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The Money Overview

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Tyler Foster

Latest Articles by Tyler Foster

Social Security & Medicare

Medicare’s 2027 Part B premium could climb past $215 a month, quietly shrinking next year’s Social Security raise

Retirees counting on next year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to stretch their budgets face a familiar problem: a rising Medicare Part B premium that gets...

Tax Changes & Deadlines

Retirees who skip tax withholding face a September 15 estimated-payment deadline, and missing it triggers IRS penalties

Retirees who opted out of federal income tax withholding on their pension or annuity checks have a hard deadline approaching: September 15 is the due...

Government & Policy

New SNAP work rules now reach adults up to 64, and more than a million older Americans could lose food benefits

Non-disabled adults as old as 64 now face federal time limits on food assistance, a shift that could push more than a million older Americans...

Budgeting & Saving

One in seven Americans has unclaimed money waiting, and a free national search turns up any funds filed under your name

Billions of dollars in forgotten refunds, old paychecks, and dormant bank accounts sit in state treasuries across the country, and most of the people owed...

Cost of Living

Coffee prices jumped 17.5% in a year, the fastest-rising grocery cost

American grocery shoppers are absorbing the sharpest price increase on a single supermarket staple in years. Coffee prices climbed 17.5 percent over the twelve months...

Government & Policy

Indiana suspended most of its state gas tax this summer, a rare break at the pump for its drivers

Indiana drivers are paying less at the pump this summer after the state suspended collection of two gasoline taxes that normally flow through every gallon...

Government & Policy

Anyone on Medicaid or SNAP can cut $9.25 a month off a phone or internet bill through the federal Lifeline program

Households enrolled in Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program qualify for a $9.25 monthly discount on phone or internet service through the federal Lifeline...

Retirement Planning

Savers can now withdraw up to $2,500 a year from a 401(k) for long-term-care premiums without the early penalty

Workers saving for retirement through a 401(k) can now pull up to $2,500 a year to cover long-term care insurance premiums without triggering the 10%...

Social Security & Medicare

Original Medicare covers no routine dental, vision or hearing care

Millions of Americans enrolled in Original Medicare have no federal coverage for routine dental cleanings, eye exams, hearing aids, or dentures. Federal statute explicitly bars...

IRS & Enforcement

A free IRS identity PIN blocks tax returns filed under your Social Security number

Any taxpayer who files a federal return without a required six-digit Identity Protection PIN risks an outright rejection from the IRS, a consequence that can...

Social Security & Medicare

Ads promising a big “Medicare flex card” are a scam; ignore them

Federal regulators are telling Medicare beneficiaries to stop clicking on ads that promise a loaded “flex card” for groceries, gas, or household bills. The Federal...

Retirement Planning

A revocable living trust passes your home to heirs and skips probate

Heirs who inherit a home through a standard will in California can face months of court proceedings before they gain clear title to the property....

Social Security & Medicare

Remarrying at 60 or later never cuts a widow’s Social Security survivor benefits

Widows and widowers who remarry at 60 or older keep every dollar of their Social Security survivor benefits, a protection written into federal law since...

Tax Changes & Deadlines

Appealing your home’s tax assessment can cut a property-tax bill many seniors quietly overpay

Seniors on fixed incomes lose real money each year by accepting inflated property-tax assessments without challenge. Formal appeal paths exist in every state, yet tight...

Social Security & Medicare

Scammers can reroute your Social Security deposit online, and locking your my Social Security account blocks them in about two minutes

Scammers redirected Social Security payments away from thousands of beneficiaries by exploiting weak identity checks on the agency’s 800-number telephone line, according to a September...

Insurance & Protection

If a former employer’s pension plan shut down, the federal PBGC may hold a benefit waiting in your name

Workers who changed jobs years ago and lost track of a former employer’s pension plan could have retirement money sitting unclaimed at a federal agency....

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