Medicare Supplement Insurance plans)

Title:

Article Snip: "There are 10 types of Medicare Supplement Insurance plans, each designated by a letter of the alphabet (you can find details about all 10 plans at Medicare.gov)...Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, Plan F*, Plan G*, Plan K, Plan L, Plan M, Plan N..."

Reference: www.medicare.gov
10 types of Medicare Supplement Insurance plans


Compare Original Medicare & Medicare Advantage

Title: Compare Original Medicare & Medicare Advantage

Article Snip: "Consider these things when deciding between Original Medicare and a Medicare Advantage Plan for your health coverage. ...if you choose a Medicare Advantage plan, you may not be able to switch back later to Original Medicare with a Medigap plan. “It doesn’t mean you can’t switch, and I’ve had people be able to switch,” “But it’s certainly not guaranteed, and in many parts of the country it would be impossible.”.."

Reference: www.medicare.gov
Original Medicare vs Medicare Advantage