Jul 2, 2026
As you might guess, I get plenty of questions from family, friends and readers about how to sign up for Medicare. In these conversations, I’m always struck by the complexity of the Medicare program – and the challenging task of transitioning to it from other...
Jan 5, 2026
More people are saving for retirement than ever before – and they’re saving more. But health care costs in retirement are soaring, and and poverty rates among older Americans are rising for the first time in decades. The competing trends sum up the state of...
Dec 15, 2025
Many older Americans have a simple plan for paying for retirement: keep working longer, or never stop working at all. But for a large share of workers, that plan falls apart. About 40% of people who are employed end up leaving their jobs earlier than expected, often...
Oct 6, 2025
The White House has insisted that the “one big beautiful bill” does not touch Medicare benefits. And it’s true that no standard Medicare benefits are reduced or eliminated under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). But largely unnoticed is an OBBBA...
Nov 4, 2024
Some big, positive changes are coming to Medicare next year. The program’s prescription drug insurance will be much stronger — and easier to understand — as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. But the changes make it all the more important to review your...
Feb 15, 2024
Medicare requires that nearly all workers sign up for the program during a seven-month Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) that includes the three months before, the month of, and the three months following their 65th birthday. If you are already receiving Social Security...
