Highlights for March 31 Your Safe Money Show

I’ll touch on when Social Security can be taxed.

There’s new information on Medicare closing the doughnut hole. 

The time may have come when we don’t need to sign when using a credit card and broadband limits in rural areas has far reaching implications.

Listen at 7:30 a.m. at 95.5 FM KBEK on Saturdays. They stream live at kbek.com. Hear recent shows at the podcast page at yoursafemoneyshow.com. 

Budgeting

Advantage of a landline

Today more people have cell phones than ever, and less have landlines.
If there’s an emergency, and you have a landline, the call shows up on a computer screen in the correct 911 center. The screen shows a map and exactly where the call is coming from, the address and the name of the residence. Should the caller be unable to speak, get confused or not know where they are, the 911 screen shows EMS … right where to go.
A 911 call from a cellular phone or an Internet-based Voice over Internet Protocol service often requires routing the call to the correct emergency response center, which can cause delays for first responders when every second counts.
When bad storms can take out towers that cell phones use, you can be without service until the tower is fixed. Cooper lines for landlines are self-powered and much more reliable.
Many seniors today have cell phones and even if they use them the majority of the time, having a landline as a plan B is a really good idea. 

Your Safe Money Show Paying too much for drugs 3 24 18

Highlights for March 24, Your Safe Money Show

Here's what we plan on talking about on this Saturday's (3-24-18), Your Safe Money Show. 
I have a couple notes about filing taxes to pass along, also a heads up about paying too much for your prescriptions. 
How would you like to pay your mortgage off sooner? I have steps to help you do just that.
And more retirees are becoming renters, what are the pro’s and con’s with renting in retirement? 
Listen at 7:30 a.m. at 95.5 FM, KBEK. They also stream live at kbek.com. Hear recent shows at the podcast page at yoursafemoneyshow.com. 

New Medicare cards

Wallethub retirement rankings

I wanted to share with you Wallethub’s 2018 Retirement rankings, where they discover the best and worst places to retire, and all 50 states were looked at.

They had three categories, affordability, quality of life, and healthcare. Each state was ranked in these categories to come up with best to worst.

Kentucky was the worst according to Wallethub at number 50. Their affordability rank was 38, quality of life 47, and healthcare 47.

 Florida was number 1, their affordability ranking was number 1, quality of life was 5, and healthcare also came in at 5.

So where did Minnesota fall? We came in at number 11. Get this, we were number 1 for quality of life and health care, but we came in 42^nd in the affordability ranking. They used several factors to come up with the affordability ranking, including taxes, cost of in home services and more.

 Cost of living in each state varies and that’s just one aspect we just look at when formulating a retirement plan. So, these kinds of rankings can be helpful.

Your Safe Money Show Keeping your landline 3 17 18

Highlights for March 17 Your Safe Money Show

So many people are dropping their landline and just having a cell phone. We’ll discuss why keeping that landline might be a good idea. 
Technology has become a part of most of our lives these days, but we’ll look at how it can impact retired couples specifically and how to deal with the down side it can create.
 And baby boomers are divorcing at a high rate, they call this “gray divorce” why is this happening and what do you need to know if this happens to you? 

Tax refund scam

New Medicare cards

Medicare will be sending out new cards starting in April, they’re doing this to help limit identity theft.
 Medicare card numbers are based on a persons Social Security number, so new cards will have new numbers to make them safer. 
Now, there are some basic facts every Medicare beneficiary should know about their new cards. These IDs: Are free. So, there is no cost to beneficiaries. Minnesota cards should start coming out in June. They will be mailed automatically. So, beneficiaries don’t need to do anything to ensure they are issued a new card. They will be mailed to the beneficiary addresses on file with the Social Security Administration. So, beneficiaries who need to update that address should log into their SSA.gov accounts. They have no bearing on beneficiaries’ coverage or benefits. So, coverage and benefits will not change in connection with the new IDs. 
When you get your new card destroy your old one.
If you have questions call 320 679-5183 or go to yoursafemoneyshow.com.

Your Safe Money Show The cost of hearing 3 10 18

Highlights for Saturday March 10 Your Safe Money Show

Coming up on this Saturday's (March 10) Your Safe Money Show. 
Hearing loss, especially as we age, can be a real problem. I want to talk about hearing aids, what’s available and the fact that Medicare will not cover the cost. Also, we’ll look at ways to prevent hearing loss in the first place.
Knowing what moves to make to protect your money and wealth can make a huge difference going forward. I’ll share those moves with you.
And in retirement what is your biggest expenditure, housing or health care costs? And how can we manage those costs? 
Tune in at 95.5 FM KBEK at 7:30 a.m. They stream live at kbek.com.Hear recent shows at the podcast page at yoursafemoneyshow.com.

Tax refund scam

We need to talk about an urgent warning the IRS has issued about a new tax refund scam. Here's how it works. Thieves steal client data from tax professionals. Then, using that data, they file fraudulent tax returns and use the taxpayers' real bank accounts to deposit erroneous tax refunds. Finally, the thieves, posing as IRS or other law enforcement, call attention to the error and ask taxpayers to return the money to them. To get the funds from real taxpayers, thieves use various tactics. In one version, criminals posing as debt collection agency officials acting on behalf of the IRS reach out to taxpayers to say a refund was deposited in error and ask the taxpayers to forward the money to their collection agency. The other you’ll get an automated call threatening the taxpayer with fraud charges, they’ll give a case number and instructions to call to return the refund. If this happens to you call your tax preparer and go to the IRS.gov website tax topic 161 and follow the instructions. 

Your Safe Money Show Can you work too long 3 3 18