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Major health insurers have first full year of ACA cost experience data to use in setting their 2016 rates. Looks like some (but not all) regions are in for quite a sticker shock. For 6 states reporting so far, prelim proposed rate increases ave 18+% with some over 30%. Of course, these rates...

92 yo Janitor from humble beginnings bequests millions $$$ Extreme LBYM and apparently with a knack for picking stocks. Former janitor who lived modestly leaves $6 million to library, hospital | Fox News

My 3yr old Samsung smartphone has started acting flaky so time to move on before it dies. Switching from T-Mo to ATT due to better coverage in my area. Tried out a Windows 8.1 phone in store & seemed intuitive and snappy. Big advance over WP 7 or 8. But everything seems great during a sales...

Scary case. Cancer doc profiting millions $$ from "chemo mill" fraud, including unnecessary scans and giving chemo to patients who did not have cancer at all :eek: . A nurse tried to blow the whistle to state medical board 3 years ago but they apparently refused to prosecute. Whistleblower...

Quite an interesting 97 yr old lady. HS drop-out, maid, and eventually LPN who retired from VA making $23k/yr. But apparently quite the knack for investing. From those humble beginnings she ditched her FA and became a "Penta" ($5Mil net worth). Barron's nicknamed her the "Oracle of Buffalo"...

Pretty reasonable viewpoint on deciding to ER... How I Know I'm Ready to Retire - DailyFinance

Saw this article today in all St Journal about team of 4 guys in their 70's who did a bicycling event called RAAM. It is the Race Across AMerica bicycling 3,000+mi nonstop from west to east coasts. Not only did they finish, but AVERAGED 19mph (inc rest/stops/etc.). Accompanying interview says...

United Healthcare is significantly cutting its provider network for Medicare Advantage in a number of states. Unclear just why these cuts are being made, although it appears it's not a quality move since Yale Medical Group is among those being dropped. During this open enrollment period, those...

Sad story about a man killed by SWAT team during hostage situation. Surprising part is the guy was 107, AND was apparently able to fire at officers despite being gassed & use of a "distraction device" (flashbang grenade?). Unclear what his motivation was at the end, but this sure was one tough...

After countless failed attempts over the years by a number of accomplished endurance athletes (inc herself), Diana Nyad became the 1st to make the swim from Cuba to Florida unaided (i.e. no drafting in a "shark cage"). And BTW this lady is 64 yrs young! She always says you're never too old to...

Article recounts experiences/opinions which are fairly typical around here, but some interesting views in the 'Comments' section- The Habits of Highly Effective Retirees | The Exchange - Yahoo! Finance

Having grown up in metro Detroit, I could not help but shed a tear when I ran across this collection of images- Modern Ruins of Abandoned Detroit (PHOTOS) - weather.com A sad and tragic reminder of what this historic and proud city once was :frown:

I've had a citibank card for a number of years & this PM got a phone call out of the blue. Automated voice asked me to verify a strange charge made TODAY of only $9 from a merchant I had never heard of. First thought was that the call was phishing, so I hung up & logged on to their secure acct...

Ran across this bit of positive news on aging. Seems folks now in their early 90's are functioning better both physically and mentally than counterparts born 10 yrs earlier (i.e. those born 1915 vs 1905 at same age, educational background, etc.). As the researchers put it, the elderly are...

I signed up with the site for updates, but so far the e-mail "updates" have been more like spam. Blind repetition of stuff announced long ago (e.g. Oct 1 Open Enrollment, basic Exchange features, concept of "metal" Plan levels, etc.) Visited the site today & had on-line chat with 'em, but...

At least I found it worth a read- Why Raising The Retirement Age Is A Bad Idea - Seeking Alpha

Too many mistakenly think they are FI by failing to account for HCC (inc HI, deductibles,copays, etc.). Most recent survey of US bankruptcies again finds medical bills as #1 cause. Medical Bills Are the Biggest Cause of US Bankruptcies: Study Interestingly the largest proportions were in the...

For those of us living in states who are defaulting to federally-run HI exchanges ("Marketplace"), the 'official' HHS website offers little detail & is significantly outdated (as of today- last update was Mar 1st!). Link here Marketplace is supposed to be functioning (accepting applications)...

Anyone else read this recent survey on retirement? http://wealthmanagement.ml.com/publish/content/application/pdf/GWMOL/2013_Merrill_Lynch_Retirement_Study.pdf Don't pretend to understand the scientific validity of their stats/methods, but basically a 2012-13 survey of 6,000+ US folks aged 45+...

I'm only DC, so doesn't affect me directly. But this change to traditional pensions still seems like a license for corporations to seriously underfund-- New Rule Signals Kiss of Death for Pensions - Yahoo! Finance

Points out rather drastic effect of PT w#rk on net SS benefits for those under their FRA. For such an important issue I sure haven't seen this mentioned much in popular press. How to retire like a cheapskate

Ran across this today- 10 secrets: Retire a spiritually happy millionaire - Paul B. Farrell - MarketWatch Some interesting points, but contradiction too. Sure it's nice to live in the moment (Zen), pursue your passion, and avoid doing what you hate. But not sure how one can advise only...

Anyone else catch Bob Pisani's segments on CNBC regarding retirement potfolios for 30/50/70 yr olds using ETF's? The one for 50yr olds is here- CNBC ETF Retirement Portfolio -- Target 50-Year-Old Have not worked my way through all the individual holdings but it seems like an overly complex...

Ran across this story & it turned my stomach :yuk: BBC chief to decide on Ding Dong after Thatcher press storm | Media | guardian.co.uk Regardless of politics, can't a public figure (controversial or not) RIP for at least a short bit before being ripped to shreds? As a HUGE Monty Python fan...

Looks like this guy truly mastered Zelinski's "Financial Independence on Less Than $20 a Day". A lot less ;) Off the Grid: Police Capture Maine Hermit Who Lived in Woods for 27 Years | Field & Stream