Dear Liz: We are assembling our important document to-go box with the typical things advised should we need to evacuate, such as birth and marriage certificates, passports, insurance documents, mortgage statements, etc. Many of the documents can be accessed online, so I wondered about pay-off statements from old loans and mortgages. Is it important to take […]
Recent Blog Posts
Q&A: Navigating the Risks of 401(k)s, IRAs, and Payable-on-Death Accounts
Dear Liz: You recently wrote about the drawbacks of payable on death accounts, including that the funds go directly to the beneficiaries before the estate’s expenses are paid. Aren’t all 401(k)s payable on death? I’m often reminded to update my beneficiary info whenever I log into my account. Should 401(k)s be converted to IRAs once we […]
Q&A: An aunt left him out of her will. Can his siblings share the windfall?
Dear Liz: My brother and I have received a cash inheritance from our aunt, as have our cousins, among a few others. Our youngest brother was excluded, as was our cousins’ youngest sibling. I believe my aunt, who was 96 when she died and in her 80s when her will was done, simply forgot these two […]
Q&A: Medicare Advantage to Original Medicare
Dear Liz: I just read your answer about switching from Medicare Advantage plans to original Medicare, and how you might not be able to get an insurer to write you a supplemental Medigap plan. I was with a Medicare Advantage plan for years and then my medical group stopped participating. I have many preexisting conditions and […]
Q&A: More on those lost home improvement receipts
Dear Liz: You recently answered a question from a home seller who had lost documentation about improvements. The improvements most likely required building permits, which would have indicated the scope of improvements and, possibly, the cost as well. The local building department will have copies of those permits on file, and they can be obtained at […]
Q&A: That Social Security check is in the mail. Or will be someday.
Dear Liz: I was previously denied a portion of my husband’s Social Security because I received a government pension, and the offset rule made me ineligible. Now that the law is being changed, I’m wondering if I would be eligible to receive survivor benefits from Social Security, as my husband is now deceased. Answer: The Social Security […]