Dear Liz: When my husband was approaching 65, he was employed and covered by a high-deductible healthcare plan with a health savings account by his employer. Neither his employer nor our local Social Security office had concrete advice on how to proceed about enrolling in Medicare, but after tremendous research, he eventually delayed enrollment. Now […]
Recent Blog Posts
Q&A: Retirement planning for late starters
Dear Liz: I am in my late 50s, married and woefully unprepared financially for my later years. I was a stay-at-home mom for many years. I now work almost full time but my employer has no 401(k) or profit sharing or really any benefits at all. I just started putting $8,000 (the catch-up amount) into […]
Q&A: Home loans may help with long-term care costs
Dear Liz: You recently responded to an elderly couple who planned to move into assisted living, but were concerned about capital gains taxes on the sale of their home. You suggested an installment sale or renting out the home as possible options. While not for everyone, another possibility is a home loan or a reverse […]
Q&A: The lowdown on inherited IRAs
Dear Liz: I inherited my mother’s Roth IRA when she died in 2015 and have been taking yearly required minimum distributions based on my age. My spouse is my primary beneficiary on this inherited Roth IRA. What happens if I pass away before she does? Can she just roll it over into her existing Roth […]
Q&A: Maxing out retirement contributions? Beware of future tax issues
Dear Liz: I work for a local government and am trying to decide when to retire. I will receive a pension and have put away as much money as I could afford in my 457 deferred compensation plan. I invested it in a Standard & Poor’s 500 index fund that has performed well and is […]
Q&A: Choosing the right health care agent
Dear Liz: There is a lot of dysfunction and drama in my family so in my will, I’ve named a friend to be my executor. But I don’t think she’s the best person for my advance healthcare directive. She’s too nice and I think she would cave under pressure from my family. Can I choose […]