Medicare Open Enrollment—running from October 15 through December 7—is your annual opportunity to review your coverage and ensure it still meets your health and financial needs for the year ahead.
Whether you’re new to Medicare... continue
Lifestyle Newsletter
Making the Most of Medicare Open Enrollment
— Thursday, October 30, 2025 —
Coping With Rising Costs Due to Tariffs
— Thursday, July 17, 2025 —
Tariffs: How Businesses & Consumers Are Affected
When people speak of The Fed, it’s often like we are discussing Big Foot or the Loche Ness Monster. Actually, there are 12 Federal Reserve Banks across the United States that comprise the... continue
Preparing for Unemployment
— Tuesday, April 15, 2025 —
The Federal Government is the largest employer in the United States, employing more people than some of the largest public companies in the nation. The Pew Research Center reports that the U.S. Postal Service alone would be among the top 10 largest... continue
How to Create a Plan to Tackle Holiday Debt
— Tuesday, January 14, 2025 —
It’s a brand-new year, but when it comes to debt, you likely weren’t able to have a fresh start in 2025. It’s too easy to get carried away with spending during the holiday season—between gifts, travel, and festive gatherings... continue
What a Rate Cut Means for You
— Friday, October 11, 2024 —
After a few years of news about interest rate hikes, we finally have some news of an interest rate cut.
Interest rates were cut for the first time in four years and after more than 5 percentage points of increases taking place from March 2022 and... continue
Prioritizing Retirement Planning
— Tuesday, July 2, 2024 —
We all have different values, needs and priorities. And in order to engage in successful retirement planning, we need to know what those are.
As you embark upon your retirement planning journey, we recommend you first ask yourself two... continue
Keep Everybody Informed with a Family Summit
— Thursday, April 4, 2024 —
Most wealth leaves families by the second generation, according to Nasdaq.1 And of the $84 trillion in assets that are set transfer from high-net worth people, approximately $73 trillion of that will go to the next-generation – Gen... continue
The Most Important New Year’s Resolution
— Friday, January 5, 2024 —
The start of a New Year usually inspires people to make resolutions. In fact, Forbes reports that around 44 percent of people say they’re likely or very likely to make a resolution this year. And that number is higher among young adults... continue
The time has come to start repaying student loans.
— Friday, October 6, 2023 —
If you’re like most people, you didn’t pay anything on your student loans since March of 2020 when the federal student loan repayment pause went into effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And you may have even borrowed more... continue
Have You Caught the Travel Bug?
— Thursday, July 6, 2023 —
If you’re catching yourself daydreaming about lazing on a beach with a good book and nothing on your to-do list lately, you’re not alone. We know we have been.
Despite persistent inflation, TripAdvisor’s Seasonal Travel Index found that 66... continue
What is Your First Money Memory?
— Friday, April 14, 2023 —
Dr. Sonya Lutter, Ph.D., CFP, LMFT, often asks her clients about their first money memory. She once had a couple sculpt their first money memory with Playdough.1
The husband hadn’t been very conversational in their early meetings so she wasn’t... continue
Care For Your Greatest Asset
— Monday, January 23, 2023 —
If you’re a gym-goer, you likely notice the uptick in people working out at your gym in this first month of the year. However, the crowd generally begins to thin by Valentine’s Day. While you might be tempted to think this is a good thing, it’s... continue
Who Needs Resolutions?
— Tuesday, November 1, 2022 —
As you near the end of the year, you might already be thinking of New Year’s Resolutions. But we know that only around 9 to 12 percent of people keep their New Year’s resolutions.1 A more sustainable approach might be to create better habits and systems... continue
To Give is To Receive
— Tuesday, July 5, 2022 —
Adam Grant notes in his book, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, that people who can be considered “givers” tend to be more successful than people who are considered “takers” or “matchers.” He notes that “people who choose... continue
A Toast to Your Wealth…and Health
— Tuesday, April 5, 2022 —
It’s a new world out there. We’ve survived a global pandemic and new opportunities await! But those new opportunities might require us to be a bit healthier – both with our wealth and our health.
Forbes reports that there is a deep... continue
A New Start
— Friday, January 28, 2022 —
A new year is here. And, while we’re entering the third year of a global pandemic, and still dealing with new variants of COVID-19, we can still have hope and start 2022 off right with goals that may make us better.
