The financial news that actually matters
When a scammer talks an older adult into wiring money or emptying an account, the transaction itself is usually the last chance to stop the loss. Two simple, free account settings can create a pause at exactly that moment: naming a trusted contact and turning on alerts for large transactions. Neither hands anyone control over…
Prescription costs are one of the sharpest pressures on a retiree’s budget, and for lower-income households the strain can force hard choices between medicine and other necessities. Medicare runs a program built precisely for that situation, and it is one of the most valuable benefits many eligible people have never heard of. Called Extra Help,…
Somewhere in a state government database may sit a forgotten paycheck, an old security deposit, a dormant bank balance, or an insurance refund that was never delivered. Across the country, states are holding billions of dollars in what is formally called unclaimed property, money that belongs to ordinary people but lost its way when someone…
Among the tools available to guard a retiree’s finances, one of the most effective costs nothing and takes only a few phone calls or online forms. A credit freeze locks down access to a person’s credit file so that no new loan or credit card can be opened in their name, which is the exact…
Most retirees expect to pay a standard Medicare premium and leave it at that. But for higher-income households, Medicare tacks on an extra charge with an unfamiliar name and a real bite. It is called the income-related monthly adjustment amount, or IRMAA, and at the top of its scale it can add hundreds of dollars…
The price of a steak or a package of ground beef has become one of the more painful lines on a grocery receipt, and the reason runs deeper than a temporary blip. The nation’s cattle supply has thinned to a level not seen in generations, and federal forecasters expect the cost of beef to keep…
A paid-off home is the asset most older Americans intend to leave behind, the one piece of wealth that passes to the next generation. Yet for families who relied on Medicaid to cover the enormous cost of nursing-home or long-term care, that house can become the very thing the government comes after. Federal law requires…
The retreat from Medicare Advantage that began last year is widening, and the 2027 plan season is shaping up as one of the most disruptive in memory for older Americans. At least four major insurers are trimming plans, exiting counties, or dropping large blocks of members for next year, and they are pointing to the…
A long-running legal fight over Pfizer’s prescription anti-smoking drug Chantix has produced a $44 million settlement, and the people who paid for the medication out of pocket have only a few weeks left to claim their share. The deadline to file falls on September 14, 2026, and anyone who bought Chantix during the covered years…
Roughly eight million borrowers enrolled in a federal repayment plan that promised lower monthly bills are being told that plan is over. The Saving on a Valuable Education plan, known as SAVE, has been struck down in court, and borrowers now face a choice: move to a new repayment plan or be shifted automatically into…