From Kimberly Foss; Forbes ~ Dec 07, 2015

On average, women outlive men by about five years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the Social Security Administration reports that women who reach age 65 can expect to live, on average, 21 more years. Overlay on that the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education’s prediction that seven out of 10 boomer women will outlive their husbands, which means that many of these women will be living as widows for 15 to 20 years.

By Katy Votava; InvestmentNews ~ Dec 07, 2015

If you’ve been following the recent news about Medicare you are well aware that folks with retirement incomes above a certain level pay surcharges for their Medicare Part B and D.

But did you know that those surcharges, officially known as the Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA), create higher Medicare payments without any additional health coverage benefits?

From “Editors”; Kiplinger ~ Dec 05, 2015

After you turn 70½, you need to start taking required minimum distributions from your 401(k)s and traditional IRAs. The exact amount is based on the balance in your retirement accounts as of December 31 of the previous year and your life expectancy according to the IRS.
See Also: 6 Good Reasons to Work Past Retirement Age

By Naomi Jagoda; The Hill ~ Dec 05, 2015

Many lawmakers hope to vote by the end of the year on a bill that makes expired and expiring tax breaks permanent, but a number of hurdles remain.

Time is running out for Congress and the White House to come to an agreement on a broad “tax extenders” package. If a deal can’t be reached soon, lawmakers will likely end up just renewing the expired provisions for one or two years without making any permanent.

By Jonathan D. Rockoff; The Wall Street Journal ~ Dec 05, 2015

Dramatic price increases for several medicines are scheduled to be the subject of a congressional hearing in the coming week.

Companies including Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. and Turing Pharmaceuticals AG have been under fire this year from doctors, patients and lawmakers over rising drug costs. Such increases have prompted investigations by congressional committees, and House Democrats have established a task force to probe drug pricing. On Wednesday, the Senate Special Committee on Aging is scheduled to hold a hearing further exploring the matter.

By Julie Appleby; Kaiser Health News ~ Dec 03, 2015

Citing the flexibility they offer, many consumers choose health plans that provide some coverage outside the insurer’s network. Traditionally, such plans not only paid a portion of the bill, but also set an annual cap on how much policy holders paid toward out-of-network care.

Not anymore.

By Mike Sorrentino; MarketWatch ~ Nov 30, 2015

Today’s retirees are not to blame for the many hardships forced upon them. Many of the clients I work with have done everything right to prepare for retirement. They were frugal, careful not to accumulate too much debt, and even built nest eggs to supplement Social Security income and perhaps even modest pension distributions.

Typically, these retirees are also very conservative, dislike volatility, and have grown weary of the stock market after witnessing the dot-com bubble burst and the highly publicized Bernie Madoff investment scandal.

By Robert Powell; MarketWatch ~ Nov 30, 2015

New research calls the venerable 80% income-replacement rule into question

New research indicates that retirees—especially in higher income brackets—might need to replace less of their pre-retirement income than they think.

Financial planners have long suggested that individuals replace 80% of their income in retirement from various sources to maintain the same standard of living they had while working.

By Salvador Rodriguez; International Business Times ~ Nov 30, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO — AT&T is raising the price of its unlimited data plan by $5, joining a recent wave of wireless carriers trying to price customers out of limitless mobile Internet. The price hike will take effect in February and bring the cost of the plan to $35 per month, with texting and calling excluded.

By Sarah Ferris; The Hill ~ Nov 27, 2015

The presidential campaign is reigniting the battle over importing prescription drugs from Canada, with all of the leading Democratic candidates endorsing the idea.

Calls for allowing people to buy directly from Canadian pharmacies are also intensifying from some Republicans in Congress, including Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa).