Senior Living
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Lack of affordability tops older Americans’ list of health care worries
What weighs most heavily on older adults’ minds when it comes to health care?
The cost of services and therapies, and their ability to pay.
“It’s on our minds a whole lot because of our age and because everything keeps getting more expensive,” said Connie Colyer, 68, of Pleasureville, Kentucky. She’s a retired forklift operator who ...Read more
Social Security and You: Don't Take Financial Advice From a Guy in a Kayak
I've discussed this issue before in this column. I am a Social Security expert. I know all about the rules and regulations that can affect your Social Security benefits. But I am NOT a financial planner. I rarely tell people when to apply for their Social Security benefits. I give them all the facts and then let them decide, sometimes in ...Read more
Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: Kentucky road trips lead to footlights, curious sights and beachy delights
Theater beneath the stars, irresistible roadside attractions and inland beaches — Kentucky summers are made for road trips to historic and charming small towns that are big on fun and nostalgia, as well as the strange and unusual.
Here are some road trips that lead to memorable adventures.
Dinner and a show
The sun sets and the stage lights...Read more
Are you prepared for a life-changing event?
Hi Toni:
Recently, I had a bad car wreck and ended up with a minor concussion from hitting the windshield. My wife was not hurt. I am 55 years old and have not thought about long-term care planning due to a life-changing event. I work for a large company and the company’s financial advisor has never discussed this with me. What do I need ...Read more
Social Security and You: Will Extra Earnings Increase a Social Security Check? Maybe.
When I talk to various groups and organizations about Social Security, my PowerPoint presentation includes a slide with a bar graph that shows the most common sources of income for elderly Americans. As you might guess, the longest bar on the graph is Social Security. About 85% of seniors get a Social Security check. Other bars on the graph ...Read more
Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: Kentucky road trips lead to footlights, curious sights and beachy delights
Theater beneath the stars, irresistible roadside attractions and inland beaches — Kentucky summers are made for road trips to historic and charming small towns that are big on fun and nostalgia, as well as the strange and unusual.
Here are some road trips that lead to memorable adventures.
Dinner and a show
The sun sets and the stage lights...Read more
Enrolling in Medicare the correct way for federal employees
Hello Toni:
I’m turning 65 and not planning to retire until I’m 70. I am a federal employee working full-time as an agent for the IRS.
I’m receiving conflicting information that is confusing me. Friends who read your Toni Says Medicare articles are advising me to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B when I retire to keep from receiving ...Read more
Social Security and You: There Are No Social Security Marriage Penalties
I frequently get questions from soon-to-be retirees who have heard about a "family maximum" that applies to Social Security benefits, and they are afraid that rule will reduce the benefits they are due as a couple. Or similarly, they have been told there is some kind of marriage penalty associated with the payment of benefits to married couples....Read more
Older women are different than older men. Their health is woefully understudied
Medical research has shortchanged women for decades. This is particularly true of older women, leaving physicians without critically important information about how to best manage their health.
Late last year, the Biden administration promised to address this problem with a new effort called the White House Initiative on Women’s Health ...Read more
Lack of housing is pushing more seniors onto the streets. That's on all of us
All homelessness is troubling. But there is something particularly unsettling about older people — those age 50 and above — falling into homelessness after decades of lives filled with homes and jobs, faced with spending their last years on a sidewalk.
Yet the numbers of older homeless people are rising across the country. The proportion ...Read more
Does my company insurance work with Medicare?
Dear Toni,
I am 67 and have group health insurance through my current employer, with a high deductible. My question is, should I have also enrolled in Medicare, even though I am still working? If so, who pays my claims first? I have talked with friends, my company’s HR department, their insurance agent and get answers from “I don’t know�...Read more
Enrolling in Medicare over 65 with health issues
Hello Toni,
I am retiring on January 1 and am beginning to search for the right Medicare option for me and my wife, who is having treatment at a local cancer center. Her cancer treatment drugs are expensive, and I am concerned about the Medicare Part D out-of-pocket. I am a diabetic and use a flex pen and take high blood pressure medications. ...Read more
It’s hurricane season … are you prepared?
Note: This is Toni King’s annual reminder about preparing for a natural disaster or other emergency. It is a rerun, adapted from her June 1, 2023, column.
Dear Toni,
In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey absolutely devastated my wife. Now, her 88-year-old mother is living in an assisted living facility, and we live over 10 miles away from her....Read more