Dear Liz: I’m on Medicare but I also have a health savings account with a fair market value of over $9,000. Am I able to spend this on prescriptions, eye care, etc.? I hate to waste this money. My wife passed away and it’s been sitting there for a while. Answer: You can’t contribute to an HSA […]
Recent Blog Posts
“Your aunt is so cool!”
Beverly Beyette Graber, who died Dec. 20 at 91, knew how to get people to tell their stories. She had plenty of her own to tell. When she was eight, for example, word came that the Japanese had attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor. Her father, the future Brigadier-General Hubert Beyette, had been […]
Q&A: Does insurance cover a home in a living trust?
Dear Liz: All of our insurance policies list my name and that of my husband. After the recent devastating Los Angeles fires, I heard from friends that we should add the name of our living trust to our home insurance policy because our house is in the trust. Otherwise, they say, some insurance companies may not […]
Q&A: Benefits of Medicare Advantage HMOs
Dear Liz: You mentioned that Medicare Advantage Plans have networks that can change from year to year, as well as other disadvantages. This is not true for our Medicare Advantage HMO, according to my experience. The HMO has its own doctors and hospitals, but I have not noticed them pulling any surprises. And they do look […]
Q&A: A divorced couple considers retying the knot to maximize Social Security payments
Dear Liz: I was married for 33 years and divorced 4 years ago. We have reconciled and are now back living together as a couple, but have not remarried. I’m 68, and my former spouse is 63. Neither of us is drawing Social Security, but we are now considering applying. Will she be able to draw […]
Q&A: Roth conversions and holding periods
Dear Liz: Eight years ago I converted a number of stocks from an IRA to a Roth IRA and paid the taxes. Now I am in a position to convert the last shares but want to do it incrementally over the next four years. Does each conversion then require its own five-year waiting period or will […]