From Anthony Ruben; Seeking Alpha ~ Nov 25, 2015

Summary

· T recently completed two acquisitions and a multi-year major wireless upgrade.

· Operating cash flow is surging while the dividend payout ratio is falling.

· Expect T to “celebrate” its success with a quarterly dividend increase of as much as $0.02/share.

AT&T (NYSE:T) typically announces the annual dividend increase in shareholder dividends in mid-December. The dividend, probably more so than even the stock price, is the main attraction for many, perhaps most, investors.

By Michelle Andrews; Kaiser Health News ~ Nov 24, 2015

Many primary care practitioners will be a little poorer next year because of the expiration of a health law program that has been paying them a 10 percent bonus for caring for Medicare patients. Some say the loss may trickle down to the patients, who could have a harder time finding a doctor or have to wait longer for appointments. But others say the program has had little impact on their practices, if they were aware of it at all.

By Guy Bentley; The Daily Caller ~ Nov 23, 2015

Pfizer and Allergan are preparing to merge in a $160 billion deal that will create the world’s largest drug company. But instead of being based in the U.S., the heart of medical innovation, the new company will headquarter in Ireland.

By Chris Conover; Forbes ~ Nov 23, 2015

Ø The annual rate of healthcare inflation is at a 6 decade low

Ø Five-and-a-half years into Obamacare we still face the same excess growth in health spending as we did before Obamacare

There’s good news on the healthcare inflation front. The annual rate of healthcare inflation is at a 6 decade low .

From Eric Hutchinson, AdviceIQ ; USA TODAY ~ Nov 22, 2015

The rules about when you must take out money from your individual retirement account and other such vehicles are vexing. Mess this up, and you owe a penalty. Here’s what anyone nearing age 70 must know.

If you are age 70½ or older or turn 70½ by this year’s end and have tax-deferred retirement accounts, the Internal Revenue Service has your number. That number: your required minimum distribution (RMD), or what you must begin distributing from your various individual retirement accounts.

From Eve Kaplan; USA TODAY ~ Nov 21, 2015

The state of Americans’ retirement preparation is shocking. Why is this, and what can people do about it?

PBS ran its Frontline documentary The Retirement Gamble a few years ago, and it’s still pertinent. It’s hard to watch this program without a sense of horror at the way our retirement plan system is rigged to rip off Americans struggling to save for their later years after working.

By Jonnelle Marte; The Washington Post ~ Nov 09, 2015

Last week President Obama signed into law a budget deal that eliminated a lucrative Social Security strategy for married couples.

The strategy, known as file-and-suspend, is when one spouse applies to receive Social Security retirement benefits and then suspends the payments.

By Vipal Monga; The Wall Street Journal ~ Nov 09, 2015

Congress is coming under fire for big pension premium increases it passed last week as part of a sweeping budget and debt deal.

President Barack Obama last week signed a budget that included a stiff 25% increase in the fees companies with defined benefit plans must pay to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Companies with pensions will pay $80 per person in the plan to the nation’s pension insurer by 2019, up from $64 in 2016.

From Richard Eisenberg; Forbes ~ Nov 06, 2015

Some people protect themselves from the exorbitant out-of-pocket cost of long-term care (median annual price of a private room in a nursing home: $91,250, according to Genworth Financial), by buying long-term care insurance policies. But here’s some stunning news during what the long-term care industry calls Long Term Care Awareness Month:

By Liz Weston; Reuters ~ Nov 02, 2015

(The author is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.)

Nov 2 (Reuters) – Even people decades away from retirement should pay close attention to how Congress just ended two lucrative ways of taking Social Security benefits, known jointly as the “claim now, claim more later” strategy.