Written by Minerva Landon Every year, Medicare rates go up, and so the brackets for the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, or IRMAA, also change. Knowing the IRMAA brackets is important because if you make a certain amount, you could end up paying more for Medicare. While the IRMAA brackets are not out for 2023 yet,…

Written by Lori Hong Screens are a big part of our lives. They’re here to stay and the use of them is only growing: in fact, it’s estimated that by 2025, US households will have an average of 20 connected devices. And while there are a lot of good things about being so connected, there…

Written by Minerva Landon Have you ever seen commercials for flex cards for Medicare beneficiaries? These cards are advertised every year around the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs from October 15th to December 7th, and are touted as a great benefit for seniors. So if you’ve seen these ads, you might be wondering what flex…

Written by Minerva Landon When it comes to your health insurance, Open Enrollment is the most important time of the year. This is the time that you’ll be able to change your plan, or enroll in a new one that better suits your needs and saves you money. So you have to know when the…

Written by Minerva Landon Sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, is every parent’s worst nightmare. This occurrence, defined as the unexpected death of a healthy baby under a year old (usually in their sleep) is responsible for around 3,400 deaths each year. For many new parents, this terrifying possibility often means staying up all night…

Written by Lori Hong When it comes to physical health, exercise is rightfully one of the first things people think of.  But most people think “getting in shape” just means vigorous activities like running or weightlifting. After all, “gentler” forms of exercise like stretching won’t give you a smaller waistline or bigger biceps, and if…

Written by Minerva Landon So you’ve finally decided to get a life insurance policy? Good choice! But now that you’ve applied for a policy, are you worried about the time it will take for your policy to go into effect? Don’t worry, you do have an option for immediate coverage: temporary life insurance. Find out…

Written by Minerva Landon Life insurance comes in many different shapes and sizes, so there’s always a policy that will meet your needs. But how do you know what type of policy is right for you? For example, should you go for a more temporary type of life insurance policy, like term life, which you…

Written by Minerva Landon The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is back, which means it’s time for you to see if there is a Medicare option that better suits your needs and budget. From October 15th to December 7th each year is the only time you can make changes to your Medicare coverage, so make sure…

Written by Minerva Landon People are often unaware that, when they die, their estate can include the death benefit of their policy (depending on the policy’s value) because of tax laws. This means their beneficiaries will have to pay estate taxes on their death benefits. But setting up an irrevocable life insurance trust, often referred…

Written by Lori Hong October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. 1 in 4 women are affected by pregnancy or infant loss, meaning there is a good chance someone you know has gone through the terrible tragedy of miscarriage, stillbirth, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or other death of an infant. While the loss…

Written by Minerva Landon When you apply for a life insurance policy, in most cases the insurer will dive into your background, looking at things like your driving record, your medical records, and even your hobbies. They do this to determine how much of a risk you will be for them to insure you. But…

Written by Lori Hong Boo! It’s that time of year again, when store shelves are stacked with delicious chocolate and sugary candy, staring you right in the face every time you walk through the doors. You’ve been good all year, and have avoided the candy section, but there’s no escaping it now, since every section…

Written by Minerva Landon If you are new to the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), which begins October 15th and ends December 7th, it might seem overwhelming or confusing at first. But it’s important to take the time to compare your options during this enrollment period, otherwise you’ll most likely be leaving money on the…

Written by Minerva Landon If you are new to Medicare, then you probably have not heard of the 8 Minute Medicare rule. It is a phrase that many Medicare beneficiaries come across, but do not know exactly what it means or pertains to. If you are a seasoned Medicare beneficiary, then you might be familiar…

Written by Joanna Bowling Small businesses have not had it easy over the last few years. First, we had a pandemic that disrupted the way we all lived, worked, and did business - and now? Well, now we have the beast that is inflation. You’ve probably been feeling the effects of inflation for a while…

Written by Minerva Landon Unfortunately, the sad reality is that scammers often target older adults, and right now Medicare scams in particular are on the rise. Medicare scammers try to confuse older adults, using deceptive tactics to lure them into sharing their information, like their Medicare number. Knowing what to look out for, and what…

Written by Joanna Bowling October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it still feels very much like we need this time to highlight the serious problem of violence within intimate relationships. But one thing we can say about the 2020s is that, at the very least, we now recognize that domestic violence is a violent,…