High earners’ Social Security benefits can be taxed
I understand that a portion of my Social Security benefits may be taxable when I retire. Can you tell me how to calculate this? — Ready to Retire Read more
I understand that a portion of my Social Security benefits may be taxable when I retire. Can you tell me how to calculate this? — Ready to Retire Read more
Peggy Stein, 68, a retired teacher in Berkeley, Calif., skipped a flu shot this year. Her reasoning: “How could I get the flu if I’m being so incredibly careful because of COVID?” Read more
Balance is something the body learns to do automatically by engaging the postural muscles. Read more
I am the caregiver for my 81-year-old mother, who recently fell and broke her hip, and have a lot of questions about how original Medicare works and what it covers. Where can I get some help understanding this program? — Overwhelmed Caregiver Read more
Do all your chats back home to Mom these days start, “You’re on mute. The button’s lower left”? Or have you at least once in the last nine months asked Gramps if you could FaceTime the back of his TV set as a way of helping him find the strange beast known as an HDMI port? Read more
Peggie Hartwell, a fourth-generation quilter from South Carolina, has found it hard to return to her needlework since she completed “Ode to George Floyd,” in which she renders Floyd’s face in subtle brown batiks, and an image of his mother barely visible behind a grove of trees. Read more
A watershed moment has arrived for many families: This week health care workers from CVS and Walgreens, under contract from the federal government, will fan out to nursing homes across the country to begin vaccinating residents against the novel coronavirus. Read more
I recently read an article about robotic pets being a great substitute for pet-loving seniors who can’t have or take care of a pet any longer. Read more
The timing is pretty awful: We’re entering flu season during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when most of the nation is experiencing serious spikes in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Read more
By now we were supposed to be swiftly approaching the day when we could walk into a CVS or Walgreens, a Best Buy or Walmart, and walk out with a pair of quality, affordable hearing aids approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Read more
Rick Barnes thought he was in the clear early in his bout with COVID-19. Read more
My mom, who’s 76, has become more forgetful lately and is worried she may be getting Alzheimer’s disease. What resources can you recommend to help us get a handle on this? — Oldest Daughter Read more
Dear Mayo Clinic: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, I am hearing things about the virus and treatment options that seem to conflict with information I read early on. I’m not sure what information I can trust. Can you clear up some of the top myths regarding COVID-19? Read more
Blagica Dicic, 92 and in failing health, is the only resident of a remote ethnic Serb minority village in the mountains of eastern Kosovo that’s been abandoned by all its other inhabitants — including her own children. Read more
Writing a will has never been a high priority to me, but this lingering coronavirus crisis has changed my thinking. Can you recommend some good do-it-yourself resources to help me write a simple will? — Getting Older Read more
In the middle of the night, Stefania Silvestri lies in bed remembering her elderly patients’ cries. “Please don’t leave me.” “I need my family.” Read more
In late October, Howard residents gathered at Lake Kittamaqundi in downtown Columbia, Md., to honor World War II veteran and community leader Vivian “Millie” Bailey. Read more
I know there will be a small cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits next year, but what about Medicare? What will the Medicare Part B monthly premiums be in 2021, and when do the surcharges kick in for higher-income beneficiaries? — Inquiring Senior Read more
Deep within the verdant grounds of the Mount San Antonio Gardens retirement community, Elizabeth Turk was immersed in her latest project, an ambitious work of art that she could easily imagine but not yet see. Read more
Late on the night of Sept. 27, a bumper-to-bumper caravan of fleeing cars, horse trailers, RVs and overstuffed pickup trucks snaked east on Highway 12, the flames of the Glass fire glowing orange in their rearview mirrors. Read more
The words “For You” conjure up a dating service and the director-choreographer Erika Chong Shuch says that’s not a bad description of how she is spending the pandemic months. But we’re not talking here about eHarmony or Match.com. Read more