Quitting Your Job? Be Aware Of COBRA

Quitting Your Job? Be Aware Of COBRA

According to eHealth almost 50% of Americans receive subsidized group health insurance through their employer. Given the phenomenally complex health insurance marketplace one has to navigate these days, not to mention the cost, that’s a huge benefit. But what happens if you want to change employers? Thanks to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (also…
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It’s A Dangerous World Out There

The U.S. Justice Department recently released the 2022 FBI Elder Fraud Report. It does not make for enjoyable reading. There were almost 90,000 victims of fraud over the age of 60 last year. And they lost in aggregate over $3.1 billion, an increase of 84% over 2021. What are some of the biggest scams and…
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A Major Banking Scandal Finally Ends

You may be familiar with the term “LIBOR.” It stands for the London Interbank Offering Rate, and had been used for decades by banks worldwide for interbank short-term lending and more popularly as the base rate in the U.S. for calculating the interest on a variety of personal loans. Well, it’s gone. As of July…
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In Memoriam: Harry Markowitz

Harry Markowitz died last month. You probably didn’t hear about it in the traditional media sources. They tend to limit their obituaries to entertainment and sports stars, politicians, and other well-known personalities. Yet I contend that Markowitz has had a much greater impact on your life than practically any of those others. Markowitz was the…
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Has The Time Come For Universal Basic Income?

Last year the city of Oakland launched a program called Resilient Families to provide 600 low-income families with $500 a month for 18 months without any limitations on how the money can be spent. The funding came from donations from a philanthropic partnership (Blue Meridian Partners) and the program is run by a non-profit (UpTogether).…
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Evaluating Seniors For Decision Making Capability

Early in my financial planner career I worked for a firm with a 75-year old client who had become a recent widow. A phone scammer had gotten hold of her and was persuasive enough to convince her to send a hundred dollars in gift cards to an address in the Caribbean. That one indiscretion resulted…
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