How to Reverse Medicare Surcharges When Your Income Changes 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 [...]

The median cost of a private nursing home room in the United States has increased to $97,455 a year, up 5.5 percent from 2016, according to Genworth's 2017 Cost of Care survey, which the insurer conducts annually. Genworth reports that the median cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home is $85,775, up 4.44 percent from 2016. The rise in prices is much larger than the 1.24 percent and 2.27 percent gains, respectively, in 2016. The price rise was slightly less for assisted living facilities, [...]

Pre-Nuptial Agreements: Fact and FictionBy: Sharon L. Dyer, Esq. The most common myth about Pre-Nuptial Agreements is that they are only for the rich.You really don’t have to be wealthy to benefit from a Pre-Nuptial Agreement if you understand the purpose of such an Agreement. Basically a Pre-Nuptial Agreement is a legally binding written contract between two people prior to marriage that sets forth what will be the financial rules of their marriage, especially in the event of divorce or [...]

Resolving Custody and Divorce Issues:Traditional Litigation versusAlternative Dispute Resolutionby Michael Osburn, Esq. What is Traditional Litigation? Traditional litigation is the process where issues are resolved by a court. In many cases, traditional litigation can be an expensive and lengthy process. Both parties will retain their own attorneys, who will conduct discovery and present evidence at a trial or hearing. Each attorney will try to obtain the outcome desired by his client.  [...]

Now Is the Time to Review Your Medicare Options Are you happy with your current Medicare plan or plans? Now is the time to think about whether you are in the right plan or whether a new plan could save you money. Medicare's Open Enrollment Period, in which you can enroll in or switch plans, runs from October 15 to December 7. During this period you may enroll in a Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan or, if you currently have a plan, you may change plans. In addition, during the seven-week [...]