Did you miss Tuesday's introductory blog? Read it now! Method 1 Taxable (non-retirement) accounts first, Tax-deferred accounts second, Roth accounts last. Pros: Allows retirement accounts to grow for the longest time tax-deferred/free. May allow Roth money to be passed on to heirs. Lower tax bills in early retirement...
Understanding the U.S. health care system, health insurance, disability insurance, and managing finances, is confusing on a good day. But when the need to understand these topics is amplified by a serious medical condition like cancer, there is even more to unpack. The consequences of...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a relatively new federal agency that, as its name suggests, watches out for consumers when it comes to financial products. Financial products are things like bank accounts, mortgages, credit cards, student loans, and car loans. The CFPB works to...
Breaking News: Thanks to a new decision by the U.S. Department of Education, many people with disabilities will receive automatic student loan forgiveness through the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge program! What is a Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge? If you have a disability and...
Have you ever been sure you picked an in-network provider for a treatment or test, but later received a surprisingly high bill? You may have experienced “surprise billing,” something that can leave patients paying unnecessarily high bills, facing debts, and fielding calls from collection agencies....
Unsure how to recover a past job’s 401(k) benefits? Learn how to track down old retirement accounts. Have you paid into a 401(k) with a past employer, but forgot about it after you switched jobs? You may be leaving money on the table. People often forget about...
The United States will be feeling the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for years. But, some of the pandemic’s financial effects make more sense than others: the average FICO score has risen from 703 to 711, but complaints to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau...
Extremely high medical bills are a huge problem in the United States, particularly for the cancer community. That’s why we are proud to announce our partnership with Upsolve, a free bankruptcy tool. Most people don’t realize that normally, filing for bankruptcy actually costs money. Bankruptcy is...
Have you ever felt pressured to pay for a medical service right after treatment, or to take out a loan or credit card to pay for a medical service? As the cost of health care rises (up 4.6% in 2019, according to CMS), hospitals are increasingly...
Informed Consent Have you ever wondered what it means to sign the legal “Informed Consent” papers when going through a clinical trial? If you are considering a particular treatment or procedure that is being offered through a clinical trial, you can’t receive that treatment or procedure...