De-risking is the idea that employers with underfunded defined pension plans (such as Ford and General Motors) can reduce their risk exposure by offering employees the option to convert their plan into a lump sum payout. The concept sounds good for business but is it good for you? Jay Sushelsky, a Senior Attorney at the…
It’s important to recognize that not all state laws comport with federal laws and when they do not, it takes a lawyer to get the state back on the right track. A case in point, in 2011, Minnesota passed a law reducing the pay of relative personal care attendants (PCA) to 80 percent of non-relative…
Surely if there are best times to claim Social Security, there must also be worst times and that’s exactly what William Meyer, the author of “Social Security Strategies” claims. He calls those periods of time that you absolutely should avoid applying for benefits rat holes. Surprisingly, Meyer considers 66 years of age to be the…
In the past two weeks Americans have spent more time decrying the supposed death of Twinkies than we have decrying what impacts making products such as Twinkies a part of our regular lives has on our ability to cash in on our greatest asset–our health. We are all living longer but so far we aren’t…
Rajiv Nagaich talks about Concierge medicine a lot on his Saturday morning radio program. Mostly he talks about how people can be much more proactive about an individual’s health by hiring a doctor that isn’t controlled by insurance companies. Concierge doctors don’t wait until you have a heart attack or stroke before ordering tests. They’re available…
Everyone gets targeted by scammers, but scammers target each group differently. Seniors are vulnerable to scams because a larger percentage of seniors are not computer savvy. Scammers are not targeting the 92 year old who makes a living on e-Bay and can program a computer in his sleep. They are targeting the large number of…
Your financial health directly impacts your overall health and is one of the leading causes of stress in America. There are steps you need to take on a regular basis to protect yourself from financial exploitation to stay healthy both financially and physically. If you have access to your banking or credit card information online,…
The Social Security Administration is expanding a program to fast-track disability claims for individuals with serious illnesses such as Lou Gehrig’s disease or early-onset Alzheimer’s. These claims used to take months or even years to process. The program will expand Dec. 6, to include a total of 200 diseases and conditions that with proper documentation…
Only about 10 percent of all legal cases are reversed according to Ruggero Aldisert, a federal appeals judge. Even worse, an appeal over social security disability benefits wins in only 2 percent to 3 percent of cases. So you might think it likely that Medicare appeals would also have low rates for reversal but not…
Under the 2010 Affordable Care Act many preventive screenings and treatments are covered even for those individuals with high deductible insurance plans. High deductible plans were created to encourage consumers to make better educated decisions about their health care expenses but consumers get confused. According to research by Kaiser Health News, many consumers with high…
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