Did you know? Healthcare wasn’t always available to everyone. Hospital and medical expense policies were introduced during the first half of the 20th century. During the 1920s, individual hospitals began offering services to individuals on a pre-paid basis, eventually leading to the development of Blue Cross organizations in the 1930s. The first employer-sponsored hospitalization plan…
“It’s time to update your FAFSA,” read the first line of the email, and I was reminded of a story I read last year at this time about funding for college. Last year I had two children attending and this year all three, so the cost of tuition, books and board is daunting. In writing…
Most people think of long term care as something they’ll need when they’re elderly, but there are other times when a long term care policy can be of benefit to even those of us several years this side of retirement. Long term care policies have benefits that provide for more than just the care you get…
With the ability to purchase everything on time, one of my friends doesn’t like to delay gratification and purchases what he wants when he wants. This friend, a young man without thought of budget or future plans, hands over large portions of his paycheck to the lenders every month so he can accumulate the symbols of…
“I think I got a really good deal on my new car, but I’ll be paying on it for six years. I negotiated a great price though.” The difference between the really great price and the cost of the vehicle is where the difference lies. Most people look at a purchase and see the price…
A recent discussion with my own children helped me realize just how much I don’t need much more than I already have. I don’t need a new car just yet and I can make due with the furnishings I have until I save for something newer. To purchase something on a credit card or buy…
“It seems as though the harder I work the more I have to work to get ahead. At the same time I watch other friends and colleagues seem to be able to take vacations, retire early or enjoy life while I toil. How do they do that?” There is no way to compare one person’s…
When the doctor’s number flashes across the screen of the caller ID after I’ve had blood work or an exam is it time to panic or do I know that I’m going to be OK? On the one hand I am in pretty good health because I’ve taken precautions to eat better and take better…
All it took was a few hours in the emergency department, a chest x-ray and three days as an in-patient with IV antibiotics and steroids to blow my budget out of the water. The deductibles and co-pays for that trip to the hospital took nearly a year to pay off, and several times I received…
Years ago, when I was younger and more care free, I didn’t worry so much about things like dental insurance. I took care of my teeth as best I could to avoid going to the dentist, so I didn’t need insurance or so I thought. I found out later how wrong I was when I…