Pretty much every day, I am alarmed by little stories I find by scanning information about Elder issues.
My new friend Joanne Giardini-Russell, a true Medicare Guru, wrote an article this week about one of her clients who continued to go to work up to age 71. That, in itself, wasn’t a big surprise to me. If 60 is the new 40, working to age 70 or older, is bound to happen more and more. Many of us actually like working. Sure, many must keep working, and that is another article, for sure. But many people do work well into their 70’s and even 80’s. And those same hard-working people are often horrified about seemingly innocuous decisions they made (or didn’t make, by omission) and how they have placed themselves or their spouse into true fear of imminent destitution. Because of runaway health care costs.
You see, this guy’s venial sin was working too long and not retiring…..his mortal sin was not getting good information about how this affected his health insurance….more specifically Medicare. Suffice it to say that Joanne is trying to help this couple who have blown through more than $30,000…YES, THAT IS THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS…. of their own money, even though he had group insurance at work.
I don’t know this unfortunate couple’s story. But my guess is, they were not educated at work, they did not know how to use Medicare to their advantage at age 65, they did not take advantage of all the options at work for short-term disability and long-term disability, even if it required a contribution, and so on.
Those of us in this field are trying hard to get everyone to see the advantage of advanced planning instead of crisis planning. We are trying to work with your Financial Advisors, your HR people at work, and quite frankly, anyone else who will listen, including you.
Find us. Ask us to come to your work and speak. Ask us questions on the internet machine!
Buy our books, yeah I said it. But let me ask you a question, if anyone could have saved thirty dollars, three thousand dollars, or thirty thousand dollars, by buying a book for fifteen dollars, would that be worth it? Yes, my friends, I think it would. #WhoMovedMyTeeth?
There is tons of good information out there. But you must find the experts, read things, ask questions and take action. Now is the time if you are a Baby Boomer, now is the time if your parents are in their 50’s and 60’s.
Oh, and to you Millennials and Gen-Xers….it’s never too late!
“You Just Have to…… Get Your Sh%$#@# Together…..and then you can Laugh all the way to the bank!”
Joanne doesn’t even know I’m telling you about her….so she will see this when you do. If If you have any inkling that you want to discuss what you should do about signing up for Medicare:
Check out my friend Joanne at :
Boomer Health Group
Joanne Giardini-Russell, Medicare Guru
http://www.boomerhealthgroup.com/
