Humble Dollar frequently posts articles about TIPS – Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. This post is not about inflation protected bonds.
The OBBBA includes new code 224, a deduction for tax years 2025-2028, for up to $25,000 in qualified tips received during the year for cash tips received by an individual in an occupation that customarily and regularly received tips before 2024. That code section also includes subsection 224(d)(2)(B) which provides that tips do not qualify for the deduction if they are received in the course of certain specified trades or businesses —

Everyone wants more security for their retirement savings, and outside of Social Security, the most reliable way to achieve this is often the much-maligned annuity. The main issue for many people is losing control of a large chunk of their retirement pot—they simply don’t like the idea. But what if you could get some of the security an annuity provides without giving up control of your cash?
No solution is perfect, but this idea might be of interest.

Twenty-four years ago today, I was still confused about my routine since retiring the prior month.  My spouse had the tv on she and called to me to come to the family room to see coverage of the 1st tower on fire in New York.   I was really aghast.  The stock market had cratered, and looking at the video, I knew that the building would ultimately collapse.  Who could know about the profound impact this event would have on our society.  

You do not need $1,000,000 to retire or $1.5 million or any number some expert throws out on YouTube or social media. Those numbers are generated by people selling advice, investments or videos.
Having a simple dollar target makes planning appear easy, but IMO more likely to scare people into inaction because they see an impossible quest. Besides, we know very few people come near that amount and given they still retire, demonstrates the value of such assumptions. 

Recently, I have been fascinated with maximizing credit card rewards, but of course, it’s a balance between complexity (i.e. mental overload) vs cost/benefits.
Here’s my current stack:

Chase Freedom Flex – I was able to get the 10% cash back grocery bonus for 1 year. Since my wife and I live downtown, we shop majority of groceries at Trader Joe’s. The 10% grocery reward is certainly nice, but it’s expiring in a few months. We were planning to open another one of these,

Hot of the press: Poor Elon Musk, he’s lost his richest person crown, down to second place behind Larry Ellison no less. I feel his pain and understand all about losing top dog status. Last week I was the richest real estate tycoon on the block and then lost my place to a young pretender, my cash vanished before my eyes and I had to do a distressed sale of a few of my properties. Hard times.

Has anyone heard about this Network?
With my wife dealing with the financial aspects of her mother’s recent passing she has been dealing with the final hospital bill. When she received the final EOB from the insurance company at the bottom there was the following:
“(Her hospital) participates in the USA senior Care Network program. The part A deductible of $1,676 will be waived by the hospital. No benefits are due.”
From what I have been able to glean from the website many insurance companies participate in this program in which participating hospitals will waive all or part of many deductibles.

When I was out for a run this morning I had a breakthrough thought as to why I’m not mega-rich. It’s quite simple: I didn’t follow all the conventional financial wisdom with the dedication needed to reach those lofty heights. Apparently I’ve failed because I thought differently about some normal pearls of wisdom.
Take the often-touted phrase, “If it appreciates, buy it; if it depreciates, lease it.” Unfortunately, I don’t think this way. I like owning my cars outright,

Laughter, the Best Medicine
We all know that laughter is the best medicine. And while Humble Dollar usually gives us wisdom about money, markets, and life, maybe it’s time to add a little humor to the mix. Let’s send Jonathan a laugh.
Now, humor is always a risk—especially across cultures. The Brits, after all, are famous for their love of irony and wordplay. But clean, clever jokes never go out of style. Here’s a start:
How many financial advisors does it take to sell an ETF?

One of the biggest surprises in retirement is how the tax rules around charitable giving shift. During your working years, you might have claimed a deduction for every gift you made. But now, with the standard deduction so high—$32,300 for couples 65 and older in 2025—many retirees no longer itemize. That means the tax benefit from donations often disappears.
Still, there are strategies that can help you get more impact—for yourself and for the causes you care about.

After reading Richard Quinn’s recent post about Medicare, I thought this would be a good place to solicit thoughts.
I have a 64 year old brother who is single, has no other immediate family, and is currently on Medicare disability due to mobility issues.  He has a medicare advantage plan which has coverage for his prescriptions (Part D), vision and dental.  As he is now within 3 months of his 65th birthday, he has the opportunity to switch to original medicare without underwriting,

I’m still at my vacation home, but the season is drawing to a close. The flock of summer visitors have flown back to the real world, to their bustling, busy lives. A vacation home is a funny old thing, isn’t it? A temporary nest for most, a place to perch for a week or two before the demands of reality call them back.
But there’s a small, peculiar flock of us who have decided to linger a little longer,

I keep a spreadsheet that helps me estimate my current year taxes. As a result of tax changes from the Big Beautiful Bill and further tax changes resulting from the recent Ohio budget bill, I expect tax savings in 2025 in the neighborhood of $1800 on the Federal side and $300 on the State side. And, I expect further savings in 2026.
Political discussions are forbidden on the Humble Dollar site and this post is not political commentary.

I sold and delivered beer from a side-load truck for 30 years. A stack of beer weighed up to twice what I did. That was a physically brutal job, and although I hung up my hand-truck at age 50, I still pay a price for that career choice via osteoarthritis that won’t ever go away.
Next up was 20 years of preparing tax returns. Physically simple compared to my first occupation, though stressfully intense during the 3 month busy season. 

About 5% of the population accounts for nearly half of total health spending, and many of these are older adults with multiple conditions.
Do seniors (65+) pay as much as perceived for health care?
Seniors pay a lot for health care, but it is not that simple. Many, perhaps most, seniors pay no more, even less, out of pocket, than many younger families. 
The bulk of spending by seniors is premiums, not the actual cost of care.