Key Takeaways. “Baby boomer” refers to a member of the demographically large generation born between the end of WWII and the mid-1960s. Given the “Baby boomer” age and career stage, the top benefits priorities for the Baby Boomer generation revolve around healthcare and finances. “Traditional” benefits, such as medical, dental, vision, and life insurance top the list, along with financial benefits, like 401(k) with employer match.
Like most insurance, life insurance is cheaper to buy the younger you are when you buy it. This is great news if you’re in your 20s or 30s, but what if you’re a little older and in the market for a new life insurance policy? How old is too old?The answer depends on the type of life insurance you’re shopping for, but one thing’s for certain — no matter what your age today, it’s better to buy a life insurance policy now rather than waiting a year. The price goes up as you get older Premiums for term life increase by about 8% per year in your late 40s, and that rate of increase continues to climb to 9-12% per years after age 50.To illustrate this, we used Policy Genius Life insurance…
THE SOCIAL SECURITY full retirement age is 66 for most baby boomers, and you receive a smaller monthly payout if you sign up at a younger age. Some retirees further delay signing up in order to qualify for monthly payments later in retirement. However, the Medicare eligibility age remains 65. So, if you want to wait until 66 or later to claim Social Security, you will have to sign up for Medicare separately at age 65. Here's what you need to know about signing up for Medicare before claiming Social Security: Social Security and Medicare are separate decisions.Some people are automatically enrolled in Medicare.Remember to sign up for Medicare on time.Signing up for Medicare after you missed the Initial Enrollment Period can trigger penalties.Beneficiaries who work can avoid the Medicare late enrollment penalty.Be…
MEDICARE PROVIDES Valuable health insurance for individuals 65 or older and certain people with disabilities who are under age 65. But it also comes with complex rules and sometimes significant out-of-pocket costs. Here's what you can expect to pay for Medicare: Premiums. Most beneficiaries pay the standard Medicare Part B premium of $134 per month in 2018. However, some Medicare beneficiaries pay different amounts. Medicare Part B payments are prevented by law from reducing Social Security payments, so some Social Security beneficiaries pay lower premiums because their Social Security payments have not increased enough to cover the current standard Medicare premiums. High-income retirees bringing in more than $85,000 ($170,000 for couples) pay higher Part B premiums, ranging from $187.50 to $428.60 monthly, depending on how high their income is. Most Medicare beneficiaries don't…
MEDICARE PART D HELPS retirees pay for their prescription drugs. But these prescription drug plans have a variety of out-of-pocket costs that vary based on the policy you select. Here are some of the medication costs you can expect in retirement. Premiums. The average Medicare Part D premium was $41 per month in 2018, up 11 percent since 2015, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data. However, premiums vary significantly based on the plan you select. Among widely available Part D plans, premiums ranged from $20 to $84 per month. Some Part D plans increased their premiums by more than $10 per month in 2018, and a few plans had slight decreases in premiums. Deductibles. The majority of Medicare Part D plans (55 percent) have a deductible…
RETIREES SPENT $92.8 billion on prescription drugs in 2010. The majority of this money (68 percent) was paid for just five types of medications that cost Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older $63.4 billion, according to a recent analysis by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Here are the five most expensive types of medications retirees use: Metabolic drugs. Simvastatin, Metformin, Lipitor, Pravastatin and Crestor are among the metabolic drugs that senior citizens spent $22.5 billion on in 2010, the most of any type of medication. This calculation includes out-of-pocket, private and public insurance costs for Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older, but does not take into account over-the-counter medicines or drugs administered in a clinic or physician's office. Over half (59 percent) of Medicare beneficiaries use metabolic medicines, and the…
Nurses are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with other health care workers, they face an increased demand for their services—which puts them at greater risk of catching coronavirus. So, in honor of National Nurses Week (May 6 through May 12), we are taking a look at our work on shortages in the nursing and health care worker communities. We are also reviewing federal efforts to respond to these shortages, including through the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act). The nursing workforce Nurses are the largest component of the health care workforce. They provide much of the care for hospital patients and deliver most of the nation’s long-term care. However, the U.S. has been facing a critical nursing shortage for years, partly due to increased…
Adults over the age of 60 may be more at risk of serious health issues as a result of the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). These adults may isolate themselves in their homes for increased safety, and may face challenges accessing needed services. In today’s WatchBlog, we look at some of the recent federal efforts aimed at helping older adults, who are stuck at home due to the pandemic, obtain needed meals and other services. We also look at our work on the strategies developed by rural communities for delivering these services to isolated older adults—strategies that may be helpful in all areas during the pandemic. Older Americans Act programs and the COVID-19 response To stay in their homes as they age, older adults often need services such as in-home care,…
If you are already retired or are approaching retirement, then it’s likely that your purse has started feeling the effects of a reduced source of income. But look at it this way: you’re not in it alone. As a matter of fact, a third of people over the age of 65 years are getting by living on less than the minimum wage, with one in twenty of them unable to buy birthday or Christmas present for beloved ones. In such cases, there are bad credit payday loans. As if saying goodbye to a solid supply of monthly wages is not enough, thanks to pension reforms, low-interest rates on savings and mortgage plans that are interest-only are coming to an end. It has become clear that it will be difficult for…
It’s no shock that the cost of living isn’t exactly cheap. That shock doesn’t end when retirement rolls around. Are you financially prepared to support your standard of living once you quit working? Even though most people understand the importance of saving for retirement sooner rather than later, studies still show many baby boomers are way behind on their retirement savings. In fact, the Blackstone Group found that 79% of middle-income baby boomers have nothing at all saved for the cost of healthcare in retirement. This is by far the biggest mistake you could be making when you’re saving for retirement. If you think that healthcare costs are expensive now, they hit even harder when you are on a fixed income. The Cost of Original Medicare Many people believe when…
Most people struggle to retire on time because they can't afford to, so thinking about retiring early may seem impossible. If you have a dream of retiring early, then you may want to consider where you live. According to a study done by SmartAsset, there are certain states that offer a better chance of early retirement. Living in, or moving to, one of the states at the top of the list may help you achieve an earlier retirement. To get the results, the company collected data on seven factors: effective tax rates, health insurance costs, non-housing cost of living, housing costs, property tax rates, doctor’s offices per 10,000 residents and entertainment establishments per 10,000 residents. Below is the list of the top 11 states that may up your chances for…
