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Which Medicare option is right for you?
Reader Alert: Medicare Advantage and standalone Medicare Part D plans with specific 2025 plan changes and new prescription drug formulary updates should be released on the Medicare.gov website on Oct.1. This column was written before changes were announced.
Hello Toni:
Thank you for teaching us the value of finding the right Medicare option...Read more
Social Security and You: How Your Retirement Benefit Is Figured
I've learned over the years that when it comes to Social Security retirement benefit calculations, there are three kinds of people. There are those who just want to know what their benefit is going to be and don't really care too much about how it's calculated. Then there are those people who want a general idea of how their benefit will be ...Read more
They keep finding — and losing — a granddaughter in the grip of addiction
LOS ANGELES — The search party walked slowly up Alvarado Street by MacArthur Park and turned right onto Wilshire Boulevard, filled with heartbreak and hope.
Barbara Siegman and Michele Wood, mother and daughter, were searching for a 34-year-old named Jackie, who is homeless and addicted to drugs. Jackie is Siegman's granddaughter and Wood's ...Read more
Social Security and You: Rumors About Undocumented Immigrants and Social Security Are Untrue
For years, I've been hearing silly rumors about undocumented immigrants and Social Security. And those rumors seem to have multiplied many times in this election season. Here are several examples.
Q: I've heard on the news that illegal aliens are getting $2,000 per month from Social Security. This is an outrage. I am a born and raised American....Read more
They keep finding -- and losing -- a granddaughter in the grip of addiction
LOS ANGELES — The search party walked slowly up Alvarado Street by MacArthur Park and turned right onto Wilshire Boulevard, filled with heartbreak and hope.
Barbara Siegman and Michele Wood, mother and daughter, were searching for a 34-year-old named Jackie, who is homeless and addicted to drugs. Jackie is Siegman's granddaughter and Wood's ...Read more
Historic numbers of Americans live by themselves as they age
Gerri Norington, 78, never wanted to be on her own as she grew old.
But her first marriage ended in divorce, and her second husband died more than 30 years ago. When a five-year relationship came to a close in 2006, she found herself alone — a situation that has lasted since.
“I miss having a companion who I can talk to and ask ‘How was ...Read more
Historic numbers of Americans live by themselves as they age
Gerri Norington, 78, never wanted to be on her own as she grew old.
But her first marriage ended in divorce, and her second husband died more than 30 years ago. When a five-year relationship came to a close in 2006, she found herself alone — a situation that has lasted since.
“I miss having a companion who I can talk to and ask ‘How was ...Read more
Medicare enrollment rules for Social Security Disability
Dear Toni,
My sister Sally has been qualified for Social Security Disability for the past 24 months, due to having heart issues, and is receiving her Social Security check. Last week, she received a letter saying that she will be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B beginning Nov. 1. She is 64 and her individual health insurance plan ends when ...Read more
Social Security and You: More About the Death of a Spouse
Sometimes I'll include something in a column about a broader topic that I think is just a small, almost insignificant piece of the puzzle. But then that nugget ends up confusing many people, causing them to write to me for clarification.
That happened recently when I wrote about the measly $255 one-time benefit that Social Security pays when ...Read more
Lung cancer screenings save lives, but most people don’t know about them
A significant weapon in the fight against lung cancer may be going to waste, as a survey revealed most Americans aren’t aware it. Annual CT screenings administered to people with a history of smoking can raise the five-year survival rate of lung cancer by 63%, but as few as 38% of people in the U.S. know about it.
“The survey shows that we ...Read more
Where do food cravings come from – and can we stop them?
For some people, it's chocolate. For others, pizza. Or perhaps it's Chinese food, cheeseburgers or fries.
Most people experience food cravings of some type. But where do those cravings come from? And what, if anything, can be done to control them?
Cravings are nothing more than a desire for something that's rewarding, said Dr. Rajita Sinha, a ...Read more
Sports betting has changed. Could it affect your health?
If you've watched a sporting event lately – and especially if you've ever bet on one – odds are you already know how radically sports gambling has changed in recent years.
"It's not even the same world," said Dr. Timothy Fong, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Twenty years ago, if you wanted to legally...Read more
At this new pickleball camp, grown-ups discover their inner child
HUDSON, Wis. — Sure, there are pickleball workshops, lunches in the dining hall, yoga classes and nature hikes. You’ll make friends over s’mores around the fire pit and maybe share a bunkhouse with roommates.
The biggest difference is that you — yes, you, a full-grown adult — are the camper.
“I’m here to find my zen,” Perry ...Read more
Can I use my HSA card to pay my Medicare premium?
Dear Toni,
My Medicare starts Oct. 1 and I received my first bill, due on Sept. 25, about a week ago. This bill is for 3 months (Oct. 1 - Dec. 31) and is over $525. I currently have more than $10,000 on my Health Saving Account (HSA) debit card through my past employer, and I was wondering if Medicare will accept payments made with an HSA ...Read more
Social Security and You: Foreign Pensions and Social Security
I've commented many times before that Social Security is a global phenomenon. Almost every country on the planet has a Social Security system in place for its citizens. (And many countries had social insurance plans long before we got around to implementing our program in 1935.)
In our global economy, it is not uncommon for people to have lived...Read more
Travel Trending: Crystal cruises are exquisite food, impeccable service and a crew that is a cut above
My butler snaps open a white linen cloth and smooths it over the table. He lays out a silver coffee pot, cream pitcher, a selection of sweeteners, salt and pepper shakers and two sets of flatware tucked within folded cloth napkins.
Next come the covered plates of chilled fruit, omelets accompanied by crisp bacon and a stack of blueberry and ...Read more
Will the Social Security data breach affect my Medicare?
Reader Alert: A recent “Social Security Data Breach” has affected 2.9 billion people worldwide. Be cautious if you believe this event could have affected you.
Hello Toni:
I was watching the news and discovered that my Social Security number and personal information could have been stolen through the Social Security Data Breach. This ...Read more
Nutrition programs for older adults face service cuts
WASHINGTON — Programs that feed older, homebound adults are instituting waiting lists amid budget crunches, rising costs of food, growing demand for their services and funding cuts from the government.
Combined with the end of COVID-19 era aid, local groups are finding that they can no longer serve the same number of people, resulting in ...Read more
Social Security and You: When and How To File for Social Security Benefits
There is probably nothing I am asked more often than some version of this question: "When should I file for my Social Security?" But as I've said repeatedly in this column, I am not a financial planner. So I really can't advise you about the best time to start your Social Security benefits. I can tell you that there is no magic or secret formula...Read more
Nutrition programs for older adults face service cuts
WASHINGTON — Programs that feed older, homebound adults are instituting waiting lists amid budget crunches, rising costs of food, growing demand for their services and funding cuts from the government.
Combined with the end of COVID-19 era aid, local groups are finding that they can no longer serve the same number of people, resulting in ...Read more