Kate Ashford

2 months ago | nerdwallet.com | Kate Ashford

You can get health insurance through work, on the marketplace or outside of the marketplace. The kind of health insurance you buy depends on whether you have access to an employer-sponsored plan, your age, your location, your family structure and your health care needs, among other things. Getting health insurance in the U.S. can be a complex process — or as simple as getting a job that offers health insurance benefits.

Feb 13, 2025 | thebeaconnewspapers.com | Kate Ashford

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash Only about 1 in 8 adults know when they’ll be eligible for full retirement benefits through Social Security, according to the Nationwide Retirement Institute 2023 Social Security Survey.

Feb 12, 2025 | nerdwallet.com | Kate Ashford

The average lowest-cost Silver plan on the health insurance marketplace costs $486 per month in 2025 without any tax credits or subsidies, according to KFF, a health policy nonprofit[0]. That’s for an individual plan, priced for a 40-year-old person. Across other metal tiers in the marketplace, the average lowest-cost Bronze premium is $381, and the average lowest-cost Gold premium is $507.

Dec 10, 2024 | effinghamdailynews.com | Kate Ashford

Financial planners talk about three phases in retirement: the go-go years, the slow-go years and the no-go years. Expenses tend to be highest at the beginning and end of retirement — creating a U-shape. But many people think of retirement spending as a constant variable. "As they enter retirement, especially early in retirement, they see themselves spending all sorts of money and then they can't envision themselves cutting back," says Jonathan Swanburg, a certified financial planner in Houston.

Dec 10, 2024 | effinghamdailynews.com | Kate Ashford

Now that retirement spans more years than ever, you might need to rethink how you're envisioning that stage of your life. Although Americans are retiring a little later than they did 30 years ago, they're also living longer. Retirement isn't a blip on the life radar — it's a significant chunk of time. While your parents may have retired and never worked another day in their lives, you may find that part-time work when you get older fulfills your mental needs and helps your retirement savings last.