It may be hard to recall that, in the memory of many Americans, the COVID pandemic seemed to begin in a Kirkland, Washington, nursing home. In early 2020, news reports began circulating about the coronavirus causing devastating illness and death among the vulnerable population in America’s long-term care facilities, beginning here in the Pacific Northwest. … Read more

Retirement checklists are pretty common in the articles we read each week as we do our research for the AgingOptions Blog. Most of these checklist-oriented articles contain a good amount of common sense. This one, published by Kiplinger and written by Los Angeles investment adviser Cory Chapman, provides a simple and thought-provoking list of five things you need … Read more

It seems like we’ve all been waiting a long time for definitive evidence that there’s something we can do – diet, exercise, crossword puzzles, something! – to help stave off the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Over the years here at the AgingOptions blog, we’ve encountered hundreds of articles on the … Read more

How would you feel if you signed up for a monthly service – say, your cell phone plan or streaming service – only to have the fees jump less than a month after you signed the contract? And on top of that, what if you were stuck with that contract for a full year? That’s … Read more

Sometimes generosity can have a downside. At least, that’s the conclusion we came to as we read this 2021 CNBC report, prepared by reporter Michelle Fox. Based on recent survey data, a significant number of U.S. parents have been supporting their adult kids financially, starting during the COVID pandemic – and they’re still providing regular funds. The problem is, … Read more

If it hasn’t happened to you or to someone you love, it almost certainly will. At some point a physician will make a recommendation for a significant surgical procedure, or for a major treatment regimen to address an underlying health condition. As you or the person you care about begin to process the news, a … Read more

Annuities can be a controversial topic among retirement planners, with some suggesting everyone should have an annuity while others insisting that no one should. As is typically the case, the truth lies somewhere in the middle: in some situations, an annuity can be an ideal solution for guaranteed income in retirement. That’s why we were … Read more

Remember the WA Cares Fund? If you live in Washington State, chances are you do: it marked the first time that any state in the U.S. decided to launch a state-sponsored long-term care assistance plan. As this official website explains, WA Cares was signed into law in 2019 and was supposed to launch this year with a … Read more

Medicare Advantage plans continue to gain in popularity as a growing number of seniors choose them over basic Medicare (or Medicare with supplemental coverage). They’re often touted as the best value in senior health care, with a wide range of services all covered under a single premium. But does the reality match the hype? For … Read more

Here’s a statistic that may surprise you as it surprised us: nearly 80 percent of all U.S. women will eventually become the sole financial decision maker for their household. Moreover, this responsibility won’t just be theirs for the short-term. For many who have outlived their spouses, they’re going to be solely in charge of household … Read more