By Dan Caplinger; Fox Business ~ Sep 19, 2015

Medicare is an essential part of how most Americans age 65 or older handle their healthcare costs. But the program is far from perfect. In particular, what has become known as the Medicare donut hole forces participants to face an expensive gap in coverage in their Part D prescription drug plans, and even though the government is taking steps to make this gap less severe, it nevertheless plays a key role in the financial decisions that Medicare participants have to make every year. Below, we’ll take a closer look at the Medicare donut hole and how it actually works.

By Jon Brodkin; Ars Technia ~ Sep 18, 2015

AT&T has filed a lawsuit against three former employees and a company that sells phone unlocking codes, claiming that they installed malware on AT&T’s computer systems in order to illegally unlock hundreds of thousands of mobile phones.

By Robert Laura; Forbes ~ Sep 18, 2015

I know everyone is talking about dividend paying stocks, high-yield bonds, REITs or an MLP or two, but the most important investment decisions any new or existing retiree needs to make is with their cash.

From Michael Helveston; Forbes ~ Sep 18, 2015

Times have changed and so have the rules. The following rules should be tossed-out or discussed with a financial planner who can help you apply them properly:

1. You only need 75% of your pre-retirement income to live comfortably in retirement

Unless you plan on cutting back on travel and recreation in retirement, you will likely need the same amount or more to live on. The first 10 to 15 years are likely to be the most active ones in retirement, so you need to plan on spending at least the same amount as while you were working.

By Thomas Perez & Jeff Zients; CNNMoney ~ Sep 15, 2015

Thomas Perez is the U.S. Secretary of Labor. Jeff Zients is the White House National Economic Council Director.

When you receive medical treatment, you know that your doctor has taken a sworn oath to consider your best interest. The same goes for a lawyer. But believe it or not, financial advisers operate under no such commitment, even though they hold your precious, hard-earned nest egg in their hands.

By Jordan Rau & Jenny Gold; Kaiser Health News ~ Sep 14, 2015

A high-profile Medicare experiment pushing doctors and hospitals to join together to operate more efficiently has yet to save the government money, with nearly half of the groups costing more than the government estimated their patients would normally cost, federal records show.

By Kelli Kennedy, AP; Ocala Starbanner ~ Sep 12, 2015

MIAMI — A new model of health care run by doctors and hospitals is growing and saving money in the taxpayer-funded Medicare program, according to a new report from the federal government. However, experts say most patients still don’t understand how an Accountable Care Organization works.

And while early data shows financial improvements, experts say it’s too early to know the long-term financial impact.

By Mark Miller; Reuters ~ Sep 10, 2015

(Reuters) – Should 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries shoulder a 52 percent premium hike next year while the other 70 percent pay no more at all? Advocates for seniors do not think so, and they are making a push to convince Congress to stop it from happening.

The Medicare population vulnerable to shouldering the larger premium includes some federal and state government employees, people who sign up for Medicare for the first time next year, low-income seniors whose premiums are paid by state Medicaid plans and high-income seniors who already pay premium surcharges.

By Kelli Emerick; The Hill ~ Sep 10, 2015

Medicare just turned 50, but it’s in very fragile health. Millions of seniors rely on a program that is on the verge of bankruptcy, with a staggering $60 billion committed in fraud every year, according to the Government Accountability Office. It’s time to bring the Medicare program into the 21st century and upgrade the Medicare card.

Two things are notable about our current Medicare system. First, while Medicare has undergone a number of changes and expansions of the program since 1966, one thing that has not changed in 50 years are the paper cards that beneficiaries use to access services.

By Walter Updegrave; CNNMoney ~ Sep 09, 2015

My husband and I are in our 60s and are considering putting a portion of our savings into an annuity. What type should we consider? –Lois

When it comes to annuities, the variety and complexity of choices can be confusing. But for anyone who’s retired or approaching retirement looking to turn a portion of their nest egg into guaranteed lifetime income, I believe the choice comes down to two types: an immediate annuity or a longevity annuity.