If making resolutions is something you do, there... continue
The Rise of Burnout
— Monday, October 4, 2021 —
As we close in on the last quarter of 2021, we’re still battling the COVID-19 pandemic – and the highly contagious Delta variant. Add in the hurricanes, wildfires and smoky air, and busy holiday season and it’s a recipe for burnout.
You may be feeling a... continue
Did Happiness Survive the Pandemic?
— Tuesday, July 6, 2021 —
For years, the well-being of a nation and its people was measured by economic productivity. However, gains or losses in gross domestic product, which is the value of all goods and services produced in a country, didn’t provide much insight to... continue
Vegetarian, Vegan, Flexitarian
— Thursday, April 1, 2021 —
A fair number of Americans have adopted vegetarian, vegan, and various other versions of plant-based diets only to discover they missed eating meat. A 2020 Packaged Facts survey of Americans reported that:1
3 percent were vegan (no red/white meat... continue
Vaccines May Take Us Back to the Good Old Days
— Wednesday, January 20, 2021 —
Around the globe, scientists have been working to develop treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus. Normally, vaccine development takes a decade or so, but the COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgency that shortened normal... continue
Pandemic Etiquette
— Friday, October 9, 2020 —
To say that life has changed dramatically since COVID-19 arrived is an understatement. During shelter-in-place periods, people stayed at home, worked remotely, and maintained a social distance while doing essential tasks. We adjusted to a new normal.
As... continue
Coping with Pandemic Stress
— Thursday, June 25, 2020 —
If your stress and anxiety levels are reaching a breaking point, you’re not alone. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll found 45 percent of adults in the United States are feeling worry and stress related to the coronavirus. Steps taken to... continue
Coronavirus 101: The Basics
— Wednesday, March 4, 2020 —
The coronavirus, which is now officially called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), has received a lot of attention. Since the outbreak began in China, late in 2019, the disease and efforts to understand and manage it have made headlines around the... continue
Do You Know What Your Smartphone Can Do?
— Friday, January 3, 2020 —
Since 2011, the number of Americans owning smartphones has increased from 35 percent to 81 percent, although there remains a significant digital divide, demographically. A Pew Research survey found the vast majority of younger Americans... continue
The Secret Life of Data
— Tuesday, September 24, 2019 —
What data about you is most important?
The data that identity thieves are after – social security, credit card, and bank account numbers – is important, as well as more basic data which is being collected by companies whose devices you use every... continue
A Prescription for Dementia Prevention
— Monday, July 1, 2019 —
If you’ve ever played a party game that asks you to make difficult decisions, you may have run into a question like this one: Would you rather enjoy good physical health all of your life or good mental health all of your life?
As it turns... continue
Sleep: It’s More Elusive as We Get Older
— Monday, April 1, 2019 —
If someone tells you older people need less sleep than younger people do, don’t believe it. Older Americans need about eight hours of sleep, just like everybody else. What’s different is quality sleep is harder to come by as you age... continue
Just Another Member of the Family
— Thursday, January 3, 2019 —
Bella. Coco. Charlie. Lucy. Max. No matter the name, many pets are considered to be members of the family, providing companionship, protection, and unconditional love. The pet-owner relationship has some powerful benefits, which may explain why... continue
Just Give Me That Countryside…
— Wednesday, October 3, 2018 —
Remember the television classic, Green Acres? Eddie Albert, who portrayed a New York City lawyer, and Eva Gabor, who portrayed his sophisticated spouse, move from the big city to the country – and it’s not quite what they expected.1
Recent... continue
Are You a Subscriber?
— Monday, July 2, 2018 —
In the olden days, the word ‘subscription’ typically was applied to just magazines and newspapers. Today, that’s not the case. Americans are buying everything from meal kits to baby products to vitamins by subscription. A McKinsey & Company survey... continue
Life in the Future
— Tuesday, April 10, 2018 —
Technology is a life changer. GPS has improved interpersonal relations by eliminating arguments about asking for directions. Apps for car services, food delivery, video streaming, news media, and social media have changed the way we travel, eat, learn, and... continue
Are We Ready for the Baby Boom Retirement?
— Friday, January 5, 2018 —
Fifteen years ago, a Health Services Research report described the challenges ahead for the United States as the Baby Boom generation aged into retirement. Four issues were paramount: 1) improving payment and insurance systems for... continue
College is Coming – Have You Started Saving Yet?
