It’s a huge cost hidden in plain sight, and every year it sucks an average of nearly $2,500 out of the pocket of every American. What’s this multi-billion-dollar cash drain? It’s useless medical overhead caused by our wasteful medical system. According to this just-published article from Reuters, written by reporter Linda Carroll, a new study…
It’s hardly news that the U.S. is suffering from a shortage of geriatricians – physicians who are board-certified experts in the health care needs of seniors. We’ve been reporting on this problem on the AgingOptions blog for many years, as this 2016 article will attest. Now comes this recent New York Times article on the…
Here’s a question: if you’ve made it clear in your will which of your heirs should inherit money from your estate, how it is possible that those funds will end up going to someone else? The answer is simple: if you’ve forgotten to update the beneficiary information on a life insurance policy, retirement plan, or…
Here on the AgingOptions blog, we’ve written thousands of words about aging in place. Everyone seems to agree that growing old in one’s own home is the preferred plan for the vast majority of American seniors, and with good reason: “home” represents familiarity, security, comfort, and support. Even though many if not most U.S. houses…
A study of more than 1 million women in Great Britain has shown a significant link between obesity in middle age and later development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. That’s according to this article from the HealthDay website published just a few weeks ago. The article, written by reporter Dennis Thompson, provides…
Dying is a touchy subject, it’s true, but there’s one aspect of life’s end on which almost everyone seems to agree. When people are asked where they would prefer to end their lives, the number one answer is always the same: “at home.” Yet since the 1950s, people have been far more likely to pass…
A study published last year by the Society of Actuaries shed light on a subject that should be of concern to retirees, according to this 2018 Money magazine article. While many retirees manage their day-to-day budgeting fairly well, a significant percentage are completely unprepared for financial emergencies, and when an unplanned expense comes along, they…
There’s something compelling about the idea of making New Year’s resolutions, isn’t there? With the turning of the calendar just a few days from now, a brand-new year will begin, unmarred by past mistakes, filled with promise and opportunity. Most of us will pause sometime during this coming week, reflecting on some of the poor…
Congress recently passed a new piece of legislation known as the SECURE Act (yes, it’s an acronym – we’ll explain in a moment) and President Trump signed it into law just days ago as part of the federal government’s new spending bill. One article we read called it “the most sweeping retirement bill since the…
Is financial planning all there is to preparing for retirement? As an AgingOptions blog reader and radio listener, you know the answer is, “Of course not.” Yet the way many people behave, you would think all you need to retire successfully is a pile of money. The truth is, we know many who have retired…