Retirement Daily

02/17/2026

If you got a letter from Social Security saying your Medicare premiums are going up, don’t assume it’s a done deal.

For many people, the increase is tied to IRMAA, the income-related adjustment that can raise Part B and Part D premiums when your income crosses certain thresholds.

But here’s the part that gets missed: If your income dropped because of a “life-changing event” (retirement, work reduction, divorce, death of a spouse, loss of pension income, certain employer settlements, etc.), you may be able to appeal.

finStream.tv put together a free educational tool to help you:

Understand why premiums increased

See whether you may qualify to appeal

Identify the documents you’ll likely need

Get step-by-step guidance on Form SSA-44

If this hits your household, or your clients are confused by that letter, this should help.

Get started →

Free educational tool to help Medicare beneficiaries appeal IRMAA premium increases. Check eligibility, learn what documents you need, and get step-by-step Form SSA-44 guidance.

01/02/2026

Home insurance costs are soaring. Here’s how to fight back

Advice and guidance from Meaghan Dowd CAPI, CPRIA, PLCS, CLCS, Thomas F. Ravert, CFP®, Marc Kadomatsu, CFP®,ChFC®,CLU®, and Joshua Brooks, CFP®.

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11/18/2025

America is facing a growing caregiving crisis. With healthcare worker shortages and dementia cases rising, more families are being forced to fill the gaps, often at enormous emotional and financial cost.

In particular, younger Americans who step away from work to care for aging parents risk derailing their own retirement, John McHugh, an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, said in a recent Yahoo Finance podcast.

His research shows that even short caregiving breaks can leave workers 40% to 90% short of the savings they’ll need by age 65, forcing many to work seven to 21 years longer to catch up.

McHugh, the lead researcher of The State of Family Caregiving study, said the setbacks come from more than lost wages. Caregivers lose employer retirement matches, miss out on compounding and career advancement and, in some cases, take on debt – a combination that can turn a temporary pause into a decades-long financial hit.

So how might someone avoid ending up with a decades-long financial setback?

Give a listen.

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/why-younger-caregivers-may-7-200018117.html

As America experiences a shortage of healthcare workers and an aging population, more and more families are being forced to shoulder the financial and emotional burden of caring for their loved ones. On this week's Decoding Retirement, host Robert "Bob" Powell dives into the details of a new study o...

11/12/2025

I've not done it (and truth be told, I'm still a little bit skeptical), but Jillian Johnsrud is proof that it can be done and done well.

Johnsrud, author of Retirement Often, has taken numerous mini-retirements during her career without suffering any adverse financial effects.

In this Yahoo Finance podcast, she describes how you too can cycle in and out of the workforce, in and out of retirement.

Has your career given you burnout? Are you wondering when you will be able to focus on the things that matter most to you? On this episode of Decoding Retirement, host Bob Powell speaks with author Jillian Johnsrud about her new book "Retire Often," and how taking several 'mini-retirements' througho...

10/29/2025

Older adults lost more than $3.4 billion to fraud in 2023, according to the FBI — and that’s likely an undercount. Only one in 25 cases is ever reported.

With artificial intelligence and other technologies making scams more convincing, the threat is growing, said Matthew Sommer Ph.D., CFA, CFP®, managing director at Janus Henderson Investors.

“The fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated,” Sommer said in a recent Yahoo Finance Decoding Retirement podcast. “And as a result, their scams are taking advantage of many more people.”

In the podcast, Sommer addressed

- What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed

- Who Is Most Vulnerable?

- Red Flags and Warning Signs

- “Pig Butchering”

- How Most Financial Exploitation Is Personal

- Supporting Loved Ones After a Scam

With the rise of AI, internet and phone-based scams are becoming harder to detect, especially among vulnerable populations like seniors. On this episode of Decoding Retirement, host Robert Powell speaks with Matthew Sommer, head of the specialist consulting group at Janus Henderson Investors, about....

10/21/2025

🔎 Medicare’s “Dirty Little Secrets” — What You Need to Know Before Choosing a Plan

Like Toto pulling back the curtain on the great and powerful Oz, three Medicare experts recently joined me on Yahoo Finance's Decoding Retirement podcast to expose some of Medicare’s best-kept secrets — insights every consumer should know before enrolling.

Among the biggest revelations: licensed agents often earn up to three times more for selling Medicare Advantage plans than for Medigap policies — a built-in conflict of interest that may steer consumers toward plans that aren’t necessarily in their best interest.

“People who are enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan have no idea that an individual is potentially going to be earning a commission year after year,” said Fred Riccardi, president of the Medicare Rights Center.

