Risk Management & Insurance

Are you currently dealing with the murky waters of a home insurance claim? If so, you might have already encountered some frustrating tactics used by home insurance claim adjusters. Unfortunately, these adjusters are not always forthcoming when it comes to settling claims fairly. That's where I come in. My name...

The screech of tires, the crunch of metal, and the sinking feeling of a car accident as you watch another car speed away. that’s a moment of pure financial panic. In that chaos, finding the other driver's car insurance information feels like your only path to survival. But here's the hard...

Every once in a while, a reader email stops me cold. This one was about the IRMAA appeal process. The reader did everything right. Yet the appeals process for IRMAA took nine months to resolve, instead of the month it is supposed to take. I worked as a financial planner...

Medicare open enrollment IRMAA planning starts now—the deadline is December 7th, 2026.It’s that time of year again. Your mailbox is full of Medicare Advantage flyers, and you have until December 7th to pick your Medicare Advantage plan for 2026. But here is the trap most retirees fall into: They think...

top of Tier 1 After 30 years in financial planning, I've seen the difference between clients who understand leverage and those who liquidate at the worst time. Most retirees' instinct is to sell stock when they need cash. But in 2026, that sale could trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges on top...

You have probably spent years obsessing over Asset Allocation—how much stock vs. bond exposure you have. That is important for growth. But in retirement, there is a silent killer of wealth that allocation doesn't solve: Asset Location. Here is the reality I’ve seen in 25 years of financial planning: You...

You’ve spent decades saving, only to find out that Medicare has a "success penalty." It’s called IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount), and it is a cliff. Go one dollar over, and you pay the full surcharge. But there is a defensive move most retirees miss. Tax loss harvesting to...

If you are still working at 65, you do not automatically need Medicare Part B on your 65th birthday. You may be able to delay Part B without a late-enrollment penalty when you have a group health plan based on your current employment—or your spouse's current employment—and you later...

Federal retirees are not required to enroll in Medicare Part B to keep FEHB. Your FEHB coverage can continue without Part B. The harder question is whether paying the extra Part B premium buys enough lower cost-sharing, broader Medicare access, and financial predictability to justify the cost. For 2026, the...

If you are working past 65 and still contributing to a Health Savings Account, Medicare can reach backward and erase months you thought were HSA-eligible. The answer is not to automatically stop contributions seven months before retirement. The controlling date is the month your Medicare coverage actually begins. For premium-free...