GenBetween

July 8th, 2008

Drug co-pays to increase for disabled and seniors

Senior citizens and disabled citizens will soon have to pay more for prescription drugs:
The state announced Monday copays in its drug assistance program will increase August 1.
The copay for generics will go from $5 to $6. It will go from $5 to $7 for brand names. They’re the first increases since 1992.

I’m not a politician, […]

By Elizabeth -- 0 comments

June 29th, 2008

Managing Your Parents’ Finances

When my mother was sick, I gained a fuzzy idea about the details of handling finances by watching my dad handle the expenses, and ultimately her estate after her death.
However, I know that I have a lot to learn before I’ll need to handle my dad’s finances in any capacity. Many people learn what to […]

By Elizabeth -- 1 comment

April 1st, 2008

Retiree benefit cuts

The Supreme Court ruled last week that employers can reduce benefits for retirees who turn 65 and are eligible for Medicare.
AARP argued unsuccessfully that this violates federal age discrimination laws since younger retirees would still be eligible for coverage from their former employers while older retirees would see a reduction in benefits when […]

By Elizabeth -- 1 comment

January 25th, 2008

Confident Solutions

As you know, I’m all about planning ahead, making your wishes known, and, having information readily accessible to your family in the event of an emergency.
I’ve not used this before, but, I just ran across it, and, I thought I’d share the link to Confidant Solutions, software that helps you create a complete record of […]

By Elizabeth -- 1 comment

January 14th, 2008

Estate Planning

As much I talk about having a will and being prepared around here, there’s still plenty I don’t quite understand.
The term “estate planning” is still kind of nebulous to me and sounds like something people with lot of money and assets have to worry about, but, indeed, us regular people need to consider estate planning, […]

By Elizabeth -- 0 comments

July 31st, 2007

Long Term Care Insurance

It is important to shop carefully for long term care insurance, it can be a complicated matter.
Premiums can be quite expensive, and, you may end up finding out that you aren’t covered for what you need when the time comes. For example, my parents have dutifully paid LTC premiums, but, when my mother needed assisted […]

By Elizabeth -- 0 comments

July 25th, 2007

When does an aging parent need help with finances?

There’s a great article on Bankrate.com, Detecting when a senior needs financial help.
It examines both the physical and emotional reasons that an elder might lose track of their finances, a concern for friends and family.
There’s also an excellent list of red flags indicating the need for financial help.
Go read it today, it’s good […]

By Elizabeth -- 1 comment

April 28th, 2007

More on helping with aging parents’ finances

The Naperville Sun has a good article, Boomers should be gentle in aiding aging parents with estate plans.
I know I talk about this topic a lot, but, I cannot tell you how much I was just like you: raising young children, going to work, and going about my suburban existence, and, one day woke up […]

By Elizabeth -- 2 comments

April 19th, 2007

Managing aging parents’ finances

I talk about it lot, but, it is so important to be familiar with your aging parents’ (or other family member) finances.
I know it’s a tough thing to talk about because I’m sure many of us were raised to believe that money matters are an intensely personal and private matter. But, the fact is, that […]

By Elizabeth -- 1 comment

January 25th, 2007

Talking about the hard stuff

I have said before that one of the greatest gifts from my parents was their planning ahead for health care and financial decisions that must be faced as they get older.
I feel like I say it over and over, and, I realize there’s literature everywhere about how hard it is to talk about these things, […]

By Elizabeth -- 2 comments