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My county re-assessed home values last year- done regularly every two years. The firm they hired did a terrible job- many people saw their properties go up 75-100% and their property taxes went up accordingly. An unusual number of properties, including a vacant lot, all got the same valuation...

I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse 2+ years ago so that part is not new. What I noticed from the beginning is breathlessness on exertion-have had to scale back my workouts, avoid bicycling uphill, take it easy walking uphill...not awful in the grand scheme of things at almost 71 years...

I usually get SS on the second Wednesday of the month but a couple of days ago my Fidelity checking account showed a deposit from SSA of $23. This morning I saw another for $230. I went to MySSA.gov and the $230 payment is described in the Payment History as a "one-time payment". Well, THAT's...

This has been discussed in other threads (which I can't find, of course) but this article landed in my e-mail today. It was written by and for actuaries but is clear enough for the average person to understand. https://ar.casact.org/unexpected-developments-in-personal-auto/ Briefly: It's...

I've been sort of tolerant of fireworks up to now even though the guy across the lake from me is enamored of them- New Year's, the Chiefs wins, etc. I even bring "lite" ones up to my grandchildren- the poppers you throw on the ground, smaller ones that spin and fly very short distances and...

I've been using Costco Optical for years after seeing the advice here. I just got a letter form the Optometrist who does all the appointments; she said that Costco had found it "difficult to find associate doctors to continue to provide the coverage needed" and now they're switching to a...

I tried to post this in a previous thread and the computer ate it because the thread was over 262 days old.:mad: Anyway- I have the grandchildren's 529s at EJ in accounts that can be invested in ETFs. The advisor knows I have my (significant) retirement investments elsewhere but hasn't been...

Those of you less paranoid than I am about sharing health data, please skip this thread!;D I got a link to this study from a CVS e-mail. Here's the general link. https://www.heartline.com/ Will try to be brief. They're looking for people 65+ to record health data, either through an app or...

Link to article Delay Social Security or Not? How Lump Sum Payments Could Help Interesting idea: studies they've done show that people planning to quit work at 62 and collect SS might be motivated to keep working if they were offered that same monthly amount at a later age (e.g., FRA) plus a...

I'm due for a mammogram and two developments have kicked me into the high-risk group. Maternal Grandma died of breast cancer but she was 74, overweight and smoked most of her life. Mom died of BC but she was 85, although it was a recurrence from when she had it at 78. My sister, age 63, had a...

When I mentioned this in Upcoming Travel, some members asked that I let them know how it went. I'm in Reykjavik for a week and took this trip yesterday. All in, it was a little over $600. I am SO grateful I have the resources for experiences such as this. First, my favorite picture-me with...

DH died this morning- a relief after his life and activities becoming more and more limited since it was determined that his acute myeloid leukemia wasn't responding to treatment in late August. Thanks to hospice, he died peacefully at home in a cloud of Lorazepam, Haldol and morphine, which...

DH was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia a month ago and, although he's being treated for it, he's in the expected stage where things get worse before they get better. Right now he's weak and unsteady on his feet. He has a doc appointment on Monday so I can get his take on whether this has...

DH's regular eyeglasses (he has a separate pair for computer use) have a break in one stem and he wanted to get them repaired. We went off to Costco and found, not surprisingly in this throwaway world, they can't be repaired. And, because of a state law, new frames means a new vision exam and...

This just in. http://www.pionline.com/article/20160803/ONLINE/160809964/actuarial-leaders-disband-task-force-object-to-paper-on-public-plan-liabilities Briefly- a joint Task Force of actuaries from the Society of Actuaries (mostly Life/Pension types) and the American Academy of Actuaries...

DH has been treated for the last several months for a leg ulcer that was not healing on its own. This has involved weekly visits, then biweekly, to the local medical center. It's almost completely healed. When the bills for the visits started to arrive and I dug into the details, it turned...

A friend recently e-mailed me with questions about a product offered by his financial advisor. (Insert sound of alarm bells ringing here.;D) He's 60, so LTC would be prohibitively expensive now. The advisor said there's a single-payment life insurance policy that also offers partial...

I had an annual mammogram last month. It was coded as preventative. The facility offered a 3-D mammo for another $35, payable up front. I accepted that; my mother is a BC survivor so a higher-quality test is better. Last week I got a bill from the provider (very large hospital) for...

It's been a crazy time but DH and I are due to close on selling our current house on June 26 and buy a (slightly) smaller house on July 1. I'd always joked that my dream of retirement was to live on a lake and have a kayak. Unbelievably, we found that rare house on the lake that doesn't come...

I got a great laugh today. I retired a year ago at age 61 rather than the planned-for age 65 because my BS bucket was full and because I could. Passive-aggressive boss (I pretty much fired myself) added the zinger to the agreement I signed that I was not eligible for re-employment...

I try not to get all crazy about clueless people on FaceBook, but sometimes I can't help it. ___ Original post by former HS classmate, a very smart and very unconventional guy: "'Wealth management' is a euphemism for...??" Person 1: "Fat Cats hoarding?" Me: "'Give us all your money and...

On another forum there was a discussion of the hazards of ID theft from carrying SS cards around in your purse or wallet. That's silly, I thought- I memorized mine years ago and so did DH. No need to carry around a card. Then I remembered that DH's Medicare card (he signed up a couple of months...

Hi! This all happened really fast but in a way I've been preparing for it since I started my first job straight out of college. I grew up with good examples- Dad started investing in stocks in his 30s, well before 401(k)s, the Internet and discount brokerages. I also saw him get edged out...