July 20, 2015

Your weekly link to grown-up news and information from newspaper and

magazine publications, news organizations and web resources nationwide.

IN THIS ISSUE

Health

Medicine

Medicare

Money

Taxes

Retirement

Social Security

Legal Issues

Scams

Insurance

Caregiving

HEALTH:

67% of Adults Should do This to Avoid Heart Attacks: A new Harvard study suggests it would be cost effective to treat up to 67% of all U.S. adults aged 40 to 75 with statins, expanding the pool of candidates for these cholesterol-fighting drugs. MarketWatch, July 15.

How Quickly Are You Growing Old? Measuring the pace of biological aging in young people could someday help prevent age-related diseases. WSJ, July 13.

Hipaa's Use as Code of Silence Often Misinterprets the Law: The protection of a patient's health information does not prohibit health care providers from sharing information with family, friends and caregivers. The New York Times, July 17.

Need a New Knee? Heart Valve? Back Surgery? This Website Could Help You Find the Top Surgeons Near You: A nonprofit

consumers group has come out with a free surgeon rating tool that allows consumers search for the top-performing surgeons in 14 types of major surgery. The Washington Post, July 14.

MEDICINE:
Engineering A Shingles Vaccine That Doesn't Wimp Out Over Time: If you had chickenpox as a child, then you're at risk for shingles. As you age, the risk increases, probably because the immune system weakens over time. NPR, July 13.

MEDICARE:
Americans Want Medicare to Negotiate Down Drug Prices: A vast majority of Americans say the Medicare health program for the elderly should be able to negotiate with drug companies to set lower medication prices, a practice currently prohibited by law. Reuters, July 17.

MONEY:

Retirement Planning: 4 Safe Ways to Boost Income: When your bucket list doesn't match your budget, these investing strategies may help. Consumer Reports, July 16.

5 Things to Know About Withdrawing Money From a Traditional IRA: Taking money from your IRA may seem like a simple matter, but it's a decision that must be timed right. US News and World Report, July 16.

5 Excellent Retirement Calculators (And All Are Free): A good online retirement calculator can make crunching decades of numbers and assumptions a snap. Here are five that rate among the very best. Forbes, July 12.

Why the Right Kind of Annuity Can Boost Your Retirement Income: The risks of longevity convinced this early retiree that guaranteed income has a place in his portfolio. Money, July 14.

5 Tips For Choosing The Best Annuity For Lifetime Income: If you want to convert a portion of your savings into reliable lifetime retirement income you can start spending now or in the very near future, your best option is an immediate annuity. RealDealRetirement.com, July 13.

TAXES:
The 10 Most Tax-Friendly States for Retirees: We ranked the states based on their respective overall tax burden, as measured by the Tax Foundation. MarketWatch, July 16.

RETIREMENT:

How Traditional Retirement Formulas Fall Short: As baby

boomers approach and reach retirement age, there's a lot of anxiety regarding whether or not they will have enough financial resources. MarketWatch, July 15.

7 Signs You Picked a Bad Retirement Spot: How to tell which retirement locales you should avoid, and which ones may be a good fit. US News and World Report, July 13.

5 Retirement Assumptions You Can't Make Anymore: We've all heard the adage "nothing can be certain, except death and taxes." This line of thought also applies to retirement, as society and financial markets change. Credit.com, July 13.

How to Choose the Best Place to Retire: If you're interested in relocating when you retire, there

are a wide variety of free Web-based resources that can help you find and research a new location that meet your wants, needs and budget. The Huffington Post, July 13.

SOCIAL SECURITY:

Social Security Spousal Benefits: 5 Shocking Facts You Should Know: Several aspects of how Social Security spousal benefits work can seem shocking to those who are unfamiliar with the program. Motley Fool, July 18.

What You Need to Know About Your Social Security Benefits: When it comes to Social Security, workers and retirees need to know as much as they can about how their benefits work so they can determine how much to save and figure out when to claim benefits. CNBC, July 16.

How a Pension Can Cost You at Social Security Time: Does Uncle Sam legitimately reduce Social Security payments for people receiving pensions from government entities? Yes: USA Today, July 15.

Here's What You Can Really Expect from Social Security: The projected Social Security shortfall is likely to hit younger workers hardest. Money, July 13.

LEGAL ISSUES:

Here Are the Worst Estate Planning Mistakes You Can Make: Good luck to your loved ones when you die, because you're going about your estate planning all wrong. MainStreet, July 13.

Helpful Books and Software for Creating Wills: We all lose people we love. There's nothing any of us can do about that. However, there are a lot of things we can do to make it a little less awful, for ourselves and for the people we leave behind when our own time comes. USA Today, July 13.

SCAMS:

Swindlers Target Older Women on Dating

Websites: Older people are ideal targets because they often have ample savings, own their homes and may be lonely and susceptible to being deceived. The New York Times, July 17.

Kind or Conniving? How Charity Scammers Prey on Donors: Sadly, there's no shortage of heartstrings ready to be pulled when it comes to charity scams. Here's how to protect yourself. USA Today, July 19.

INSURANCE:

Add Bite to Your Retirement Dental Plan: If you plan to retire soon, add this item to your to-do list: a visit to the dentist before your dental insurance disappears. Reuters, July 16.

Why People Don't Buy Long-Term Care Insurance: When

it comes to long-term care, two facts stand out. First, an estimated 70 percent of people will need such care, which will be costly. And second, most of them refuse to buy insurance to cover it. Next Avenue, July 13.

What is Burial Insurance? A popular coverage to consider when after life planning is called burial insurance. But just what is it and does it make sense for you? NowItCounts.com, July 13.

Life Settlements Can Be a Big Risk: Seniors who sell their life insurance policies to investors typically get only a fraction of the value. Kiplinger's Retirement Report, July 2015.

CAREGIVING:

Home Health Agencies Get Medicare's Star Treatment: The federal government released on Thursday a new five-star

rating system for home health agencies, hoping to bring clarity to a fast-growing but fragmented corner of the medical industry where it's often difficult to distinguish good from bad. Kaiser Health News, July 16.

3 Do's and 3 Don'ts of Long-Distance Caregiving: If miles separate you from an aging parent, it can be tough to be present for your loved one's ongoing -- and often changing -- needs. Bankrate.com, July 16.

Family Caregivers Provide $470B in Unpaid Services: A study

released Thursday by AARP says that family caregivers in the U.S. provided an estimated $470 billion in unpaid services and care to their loved ones in 2013 - more than total Medicare spending in the same year. USA Today, July 16.

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