Sprint Making a Bold Offer to Beat AT&T

The company is going after DirecTV’s customers.

From Daniel Kline; The Motley Fool ~ Sep 02, 2015

Sprint (NYSE:S) has gotten aggressive.

The struggling wireless carrier, which has fallen to fourth place in the highly competitive field, has set its sights on one of the market leaders, AT&T (NYSE:T), which just completed a $49 billion purchase of DirecTV. Sprint’s new offer targets the satellite customers AT&T acquired in that deal, offering them a year of free phone service if they switch to Sprint.




Trustees: Social Security Will Run $84 Billion Deficit in 2015

By Barbara Hollingsworth; Cybercast News Service ~ Sep 01, 2015

(CNSNews.com) – The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program commonly known as Social Security, which celebrated its 80th birthday on August 14, is projected to run an $84 billion deficit this year, according to the 2015 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees.

“Social Security’s cost exceeded its tax income in 2014, and also exceeded its non-interest income, as it has since 2010,” the trustees’ 75th annual report to Congress stated.




AT&T recommends shareholders reject TRC Capital’s 3 million share mini-tender offer

By Tomi Kilgore; MarketWatch ~ Sep 01, 2015

AT&T Inc. T, -2.65% disclosed in a regulatory filing after Tuesday’s closing bell that TRC Capital Corp. has made an unsolicited “mini-tender” offer to buy up to 3 million of the telecom company’s shares. The offer, dated Aug. 27, is for $31.30 a share, or 3.2% below Tuesday’s closing price of $32.32. The offer expires on Sept. 25, unless extended by TRC. “AT&T wishes to inform its shareholders that it recommends rejection of this unsolicited offer and that AT&T is in no way associated with TRC Capital Corporation,” AT&T stated in the filing. The number of shares TRC is offering to buy represents less than 0.1% of AT&T shares outstanding, which is about 6.15 billion shares, according to FactSet. The stock, which ticked up 0.2% in after-hours trade, has lost 5.9% over the past three months, while the S&P 500 SPX, -2.96% has dropped 9.4%.




Big Year Looming for AT&T Biz Services?

By Carol Wilson; Light Reading ~ Aug 31, 2015

AT&T’s emergence as a leading force in the global transformation of telecom is facing a crucial period: Will its efforts, which company officials have been publicly stressing the last two years, pay off in increased revenues in the multi-national enterprise sector?

One industry analyst thinks there are signs the answer is yes.




Unclaimed assets: Are you missing money?

By Kelli B. Grant , CNBC; USA TODAY ~ Aug 29, 2015

Do you know where your money is? Even those consumers meticulous about their budgets could have missing cash lingering in a state property fund.

States are collectively holding on to $41.7 billion in unclaimed assets, including dormant bank accounts, stock splits, life insurance payouts, gift cards and uncashed payroll checks among other funds, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, a collective of state officials. In 2010, the association estimated, the value of property being held was $32.8 billion.




Woman’s Efforts to Change Will Without Professional Assistance Backfire

ElderLawAnswers ~ Aug 27, 2015

Just as making a will without the help of a qualified attorney can be dangerous, trying to change an existing will on your own can fail as well. A recent court decision in Minnesota serves as a cautionary reminder to anyone thinking of altering their estate plan on their own.

Esther Sullivan executed a will in 2006, that gave half of her property to a former employee of hers, Tara Jean Johnson. The grandson of Ms. Sullivan, Joseph VanHale, received a lesser share.




Medicare’s Maze – How to Maximize Benefits

By Casey Dowd; Fox Business ~ Aug 27, 2015

Once you reach that golden age of 65 Medicare steps in to take care of most of your healthcare needs. Part A covers your hospitalization and Part B your doctor visits. You can purchase a supplemental plan to offset some of your out of pocket expenses and pick up Part D for prescription drug coverage.

But there are a lot of exclusions with Medicare plans and for Baby Boomers living on a fixed income, those exclusions along with the out of pocket expenses can have a huge impact on your financial future.




New Medicare rule may make it harder for amputees to get prosthetics

By Stephen Feller; United Press International ~ Aug 26, 2015

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) — A proposed change to rules for Medicare to cover prosthetic devices would make it harder for many amputees to afford them, according to two amputee rights groups.

If approved, the rule would require amputees to be able to walk without a cane and with the “appearance of natural gait,” which the rights groups and others have called too subjective a determination to be fair to patients.




Can Downsizing Save Your Retirement?

By Ashlea Ebeling; Forbes ~ Aug 26, 2015

Every asset in your portfolio should have a role—even your home

For many Americans, their home ends up being one of their largest if not the largest single investment asset in their portfolio, but they neglect to incorporate it into their overall financial plan. That can be a big mistake. “People lament over selling their home; they don’t make very good decisions out of desperation or when there are high emotions involved,” says Robert Stammers, director of investor education at the CFA Institute.




Skipping blood pressure pills may raise heart failure risk

By Lisa Rapaport; Reuters ~ Aug 25, 2015

(Reuters Health) – Patients who frequently fail to take prescribed blood pressure-lowering medications may be more likely to wind up hospitalized for heart failure than people who only miss pills occasionally, an Italian study suggests.

While plenty of previous experiments have proven that daily medications to treat hypertension, or high blood pressure, can help minimize the risk of heart failure, less is known about real-world outcomes for people who don’t always take their pills, the researchers note in the journal Hypertension.










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