Tyler Foster
Latest Articles by Tyler Foster
Gas reaches $4.09 nationally, nearly $1 above last summer
The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.089 a gallon on August 4, up 93.6 cents from $3.153 a year earlier. The rounded $4.09 figure...
UnitedHealthcare exits CalPERS basic plans, forcing some Medicare families to switch carriers
CalPERS is removing two UnitedHealthcare Basic health plans for 2027, creating a carrier decision for households that pair a non-Medicare family member with a Medicare...
Medigap’s six-month enrollment window blocks health-based denials and higher prices
Medigap buyers receive one unusually powerful federal protection: a six-month period when medical history cannot be used to shut them out or inflate the premium....
An aged widow or widower receives an estimated $1,919 monthly on average in 2026
Social Security estimated that an aged widow or widower receiving benefits alone would average $1,919 a month after the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment. The number is...
$4,152 is Social Security’s 2026 maximum at full retirement age
Social Security’s maximum monthly retirement benefit for a worker claiming at full retirement age in 2026 is $4,152. Reaching it requires far more than waiting...
Some noncitizens lose Social Security after six full months outside the United States
Social Security retirement, survivor and disability payments can stop for some noncitizens after a sixth full calendar month outside the United States, even though the...
Disabled adult children may collect on a parent’s record when disability began before 22
An adult whose qualifying disability began before age 22 may receive Social Security on a parent’s earnings record, even when that adult never worked enough...
$1,890 in 2026 earnings buys one Social Security credit
Every $1,890 of covered earnings in 2026 earns one Social Security credit, up to four credits for the year. The system measures annual earnings rather...
$2,830 is the monthly blind-work threshold before Social Security calls it substantial
Social Security uses $2,830 a month as the 2026 earnings level that generally indicates substantial gainful activity for a person who meets the agency’s blindness...
$2,410 in monthly earnings can stay outside SSI for students under 22
A working student under age 22 can earn as much as $2,410 in a month without those wages entering the Supplemental Security Income calculation, but...
VA-backed home loans can require zero down and no private mortgage insurance
A VA-backed purchase loan can remove two costs that usually arrive together for a lightly funded home purchase: the down payment and monthly mortgage insurance....
Americans saved just 2.7% of disposable income in June as inflation ran 3.7%
Households put away only 2.7 cents from each dollar of disposable personal income in June while the price index tied to their spending stood 3.7%...
HUD can refund mistaken FHA mortgage-insurance payments, and confirmed checks typically arrive within 10 to 14 days
A mistaken mortgage-insurance payment does not have to remain trapped inside the Federal Housing Administration’s collection system. HUD recognizes refunds for overpayments, wrong case numbers,...
Hospice drugs can cost $5 per prescription under Medicare, while respite care can cost 5%
Medicare hospice is often described as a no-cost benefit, yet two targeted charges remain inside it. A patient can owe up to $5 for each...
Medicare-covered ambulance rides leave patients paying 20% after the Part B deductible
An ambulance can be medically necessary, covered by Medicare, and still leave a substantial bill. Under Original Medicare, Part B generally pays 80% of the...
Medicare screening mammograms cost $0, while diagnostic tests usually cost 20% after the deductible
The same mammography machine can produce two very different Medicare bills. A routine screening can carry no patient cost when the provider accepts assignment, while...