Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | May 25, 2020 |
Americans aged 50 or more are experiencing gray divorce more than ever. The term gray divorce generally refers to the baby boomer generation and affects all classes and education levels. Research shows that splitting during middle age is particularly damaging to your financial well being. Accor...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | May 18, 2020 |
In this COVID-19 epidemic, a difficult question especially demands an answer: if you or someone you love is taken down into life-threatening illness, how far would you want extreme life-prolonging measures to be tried?
For us who are particularly vulnerable – seniors, those with compromised i...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | May 11, 2020 |
Seniors who struggle to adapt to the internet of things (IoT) using digital devices that require typing, clicking, or swiping can now rely on voice commands to get the information they need and the people with whom they want to communicate.
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | May 04, 2020 |
Writing a letter of intent (LOI) for your special needs child can help bring them family continuity and comfort after you are gone. As a parent, the most valuable asset your child has is you and your ability to care for them. You, like no other, fully understand the nuances of your child's copi...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Apr 27, 2020 |
Many parents are uncomfortable talking to their kids about their wealth. Talking about how much money or property you have is usually viewed as taboo. Asking someone else about what they have is often considered impolite. But failing to talk to kids about how much they may inherit could leave...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Apr 20, 2020 |
The medically recommended protocols for social distancing and government mandates that restrict large gatherings of Americans to slow the spread of the coronavirus are minimizing our abilities to interact with each other. This isolation holds especially true for those seniors who live alone or ...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Apr 13, 2020 |
Millennials include fiscally conservative, savings oriented, and future planners seeking financial freedom as core attributes. A large part of millennials' formative years was influenced by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis beginning in 2007, shortly followed by an international banking crisis, ...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Apr 06, 2020 |
There has been an explosion in the numbers of Americans rushing to make their will online. Understandably, the coronavirus pandemic has created the scramble to set up wills and end-of-life-directives. However, online do it yourself (DIY) wills are often deemed invalid as they do not comply wi...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Mar 30, 2020 |
Say your spouse is living in a nursing home because of advanced Parkinson's. Your spouse is currently receiving Medicaid benefits to pay for the high cost of that care. If you were to pass before your spouse, you wouldn't want your spouse to inherit all your life savings, no matter how much you...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Mar 23, 2020 |
The sudden rise of the coronavirus, COVID-19, has left many unprepared and confused. There are numerous reports of shortages of antibacterial hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and even toilet paper. While we can't predict when something like COVID-19 might strike, we can take steps to prepare...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Mar 16, 2020 |
The baby boom generation is comprised of those Americans born 1946-1964, and according to the US Census Bureau (Bureau of Census), their numbers are estimated to be 73 million strong. This number represents nearly 20 percent of the American public. As they enter their 60, 70, and 80th decades, ...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Mar 10, 2020 |
In France, proposals to raise the retirement age are met with street protests. Yet around the world, the retirement age is creeping up; in the United States, it is moving up from 65 to 67. In fact, 2019 research shows that many Americans expect that they might never retire at all. People simply...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Mar 02, 2020 |
There is a wide range of home health care services available from daily household tasks to medical care. Before identifying a health care service for information, get a clear idea of what you are in the market for, be it recovery from surgery or long-term care for a chronic illness. The first s...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Feb 24, 2020 |
Anyone can become either temporarily or permanently disabled. Some projections are estimating that Americans in their 20s today have an approximate 30 percent chance of experiencing a disability profound enough to cause them to miss three or more months of work before retiring. Despite the risk...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Feb 17, 2020 |
Americans are facing an escalating long-term care (LTC) crisis. Industry driven, massively underpriced policies are playing fiscal catch up with hefty premium rate increases. This price increase is forcing some aging Americans to abandon their policy while others struggle to reduce their amount...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Feb 10, 2020 |
When policymakers consider the costs of dementias like Alzheimer's disease, they consider both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs, in this instance, are the medical and social/non-medical care costs related to dementia; on average, expenses included $273 per month spent on medical supplies...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Feb 03, 2020 |
Congress has passed a bipartisan appropriations bill. In the contents of this spending bill is a piece of legislation known as the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE), the first significant change in retirement legislation since the Pension Protection Act in 2006....
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Jan 27, 2020 |
Couples often bring children into a marriage from a prior marriage or union and then have children together. This is often referred to as a blended family. Blended families highlight the need for careful estate planning to make sure the needs of each spouse are met, as well as the needs of each...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Jan 20, 2020 |
A living will lays out your preferences for life-sustaining medical treatment. It is often accompanied by a health-care proxy or power of attorney, which allows someone to make treatment decisions for you if you are incapacitated and the living will does not have specific instructions for the ...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Jan 13, 2020 |
Although it can be useful to have another party available to keep track of bills when you're sick or away, adding a child's name to a bank account may be more of a hassle than it's worth. Doing so may have unintended consequences for both you and the child.
First of all, the money in your acco...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Jan 06, 2020 |
Caring for a seriously ill spouse can trigger relationship challenges. In the process of change, you can lose your best friend, your love, and your future as you both had imagined it. Promises will change from words spoken in oath on your wedding day to deeds of care in your mostly, but not ex...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Dec 30, 2019 |
In the United States, turning 65 years of age is a milestone on many levels, but before this birthday, there is a hefty checklist that you need to address to continue aging successfully. Overall the most crucial thing to do before turning 65 is to invest your time wisely crafting the best appro...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Dec 23, 2019 |
Health experts have been advising people for years about unhealthy habits being the cause of "lifestyle" diseases that are increasing across the US. These lifestyle diseases become more common with age and include heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and Alzheimer's disease. Around the...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Dec 16, 2019 |
There are 58 million Americans five years of age or older that are identified as special needs making them the largest single minority in this country. The majority of federal and state benefits available to help persons with disabilities are needs based, meaning income and assets are strictly ...
Posted by Brad Sarkauskas | Dec 09, 2019 |
Kiplinger.com is suggesting it is time to rethink your financial retirement portfolio. You may have built up a significant nest egg in a 401(k) plan, but it does come with serious baggage during your golden years. It is impossible to argue against the early stages of a 401(k) when employers mat...