How Life Insurance Works in Divorce Settlements

Permanent life insurance — whether whole life or universal life — provides coverage for the lifetime of the insured as long as premiums are paid, though Universal allows greater flexibility in terms of payments and death benefits. The biggest distinction is that with whole life, savings grow at a guaranteed rate; with Universal life insurance,…

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A Beneficiary’s Guide to Filing a Life Insurance Claim

A life insurance policy can be a thoughtful way to provide for loved ones after you die. But what happens if you are the beneficiary of someone’s life insurance policy? Losing someone close to you is a stressful situation. Fortunately, however, filing a claim usually is fairly straightforward. Here is what you should do if…

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The Likelihood of Medicare for All

After passing the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and watching Republicans begin to dismantle it in 2017, many Democrats now are proposing Medicare for All. Whether Medicare for All becomes law depends a great deal on who controls the House and Senate. For now, it has little chance of passing because Republicans control the Senate…

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Benefits of Hospital Indemnity Insurance

Hospital indemnity insurance is gaining in popularity as a way to deal with increasingly higher out-of-pocket expenses. It’s not health insurance, but it provides a cash benefit you can use to pay for expenses health insurance doesn’t cover. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the average hospital stay in 2017 was five…

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The Keys to Identifying Health Care Fraud

Most health care providers are honest. But the few that aren’t can ruin it for everyone else by driving up health care costs and insurance premiums According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), health care fraud costs the country tens of billions of dollars a year. The bureau is the primary agency for exposing…

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Keeping Up with Medicare Changes

Medicare Part A provides basic hospital insurance and is available at no charge to those who are 65 or older — if they paid Medicare taxes while working. For many, though, that amount of coverage is not enough. Some people want a Medicare supplement plan — or Medigap — to provide additional coverage for what…

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Getting Ahead of the Curve: Planning Now for Social Security Deficiencies

If you’re like most people, Social Security will provide 40 percent of your income during retirement. Unfortunately, without changes, the federal government may not have enough money in 16 years to fully fund the program. The Social Security Administration (SSA) paid $952 billion in benefits in 2017; and received $911 billion in taxes and $85…

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Life Insurance for any Age — Especially During Retirement

There are many reasons why life It’s not always easy to save enough money to cover your retirement needs or the needs of your dependents once you’re gone. Having to retire early or suffering through poor investments can hinder savings efforts. That’s why life insurance can be a good investment — even after you retire.…

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Watch for Health Insurance Premium Increases

Reinstating the Health Insurance Act and repealing the individual mandate to purchase insurance could both contribute to a rise in premiums. Two new federal regulations will most likely affect the cost of health insurance premiums you pay in the coming years. One regulation, the Individual Mandate, has been repealed; the other, the Health Insurance Tax,…

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Financially Sound Ways to Give to Minors

There are many options for helping a child secure his or her financial future. One of the best presents you can give a grandchild is the gift of a secure future. Money you give them when they are young will grow, increase in value and be used for a variety of purposes. Going to college,…

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