Article Category General Articles Page 21

  Last Updated: 4/1/2009 A new report by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College finds that nearly two-thirds of U.S. households are at risk of being unable to maintain their standard of living in retirement when possible long-term care costs are taken into consideration. The report, “Long-Term Care Costs and the National Retirement Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 12/20/2008 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has unveiled a one- to five-star rating system for nursing homes to help consumers evaluate a nursing home’s quality when selecting a facility. The ratings appear on the agency’s Nursing Home Compare Web site. A five-star designation means the facility ranks “much above Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 4/6/2009 As the economy worsens, incidences of elder financial abuse are reportedly on the rise. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to scams or to financial abuse by family members in need of money. A recent study found that up to one million older Americans may be targeted yearly. Family members and caregivers Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 12/5/2008 Conseco Inc., a major long-term care insurer, has transferred more than 140,000 of its policies to an independent trust set up by Pennsylvania, putting the policyholders at risk. Conseco moved its Senior Health Insurance Co. long-term-care policies, which were underpriced, to a new state-supervised nonprofit trust, Senior Health Insurance Co. of Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 2/19/2009 April 15th is approaching and it is time to begin crossing T’s and dotting I’s in preparation for paying taxes. As tax time draws near, you want to make sure you file all the proper forms and take all deductions you’re entitled to. Following are some things to keep in mind Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 2/26/2009 We all know we are supposed to do estate planning, but not all of us get around to it. (If you are among the many who haven’t gotten around to it, see our current home page survey.) So what happens if you don’t have a will when you die? Your estate Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 4/14/2009 Once you become eligible for Medicare, you will be inundated with offers from insurance companies for Medigap (supplemental insurance) policies. Sorting through these offers can be confusing. Not only are there 12 standardized plans, but there can be huge differences in premiums between companies. Medicare plans A and B cover only Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 2/2/2009 A new Supreme Court decision illustrates the importance of making sure your beneficiary designations are up-to-date. The Court has unanimously ruled that an employer must distribute a deceased employee’s retirement benefits to his ex-wife even though she had renounced the benefits in their divorce. Kennedy v. Plan Administrator for DuPont Sav. Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 2/27/2009 John West. The Last Goodnights: Assisting My Parents with Their Suicides. Counterpoint. 2009. 272 pages. $16.50 from Amazon (click on book to order) What would you do if both your parents asked you to assist them with their suicides within the same year? This unthinkable dilemma is exactly what John West Read Full Article

  Last Updated: 6/8/2009 4:40:07 PM After almost a decade of changes in the federal estate tax code, and many states changing their tax structure in response to the federal changes, clarity appears to be on the horizon. Congress&#039s recently passed budget resolution would make the current estate tax rules permanent, taxing only estates over Read Full Article