Tyler Foster
Latest Articles by Tyler Foster
Recasting a mortgage can cut the monthly payment without refinancing at today’s higher rates
A homeowner sitting on a low mortgage rate who has come into a lump sum faces an awkward problem: refinancing to lower the monthly payment...
A homestead exemption can shave hundreds off a property-tax bill and shield some home equity
A homestead exemption is one of the few tax breaks a homeowner claims once and keeps collecting for years, and in most states it removes...
Banks rarely refund a Zelle payment you were tricked into sending yourself
When a scammer tricks someone into sending money through Zelle, the bank usually keeps the customer on the hook, because federal law draws a hard...
Anyone demanding payment in gift cards is a scammer, and that money is almost never recovered
Once the numbers on the back of a gift card are read aloud to a stranger, the money is almost always gone for good —...
Tift Regional Health System data-breach victims can claim about $75 with no proof by October 15
People whose information was exposed in the 2022 data breach at Tift Regional Health System can claim an estimated $75 in cash without submitting any...
A federal program can help low-income households cover part of a winter heating bill
A federal program pays part of the heating and cooling bills for millions of low-income households, and can cover an emergency benefit when a shutoff...
Gas near $4.10 a gallon and mortgages close to 7% are squeezing fixed incomes this summer
The national average price of gasoline sat near $4.10 a gallon in late August 2026, while the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage climbed...
A partnership long-term-care policy lets you keep extra assets and still qualify for Medicaid
A special class of long-term-care insurance, sold under state Long-Term Care Partnership programs, carries a benefit ordinary policies do not: for every dollar the policy...
Read the Medicare plan letter arriving by September 30 before your costs change January 1
Each fall a plain envelope arrives that decides how much a Medicare beneficiary will pay the following year, and too many people set it aside...
A free \”Welcome to Medicare\” visit is available during your first year on Part B
New Medicare enrollees have a benefit waiting for them that costs nothing and expires if it is not used in time. The one-time “Welcome to...
Many Medicare Advantage plans give a monthly allowance for groceries or over-the-counter items
A benefit that puts money on a card for groceries or drugstore purchases sounds too good to be true, yet many Medicare Advantage plans offer...
Some doctors can add a 15% surcharge to Medicare’s rate, and a few states ban it
A Medicare beneficiary who assumes the program’s approved rate is the final price can be caught off guard by a bill that runs higher. Doctors...
Medicare covers hospice care in full, including drugs and support for the whole family
Among the benefits Medicare offers, few are as complete as its coverage of hospice care, and few are as widely misunderstood by the families who...
A special Medicare plan for people who also have Medicaid can cut costs to nearly zero
Older Americans who hold both Medicare and Medicaid often pay almost nothing for their medical care, yet many never enroll in the plan built for...
Social Security is shielded from most creditors, but the government can still take part for taxes or support
A Social Security check enjoys one of the strongest legal shields in American finance, but the shield has deliberate holes. A federal law known as...
A younger spouse caring for the worker’s child can collect Social Security with no age penalty
Social Security’s spousal benefit normally punishes anyone who claims it early: file before full retirement age and the check is permanently reduced. There is one...
