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 […]
Recent Blog Posts
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 […]
Q&A: Credit cards and co-signers
Dear Liz: My son is in his mid-20s. He has a credit card that we co-signed and that has a credit limit he would likely not qualify for on his own. He would like to remove us as co-signers as he starts to take more personal control of his finances. Would it make more sense to […]
Q&A: Hard copies, thumb drives and the cloud: How to handle vital records when it’s time to flee
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 […]