ArcaMax

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I turn 65 in September, am covered under my wife’s employer’s health insurance and fighting liver cancer. I am participating in a clinical trial for a cancer medication which costs over $12,000 per month and pay $0 for a medication which is curing my cancer.

I am concerned about what to do when I enroll in Medicare and if I will be in ...Read more