Experts Jae Oh and Marcia Mantell, RMA®️, NSSA®️ explained why these commission structures exist — and what beneficiaries can do to protect themselves, including checking an agent’s National Producer Number (NPN) and using Medicare’s official Plan Compare tool for unbiased plan listings.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on Decoding Retirement for practical advice and consumer protection tips:

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/14-000-mistake-retirees-during-190053208.html

Medicare's "dirty little secrets" - the hidden costs, coverage gaps and commission conflicts that could cost retirees thousands. You'll learn why so-called "free" Medicare Advantage plans aren't always what they seem, how switching plans can be risky, and what every retiree needs to know before open...

10/15/2025

Expert Strategies for Using Medicare’s Plan Compare Effectively

Featuring Tricia Neuman, KFF Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Program on Medicare Policy

Millions of Americans are now navigating Medicare’s open enrollment season — comparing plans, weighing costs, and trying to make sense of Medicare’s Plan Compare tool.

“The reality is, no matter how much you know about this, it’s actually quite complicated,” Neuman said in this week’s Yahoo Finance Decoding Retirement podcast.

Neuman shared actionable advice to help beneficiaries avoid costly mistakes and make confident coverage choices:

✅ Define your priorities first — Decide whether you prefer Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage before you dive into Plan Compare.

✅ Look beyond premiums — “Zero-premium doesn’t mean zero-cost,” Neuman said. Pay attention to out-of-pocket limits and network coverage.

✅ Check provider networks and pharmacies — Yes, it’s tedious, but small differences can have big financial consequences.

✅ Seek help — Contact your local SHIP counselor for free, unbiased guidance — or ask paid agents about potential commission conflicts.

“These decisions affect your doctors, hospitals, and drug coverage,” Neuman said. “It’s a lot of work — but it’s worth it.”

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode here https://finance.yahoo.com/video/key-comparing-medicare-plans-dont-190010602.html

Choosing the right Medicare plan can feel like solving a puzzle, but there’s one tool that can make it much easier. In this episode of Decoding Retirement, Bob Powell and senior vice president at KFF Tricia Neuman discuss how to use the Medicare Plan Finder to compare plans, uncover hidden costs, ...

10/13/2025

Medicare’s Annual Notice of Change: Have You Read Yours Yet?

Tens of millions of Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage or Part D plans have just received their Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) — that thick letter or email detailing what’s changing in your plan for 2026.

Ignore it, and you could be in for an unpleasant (and expensive) surprise next year.

In this week’s Yahoo Finance Decoding Retirement episode, (the first of a six-part series) I talk with Frederic Riccardi, president of the Medicare Rights Center, about what to look for in your ANOC — and how to make sure your plan still works for you.

🎧 We cover:
✅ The key sections to review — premiums, copays, formularies, and provider networks
⚠️ Red flags that could cost you money or access to care
💡 How the new $2,100 out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs will work in 2026

“Don’t rely on what someone at your door tells you,” Riccardi warns. “Get your information from your plan and trusted sources.”

👉 Listen to the full episode of Decoding Retirement here

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10/10/2025

The GLP-1 Tsunami: Why Your Health Insurance Premiums Are About to Spike
57 million Americans with employer health insurance are clinically eligible for GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.

The GLP-1 Tsunami: Why Your Health Insurance Premiums Are About to Spike Here's a sobering stat: 57 million Americans with employer health insurance are clinically eligible for GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Only 3% are currently using them. What happens when that gap closes? New research from...

10/09/2025

Five days, one goal. To help you make better decisions during this year's Medicare Open Enrollment Period.

10/08/2025

Link: https://youtube.com/live/aSwGYx4sF38
Please join us for FinStream TV Live on Thursday, October 9th at 11 am. Our guest will be Jae Oh, MBA, CFP®, CLU® ChFC® is a nationally recognized Medicare expert and author of Maximize Your Medicare, and Education Fellow at the Alliance for Lifetime Income. Jae will be discussing the wide-reaching changes to health insurance that are coming in 2026. Both the ACA (Obamacare) and Medicare will be affected, as a result of increased healthcare costs and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025). This information-only session will cover: ACA (Obamacare) changes and how/why premiums will skyrocket for many Medicare ABCs (abbreviated) Medicare 2026 Changes Dramatic Effects on Household Finances and What to Do Chat will be live so questions are encouraged throughout. Subscribe to FinStream's YouTube channel to be notified when we go live:

FinStream TV Live on Thursday, October 9th at 11 am. Our guest will be Jae Oh, MBA, CFP®, CLU® ChFC® is a nationally recognized Medicare expert and author o...