Physical strength is essential to making our way in this world. While we may not have to rally our muscles to subdue wild beasts or unruly neighbors, we do need them to accomplish our daily objectives. At a minimum, we have to muster the energy to get from bed to bathroom to breakfast table. Even if we make money with our minds, rather than our bodies, chances are we’ll need the stamina to sit up and manipulate a keyboard.

Remember, starting in 2025 the annual out of pocket cost for prescription drugs is capped at $2,000. Roughly 10 percent 0f those of us on Medicare will benefit … luckily.
But it’s good to know there is a limit.
My suggestion, build that $2,000 into your planning, just in case. Plan to set up your own Rx fund or if already retired start one now. I just like funds designated for a single purpose.

WE SUFFER LOSSES throughout our life. During our youth, we might leave old chums behind when our family starts fresh in a new town or when we go away to college. Later, a job loss or a divorce could leave us drained both financially and emotionally. But for most of us, our senior years are when loss hits hardest.
Our body is often the first casualty, especially the face we see in the mirror each morning.

Choosing and understanding health insurance can be a challenge. Much like retirement, it requires assumptions, understanding your risk tolerance and even budgeting.
There are several key factors. 
Deductibles before benefits are paid
Co-insurance and co-payments – your share of each charge
Out-of-pocket limits-the point annually where payments are at 100% by your insurance. 
If you have family coverage, there may be a family deductible limit of two people so each individual does not need to satisfy a deductible.

I’m writing this from the infusion center, with my every-three-week cocktail of chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs dripping into my right arm. And that’s good news.
It’s been a rough two-and-a-half months. In early October, an abdomen scan uncovered a pulmonary embolism, which landed me in hospital for two days and means I’m now on blood thinners. In early November, an MRI uncovered two new cancerous lesions on my brain, while another MRI later in the month turned up four lesions on my spine.

Anyone considering a Medicare Advantage plan should take a look the Executive Summary of this U.S. Senate report. It starts with this: “Every day, doctors evaluate thousands of seniors recovering from falls, strokes, and other ailments, and enter a recommended course of treatment into an online portal, or in some cases feed it into a fax machine.  But whether the requested service is determined to be medically necessary is a decision that belongs to people at the other end of the line. 

This morning I found this very good summary of this issue on USA Today.
Check out this article from USA TODAY:
Seven reasons why Americans pay more for health care than any other nation
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/12/15/why-americans-pay-more-for-health-care/76900978007/

One of the most well known advocates for elder care, who worked for a prominent national health center, was talking with me about a year ago.  When I asked him what his plan was for he and his wife, as they aged, he replied “ I have four daughters”.
This was pretty shocking to me, given that he worked in this industry, and specialized in helping adult children and their parents to talk about future health care planning.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea. I’d signed up for the August 2025 Ironman Ottawa to celebrate my 70th birthday and thought, “Why not jump on the Ozempic bandwagon for six months to drop some significant excess weight before the heavy training starts?”
I’ve struggled with my weight for years. My doctor calls me an emotional eater. I thought, if I dropped the weight and committed to keeping it off,

Health care, the cost of health care, is a hot topic. Many theories exist on what causes high health care costs. There is a great deal of misinformation  out there and people tend not to connect the dots as to cause and effect. 
The cost of health care is driven by use and the price of each service provided. Utilization is both justified and excessive. Some people demand more care, some doctors provide extra care as defensive or on occasion to generate revenue.

The Medicare Annual Enrollment period runs from October 15th to December 7th. I initially believed this was the only time I could switch my Plan G Medigap supplement. However, these dates specifically apply to those changing Part D or Medicare Advantage plans.
In contrast, Medigap plans can be changed at any time during the year, although underwriting may be required. I turned 65 in June and enrolled in Medicare Plan G, already changing plans once during my initial 6-month sign-up period.

Not that this is a great surprise but a sad state affairs for those who are enticed by the “low” premiums with added benefits but feel eventually trapped by MA when they need it the most. For the folks in NY (in this article) who are lucky enough to be able to switch from MA to Original Medicare. I can’t imagine for those in states where they can’t switch and are truly trapped.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/insurance/the-sickest-patients-are-fleeing-private-medicare-plans-costing-taxpayers-billions/ar-AA1tUtML?ocid=nl_article_link

I used to be a big fan of choice when it came to employee benefit plans including life insurance, health insurance and, of courses 401k investment options. 
When working I crafted a plan with lots of choices. Employees said they wanted choice, it was all the rage at the time. Our unions were not so thrilled, but went along. 
The unions were right and I was wrong. 
People may say they want choice, but when faced with it for very important decisions,

The other day I listened to a discussion about undiagnosed adult autism on National Public Radio (NPR). Autism often went undiscovered in older generations, making life challenging for afflicted adults who knew there was something wrong, but no idea what it was or how to deal with it. There are millions living with this condition and likely someone in your life as well. There may have been one in mine.
A few years back my daughter told me that she thought it possible that her mom,

If you sometimes misplace your keys or eyeglasses because you are distracted, it could be normal behavior. But if that starts happening a lot more frequently as you age, or with items that you never used to misplace, that may be a sign of MCI.—Mild Cognitive Impairment.
In addition, if you are finding the tax forms more challenging, or having trouble organizing your bills, when you always accomplished those tasks easily, that too, can be a red flag.