By Robert Powell; USA TODAY ~ Jan 09, 2016
The wait is over. The Fed has made its move. Now you can revisit your retirement plan and, best case, tweak it or, worst case, overhaul it. And what you do might depend on the degree to which you already prepared for the Federal Reserve raising interest rates, as it did a little over a week ago, from near zero, to a range of 0.25% (one-quarter of 1%) to 0.50% (one-half of 1%).
By Deena Beasley; Reuters ~ Jan 08, 2016
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N), which plans a $160-billion merger with Ireland-based Allergan Plc (AGN.N) to slash its U.S. tax bill, on Jan. 1 raised U.S. prices for more than 100 of its drugs, some by as much as 20 percent, according to statistics compiled by global information services company Wolters Kluwer.
Pfizer confirmed a 9.4 percent increase for heavily advertised pain drug Lyrica, which generated $2.3 billion in 2014 U.S. sales; a 12.9 percent increase for erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, which had 2014 U.S. sales of $1.1 billion; and a 5 percent increase for Ibrance, a novel breast cancer drug launched last year at a list price of $9,850 per month, or $118,200 per year.
By Jonnelle Marte; The Washington Post ~ Jan 07, 2016
In less than two weeks, taxpayers will be able to file their tax returns. But many taxpayers will have to wait longer to cash out their tax refunds thanks to new efforts from the IRS and state tax authorities to catch tax fraud.
Illinois announced this week that it will delay tax refunds to have more time to verify tax returns. State tax refunds won’t be issued until after March 1, the state’s department of revenue announced on Monday.
By Mark Miller; Reuters ~ Jan 07, 2016
CHICAGO – The U.S. stock market may give us a rocky ride in 2016, but the year is shaping up to be a good one for retirement savers. At long last, investment advisers may be required to put your best interests ahead of their own.
The U.S. Department of Labor is applying the finishing touches to the so-called fiduciary rule – a geeky-sounding phrase that actually will mean a great deal to anyone with a 401(k) or Individual Retirement Account (IRA).
By Carol Wilson; Light Reading ~ Jan 06, 2016
AT&T is seeing its best cost-per-megabyte gains for two decades, according to its top technologist, John Donovan.
In fact, Donovan said today that, after two decades in which its networks failed to match Moore’s Law improvements in performance, AT&T has now caught and exceeded that standard and will continue to improve by moving things from hardware to software and doing smarter planning of capital outlays.
The carrier is pushing beyond phones as it aims to connect cars, glucose monitors — and even the city you live in.
By Roger Cheng; CNET ~ Jan 05, 2016
AT&T once used the Consumer Electronics Show here in Las Vegas to show off its newest phones or tout its spiffed-up wireless network.
This year, it’s all about cars, glucose monitors and smart cities.
The Dallas-based telecom giant spent most of its presentation to developers Tuesday chatting up the potential of reaching its 132 million wireless customers and 45 million video customers.
By Laura Lorenzetti; Fortune ~ Jan 05, 2016
The telecom giant is betting big on connected health.
AT&T is doubling down on its commitment to connected health with the opening of its new venture at the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute in Houston, the fifth innovation center the company has started devoted to the Internet of things.
The AT&T Foundry for Connected Health, as it’s called, will open in February and focus on helping companies develop digital health innovations that connect caregivers and patients via wireless monitoring.
By Andrew G. Biggs; The Wall Street Journal ~ Jan 04, 2016
Every Democrat running for president has pledged to increase Social Security benefits, on grounds that Americans’ retirement savings are inadequate and the costs are affordable. Republicans in the race instead focus on restoring Social Security to solvency—by reducing benefits for high earners or raising the retirement age—and expanding opportunities for Americans to save. New data released Dec. 15 by the Congressional Budget Office suggest that the Republican approach is better grounded.
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar; The Associated Press ~ Jan 04, 2016
WASHINGTON (AP) — Whether it’s coverage for end-of-life counseling or an experimental payment scheme for common surgeries, Medicare in 2016 is undergoing some of the biggest changes in its 50 years.
Grandma’s Medicare usually just paid the bills as they came in. Today, the nation’s flagship health-care program is seeking better ways to balance cost, quality and access.
By Mark Zdechlik; Kaiser Health News ~ Jan 04, 2016
Solicit opinions about health insurance and you’re almost guaranteed to find consensus: It’s mystifying and irritating.
“It just seems like a lot of the buzzwords are intended to just complicate the whole thing and make it more expensive,” said David Turgeon, 46.
Health-plan enrollment season rolls on, and people shopping on healthcare.gov and the other marketplaces have until Jan. 31 to pick a plan.
