Planning for these Economic & Political Times FIVE THINGS TO DO TODAY!!! What it takes today to prepare for a successful retirement tomorrow. Although you may have worked hard throughout your life, the economy does not care. There could be more recessions, inflation diminishing your purchasing power, the growing national debt, and the end of entitlement programs, i.e. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. So what will happen to you? How do I make sure I have enough income for me and my spouse through retirement? What happens if I get sick? How will I pay for my care? What are…
The main goal before you retire is to make sure that you have enough money when you do retire so you can maintain your standard of living. How much is enough depends on when you wish to retire, what your anticipated living expenses will be, what rate of return you can expect on your savings, and whether you will continue to work at all after retirement. The anticipated date of your retirement affects two important factors: how much time you will have to save up for retirement and the number of years you can expect to live after you retire….
Retirement has changed radically over the last several decades in America. Years ago, you expected to work most of your life for a single, large employer and you then count on a pension. “Retirement planning” meant figuring out how to use your free time. Today, in all likelihood you will be living in retirement on money you, yourself, saved. “Planning” means calculating rates of return and deciphering tax rules. Without question, the core strategy to succeed in having enough for retirement is living well within your means. Keep in mind, there are significant differences in approach depending on your priorities,…
In order to be eligible for Medicaid, applicants must have no more than $2,500 in countable assets (the dollar figure may vary, depending on the state). Applicants for Medicaid and their spouses may protect savings by spending them on non-countable assets. The following are examples of such expenditures: prepaying funeral expenses paying off a mortgage making repairs to a home replacing an old automobile updating home furnishings paying for more care at home buying a new home In the case of married couples, it is often important that any spend-down steps be taken only after the unhealthy spouse moves to…
Congress has established a period of ineligibility for Medicaid for those who transfer assets. For transfers made prior to February 8, 2006, state Medicaid officials would look only at transfers made within the 36 months prior to the Medicaid application (or 60 months if the transfer was made to or from certain kinds of trusts). But for transfers made after February 8, 2006, the so-called “look-back” period for all transfers is 60 months. While the look-back period determines what transfers will be penalized, the length of the penalty depends on the amount transferred. The penalty period is determined by dividing…
After a Medicaid recipient dies, the state must attempt to recoup from his or her estate whatever benefits it paid for the recipient’s care. This is called “estate recovery.” For most Medicaid recipients, their house is the only asset available. Life estates For many people, setting up a “life estate” is the simplest and most appropriate alternative for protecting the home from estate recovery. A life estate is a form of joint ownership of property between two or more people. They each have an ownership interest in the property, but for different periods of time. The person holding the life…
As our aging population continues to grow, more and more families will face the need for long-term care for their loved ones. If that care is received in a nursing home, these families will face costs of $10,000 – $15,000 per month (and that number increases each year). Since Medicare does not cover the cost of skilled nursing home care (except for limited rehab stays), most residents must pay the full cost of skilled nursing home care. At $10,000 – $15,000 per month, the average family will exhaust their life savings within the first year of nursing home care. Most nursing home residents will eventually end up…
Grandparents may be tempted to leave an IRA to a grandchild because children have a low tax rate, but the “kiddie tax” could make doing this less beneficial. An IRA can be a great gift for a grandchild. A young person who inherits an IRA has to take minimum distributions, but because the distributions are based on the beneficiary’s life expectancy, grandchildren’s distributions will be small and allow the IRA to continue to grow. In addition, children are taxed at a lower rate than adults—usually 10 percent. However, the lower tax rate does not apply to all unearned income. Enacted to prevent…
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced changes to the federal reverse mortgage program. Citing the need to put the program on better financial footing, HUD will raise reverse mortgage fees for some borrowers and lower the amount homeowners can borrow. A reverse mortgage allows a homeowner who is at least 62 years old to use the equity in his or her home to obtain a loan that does not have to be repaid until the homeowner moves, sells, or dies. In a reverse mortgage, the homeowner receives a sum of money from the lender, usually a bank,…
What happens if you are a high-income Medicare beneficiary who is paying a surcharge on your premiums and then your income changes? If your circumstances change, you can reverse those surcharges. Higher-income Medicare beneficiaries (individuals who earn more than $85,000) pay higher Part B and prescription drug benefit premiums than lower-income Medicare beneficiaries. The extra amount the beneficiary owes increases as the beneficiary’s income increases. The Social Security Administration uses income reported two years ago to determine a beneficiary’s premiums. So the income reported on a beneficiary’s 2015 tax return is used to determine whether the beneficiary must pay a…
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