Insurance
Who Should Not Choose a High Deductible Health Plan
If you are in the midst of your employer’s open enrollment period to sign up for next year’s benefits, or your household is dealing with a layoff, I want to make sure you choose the right health insur
Life Insurance 101
If there is anyone in your life who relies on your income, you need life insurance. That obviously includes any young children and your spouse.
Workplace Benefits: Your To Do List for 2020
Fall is typically when employers announce any benefit plan changes for the coming year and ask employees to review their coverage and request any coverage changes.
Open Enrollment: Your Must-Do Review
This is the time of year when employers let workers make changes to their benefit plans. I know many of you don’t bother to review, and just keep everything the same.
Life insurance made easy. (Promise!)
I have had such a great time sharing my newly revised Women & Money with so many of you over the past few weeks. As always, my favorite part of being out on the road is not the talking…but the lis
One in Four Homeowners Dangerously Underinsured.
For those of you who own your home, it’s likely your largest investment/asset.
Long-Term Care Planning--One Size Does Not Fit All
Shopping for long-term care insurance today is starting to feel like walking into the biggest shoe store you have ever seen and figuring out where to start
Two Insurance Mistakes Homeowners Can’t Afford to Make
With home values rising more than 40 percent from their lows during the financial crisis, a home is an increasingly valuable asset. For many of you, I know it is your biggest asset.
How to Make More than $400 in 15 Minutes
If you have spent more than three minutes watching broadcast television, you’re well aware that insurance companies are eager to get your business. But despite all those commercials, the reality is that many drivers aren’t shopping around for the best auto insurance deal.
3 Key Financial Steps for Stay At Home Parents
When you and your partner make the decision for one of you to be a stay-at-home parent, the tendency is to center all the financial decisions on the person who is still earning an income. Notice I didn’t say “the one who is still working.” Please. Being a stay at home parent is probably the hardest—and certainly the most important-work there is.
Funding Your Long Term Care Insurance
It would be easy to say “yes” to long-term care insurance if you didn’t have to come up with new money to pay for it, wouldn’t it? Well, there might just be a way to pull that off by repositioning money you already have.
How to Beat Rising Auto Insurance Premiums
Low gas prices coupled with a continuing-to-improve economy is not necessarily good news for your auto insurance. As the number of miles driven rises—it is up more than 6% over the past two years-so too do accidents. And then there is the very scary fact that distracted driving is also causing more accidents.
My Holiday Challenge: How Much Can You Save While Shopping?
You know that I have often stated that one of the keys to financial freedom is to feel as much pleasure from saving, as you get from spending.
Social Security Sends Another Lesson On Why Delaying Is So Important
Before the end of October, Social Security will announce the annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) retirement beneficiaries will get for 2017. Or rather, what they won’t get. Because of the way the COLA is calculated the inflation adjustment is expected to be around 0.2%. Sadly, 0.2% will be better than the 2016 COLA: Zero.
How to Deal with a Rate Increase on Your Long-Term Care Insurance Policy
Many of you are asking me what to do when you receive a rate increase on your long-term care insurance policy. You know my advice for years has been to not buy long-term care insurance unless you can afford a 50% rate increase in your lifetime. I never thought I would be discussing a 126% rate increase which is how much some Federal LTC Insurance Program (FLTCIP) policyholders are facing, with an average of 83%. The Federal program policyholders have to make a decision by September 30th so that’s why I’m writing this blog now.
Avoid This Costly Refinancing Trap
In late July, the 3.4% average rate for a 30-year mortgage was near the historic low set in 2013. That’s great news for so many homeowners who were unable to refinance back in 2013 because they didn’t have the 20% equity that most lenders require for the best refi deals. Fast-forward to today and home values are up an average of nearly 30% since early 2013. That means plenty of homeowners can now-finally-refinance at today’s great rates.
Are You Fluent in the Language of Wealth?
I spend a lot of time helping people work out a plan for overcoming a financial challenge. Quite often the bulk of my work is in getting them into the right frame of mind. Financial problems are so stressful it is completely reasonable to feel anxious or depressed. But the first step in working your way out of a financial fix is to convince yourself you control your future and you have the ability to make it a great future.
Tips to Keep Your Prescription Drug Costs Down
I am betting plenty of you have noticed the steep rise in prescription drug costs. According to the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation, drug prices jumped more than 11% in 2014 and are estimated to have risen another 9.6% last year. And there’s no relief in sight. The expectation is that prices will rise about 4% in 2016. All of that is during a stretch when annual inflation has averaged less than 2%.
Why Employer-Provided Life Insurance is Dangerous
One of the most dangerous mistakes you can make is to rely on the life insurance your employer offers up as benefit.
Open Enrollment Season: 4 MUST-DO's
Please don’t keep your health insurance on autopilot. I know it’s tempting just to ignore the annual “open enrollment” communications from your employer to review your choices, and just stick with the plan you have. That could be a costly mistake. Here are 4 reasons to spend some time reviewing your employer-provided health insurance choices:
Health Insurance: 3 Reasons You Should Pick the HSA Option
About half of large employers now offer a high-deductible health insurance plan (HDHP). I know the mere mention of “high deductible” might send your blood pressure skyward, but please listen to me. For many of you, a HDHP may be the smartest health insurance.
Student Loan Alert: Beware the Cost of Capitalization on Unsubsidized Staffords
Attention all college freshman, and returning students! If you have taken out an unsubsidized federal Stafford loan to help pay for college, I am betting you are making a big financial
Avoid This Common and Costly Insurance Mistake
If you have a low deductible of just $250 or $500 on your homeowner or car insurance policies I want you to listen up right now. You need to call up your insurer and ask for a higher deductible. Yes, I said higher.
Life Insurance Made Easy. Really!
Life insurance is such a difficult financial hurdle for so many of you. You’re either queasy about pondering the need for it in the first place, or you are rightfully queasy about getting taken by an agent selling you a way-too-expensive policy.
Long-Term Care Insurance Update
I have said over and over again that as you enter your late 40's to 50's you should look into buying long-term care insurance. But looking and buying are two different things. You should only purchase LTC insurance if you know that you can easily afford the premium at the time of purchase and all the way until you are 81 (which is the average age of needing LTC).
The Best Moves to Boost Your Credit Score
Having a good credit score isn’t good enough. To land the best loan deals and qualify for the best credit card offers you need to have a seriously great FICO credit score of at least 740. Here’s how to improve your FICO score.
Beware of new tricks of the trade to get your money
It is becoming easier to get a loan these days and that's not necessarily a good thing. "I'm telling you things have gone bizarre again, at the exact time they shouldn't be going bizarre. So, you need to stay very strict with yourself," warns Suze Orman.
Same-Sex Married Couples To Get Federal Tax Recognition Regardless Of State
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Thursday that when it comes to taxes, it will recognize same-sex couples' marriages even if they live in a state that does not.
2012 Financial Awareness Video Festival
Suze and Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, will be judging the final winner of the 2012 Financial Awareness Video Festival. Help us narrow down 10 finalists by taking a moment to view and vote for your favorite video!
