Jan 28 Can expats take their Medicare abroad? By Philip Moeller Medicare recipients can keep Part A and Part B while living outside the United States, as long as they continue to pay their monthly Part B premiums. Maintaining Medicare drug coverage abroad, however, is a lot trickier. Making Sen$e Medicare… Continue reading
Jan 26 How can Uncle Sam keep our unused Social Security benefits? By Laurence Kotlikoff Once a person dies, the Social Security benefits to which he or she was entitled when alive do not automatically go to their survivors. Some readers think that's unfair. But as Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff explains, Social Security works… Continue reading
Jan 23 Social Security's Christmas present: Benefit cuts for millions of disabled workers By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff highlights a recent change in Social Security's operating manual that, while seemingly obscure, hurts millions of Americans who receive disability benefits. In effect, Kotlikoff argues, Social Security is now treating people with disabilities as second… Continue reading
Jan 21 Thanks, but no thanks, Medicare, for the love By Philip Moeller Why does it seem like health insurance providers are attuned to your physical and emotional health -- tracking your medications, urging you to get certain tests, even sending you holiday cards -- until something goes wrong and you really need… Continue reading
Jan 14 What older workers need to know about the hybrid health care world By Philip Moeller Making Sen$e Medicare Maven Phil Moeller helps readers navigate the different health care combinations now available to so many workers staying on the job past age 65. Continue reading
Jan 12 How many husbands' Social Security benefits can you collect? By Laurence Kotlikoff If you're one of the millions of Americans who have been married multiple times, you may be eligible to collect benefits from ex-spouses, deceased spouses and current spouses, but never at the same time, explains Social Security expert Larry Kotlikoff. Continue reading
Jan 07 Getting your hands around slithery COBRA coverage By Philip Moeller Workers who lose their jobs may have the option of continuing their employer group health insurance for a limited time under what's known as COBRA. But how does that coverage interact with Medicare and the Affordable Care Act? Making Sen$e… Continue reading
Jan 06 Social Security 101: Don't count on dying on time By Laurence Kotlikoff Just because your parents didn't live beyond a certain age, doesn't mean that you shouldn't plan on doing so, either. The assumption that you'll need more money later for retirement should guide all of your Social Security collection decisions, especially… Continue reading
Dec 29 Are more FICA taxes worth it? Social Security as longevity insurance By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security benefits are inflation indexed and continue until you die. There is nothing like them that you can buy on the insurance market, says Larry Kotlikoff. That's why paying more FICA taxes, often by working longer, may pay off… Continue reading
Dec 23 Will Social Security count my big earnings if I lose my job before 66? By Laurence Kotlikoff If you lose your high-paying job before full retirement age, you don't lose Social Security benefits you've already paid for, says expert Larry Kotlikoff. What you might miss out on, though, is an opportunity to raise your lifetime benefits even… Continue reading