Tyler Foster
Latest Articles by Tyler Foster
Filing a homestead exemption can cut thousands off a retiree’s taxable home value
One of the simplest ways for a retiree to lower a property-tax bill costs nothing but a form, and millions of eligible homeowners never file...
Utilities often offer a low-income senior discount, but a retiree must ask for it
A monthly utility bill is one of the largest fixed costs in most retired households, and for many older customers a piece of it is...
Concord Hospital patients whose records leaked can claim a cash payment by September 11
No hacker broke into Concord Hospital’s systems. Instead, a class-action lawsuit alleged that the New Hampshire health system’s own websites quietly shared visitors’ information with...
Anthem drug-plan members can file a class-action claim before November 10
A settlement involving Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company has opened a window for certain policyholders to recover money they paid out of...
Customers in the 700Credit data breach can claim $50, or up to $2,500, before an October hearing
Few car buyers have ever heard of 700Credit, but the company operates quietly behind the scenes at thousands of auto, RV, and marine dealerships, running...
Farmers Insurance robocall victims can claim up to $160 by September 14
Marketing calls and text messages sent on behalf of insurance agents are the basis of a class-action settlement that could put up to $160 in...
The real IRS and Social Security never demand payment in gift cards
No federal agency accepts payment in gift cards. That single fact is enough to identify one of the most persistent scams aimed at older Americans,...
Scammers posing as fraud investigators tell seniors to move savings to safety, and that instruction is the scam
The most dangerous sentence in a phone scam often sounds like the most helpful one. A caller claiming to be a fraud investigator, a bank’s...
A free credit freeze at all three bureaus blocks thieves from opening accounts
Identity thieves usually need one thing to open a credit card or loan in someone else’s name: a lender’s ability to pull that person’s credit...
Medicare covers 100 days of skilled nursing care, but pays fully for only 20
Many families first learn Medicare’s limits on nursing care in the middle of a crisis, after a parent leaves the hospital and needs weeks of...
Medicaid’s five-year look-back penalizes seniors who gave away money before applying for nursing-home care
Older adults who move money to their children or into gifts before applying for long-term-care Medicaid often assume the transfers are a private matter. They...
Medicare’s high-income surcharge looks back two years, so a 2025 spike can raise your 2027 premium
Medicare premiums are widely assumed to track a retiree’s current income, but the program’s surcharge for higher earners runs on a built-in delay. The extra...
A Medicare Savings Program can also cover your Part A and Part B deductibles
Many people assume the help Medicare offers with the cost of coverage begins and ends with premiums. In fact, a set of programs run through...
Original Medicare has no out-of-pocket cap, so one illness can bring unlimited bills
One feature of traditional Medicare catches many people off guard the first time a serious illness strikes: there is no ceiling on what the program...
Social Security’s earnings limit jumps to $65,160 the year you reach full retirement age
Working while collecting Social Security does not automatically shrink a retiree’s benefit, but earning above a certain threshold can trigger withholding under a rule known...
A widow can claim a reduced survivor benefit at 60, then switch to her own at 70
A widow who loses a spouse in her early 60s often faces a choice that looks like an either-or decision but is really a matter...