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Originally posted on Tue, August 16, 2016

Last week we met with a long-time client who retired from the federal government. Prior to retiring, she had the foresight to purchase the long term care insurance offered through the federal government (FLTCIP). However, she and (we) were shocked to find out about the most recent increase in this program’s costs – over 125%!!

In terms of the “sticker shock,” there will be an average increase to your monthly insurance premium of 83%, or $111, for those that opt not to change their coverage. John Hancock Life & Health recognizes that not all policyholders will be able to afford this change; therefore they have provided a personalized letter indicating the various options available to maintain the premium at the current level. Ultimately, this change will take effect on November 1, 2016 for affected policyholders, and there is a September 30^th, 2016 deadline to review and choose your option.

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Originally posted on August 19, 2015

Discipline is an easy word to say (in comparison to, well, Worchester) but requires a mental strength that some of us simply can’t overcome when it comes to certain topics. So what is the secret to becoming a disciplined saver, athlete, student, or whatever it is you want to do? How do some people have the discipline to exercise five to six days a week? How do people have the discipline to do the hard things in life?

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Originally posted on October 15, 2015

It seems that every few months we hear about a breach in information security, from major department stores to government agencies. Many of us have been issued more than one new credit or debit card in response to these breaches to keep our stolen information from being used by someone else. There is much to worry about when it comes to keeping your important information safe. What is your financial advisor doing to keep your most sensitive information safe?

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Originally posted on October 29, 2015

If you are a Medicare beneficiary who has your Part B premiums directly withheld from Social Security (SS), you are safe. Because if you are in this boat, you aren’t required to pay any premium increases at all next year since you legally have a safe haven. You are “held harmless” against increases since you can only experience increases in your Medicare Part B premiums up to the social security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), and there was no COLA adjustment this year!

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Originally posted on December 10, 2015

The holiday season is a time to be with family, take time off work, and relax and have fun, no matter what holiday you celebrate. But just when you’re relaxing, identity thieves are working overtime to get at your information. We are all particularly vulnerable to ID theft during the holidays. Here’s why and how to protect yourself.

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Originally posted on April 15, 2016

We despise it, we ignore it, and sometimes we even respond to it. But think twice before you throw it away. I’m talking about junk mail and it can become a map of your life that leads a thief right to your bank account. Those envelopes you flip into the trash as having no value hold lots of value to identity thieves and they are not too proud to dig through your trash to get what they want.

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Originally posted: December 23, 2015

Talking about life support, nutrition, hydration, pain medication, resuscitation in the event of a horrible injury or illness can be uncomfortable and possibly emotional, but it’s important to talk about and document your wishes with your family.  Although none of us want to talk about the morbid idea of being on life support, every adult should do it. 

Here are some important medical advance directives you want to have in place before a crisis.

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Originally posted on Thu, June 16, 2016