— Tuesday, October 10, 2017 —
How times change! In 1940, half of Americans finished their education in eighth grade. College degrees were relatively rare. Just 6 percent of men and 4 percent of women had one.1
During the past 80 years, college has become far... continue
Artificial Intelligence Deserves Some Thought
— Monday, July 10, 2017 —
The idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) may bring to mind movies like Terminator, Wall-E, and Transcendence, but the reality of AI is expected to help people find answers to some significant issues. For example, a PwC survey... continue
Name a Device any Device –
— Monday, April 3, 2017 —
– That You Can’t Live Without
Some people may name a medical device or implant, such as a hearing aid, an artificial joint, or a pacemaker. Others may say they couldn’t live without their electric bikes, GPS devices, tablets, or food processors. A... continue
Retirement Can Be a Bed of Roses…
— Wednesday, January 4, 2017 —
…and, it may have some thorns.
There’s something you should know about retirement. It’s not as easy as everyone makes it seem.
Remember what life was like when you tied the knot? How about once you had children? Or, when you accepted a new... continue
And, the Answer is: More than $260 Billion
— Monday, October 10, 2016 —
That’s how much Americans had spent on pain relief medications and treatments when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) completed its report in 2011. If you factor in lost productivity, the economic cost of pain rose to more than $560... continue
Working While Retired
— Friday, July 1, 2016 —
Would you accompany a group of high school students studying photojournalism and social change in Argentina? How about a group learning about language and culinary traditions in France? Does working for a season or two in a great place – Mount Rushmore... continue
Beware Scammers Claiming to Be the IRS
— Monday, April 11, 2016 —
If you receive a voice or email message from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or you field a phone call from an IRS agent informing you “you owe back taxes” and “you better pay now or be arrested (or deported),” you should assume... continue
Understanding 2016’s Higher Medicare Part B Premiums
— Tuesday, January 5, 2016 —
One-in-seven Medicare enrollees will pay higher Medicare Part B monthly premiums during 2016. Their premiums will be $121.80 each month, an increase of 16 percent. While that’s not good news, it’s better than it could have... continue
Uncommon Knowledge: Prescription Interactions
— Thursday, October 8, 2015 —
If you’re 57 or older, it’s a pretty good bet you take at least one prescription medication. If you take more than one, it’s really important to understand how the drugs may interact with one another in your system –... continue
What is Character?
— Thursday, July 9, 2015 —
People think about character in many different ways. You have probably heard or may have commented on someone else’s character by saying:
She is a woman of good character.
What a character!
That was really out of character.
He has character as well as... continue
The Future is Almost Here!
— Wednesday, April 1, 2015 —
Before you know it – thanks to smart phones, tablets, and wireless technology – your home will be connected to the Internet of Things. Sure, home automation costs a few shekels, but just imagine it! You could be the envy of Jane Jetson, receiving... continue
Giving Great Gifts
— Thursday, January 1, 2015 —
Some people have a gift when it comes to gifts. Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, baby shower, Christmas, Hanukah, or some other occasion, they always seem to find just the right thing for each person. If you’re not an insightful gift giver, here is an... continue
Get Up! Stand Up!
— Wednesday, October 1, 2014 —
Sitting is bad for your health. Whether you’re sitting at a desk doing work, in a classroom listening to a lecture, or on a ship sailing the ocean, research suggests extended periods of sedentary behavior may increase the likelihood of high blood pressure, heart... continue
Use Your Brain!
— Tuesday, July 1, 2014 —
If you’ve been “feeling your age” lately, you may want to pick up a copy of molecular biologist John Medina’s newly updated and expanded book Brain Rules (or download it onto your mobile device). In the book, he marvels at the wonder that is the human... continue
Just Breathe: The Benefits of Meditation
— Tuesday, April 1, 2014 —
There is a reason why many people try meditation and few stick with it: Mastering meditation is difficult. It requires you to focus 100 percent of your attention for an extended period of time. Anyone who has tried to focus all of their... continue
Chronicles of You and You and You…
— Wednesday, January 1, 2014 —
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, and other social media websites have changed the way we communicate, learn, and behave. Each option has its proponents and its critics. It will be interesting to see... continue