TOPICS

•HEALTH
•MONEY
•WORLD

HEALTH

Ask the Experts: Hospital Charity Care
June 1, 2009
Q. My husband had emergency surgery recently. We don’t have health insurance. The hospital staff told us we didn’t qualify for any financial help because we made too much money, but never asked what our income was. They want the bill paid now. What can we do?

Ask the Experts: What If COBRA Is Too Expensive?
May 1, 2009
Q. I lost my job, so my family is without health insurance. But COBRA is too expensive. What do I do?

Ask the Experts: Medicare and Hospital Medical Errors
Dec. 1, 2008
Q. If Medicare no longer pays for complications caused by medical errors in hospitals, do patients have to pay the cost?

Ask the Experts: Can I Do Anything to Stop the Cancellation of My Retiree Health Benefits?
Nov. 1, 2008
Q. I retired two years ago from a major publishing company, where I worked for 39 years. I’ve been informed that the company plans to discontinue the medical benefits it promised to my wife and me. I am 70 and my wife is 68. Do we have any recourse?

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MONEY

Ask the Experts: Taking Bank Fees From Social Security Checks
November 1, 2009
Q. My bank garnished my Social Security check for overdraft fees. Is this legal?

Ask the Experts: Pay Off Mortgage or Invest?
November 1, 2009
Q. I’m 63 and want to retire at 65. My only debt is a $79,000 mortgage. I’m about to inherit $120,000. Should I use that to pay off the mortgage, or should I invest it?

Ask the Experts: Taking Loans From Your 401(k)
November 1, 2009
Q. I’m retired and need a loan. Can I get it from my 401(k)?

Ask the Experts: Collecting on Your Ex’s Social Security Benefit
October 1, 2009
Q. Can I collect on my ex-wife’s Social Security? We were married for nine years. She is 58 and I am 61. She always made more money than I did.

Ask the Experts: Will I Get My Full Social Security Benefit?
October 1, 2009
Q. I retired and took early Social Security benefits at age 62. Now that I’ve reached my full retirement age, 66, will I begin to receive my full benefit amount?

Ask the Experts: Collecting Pension From a Bankrupt Company
October 1, 2009
Q. My company went bankrupt this year and my pension plan was terminated. I was told I’ll be getting my pension payout from the government. What’s the most I can collect?

Ask the Experts: What Happens to Social Security Disability Benefits at Retirement?
September 30, 2009
Q. My husband receives Social Security disability benefits. Will those benefits stop when he reaches his full retirement age of 66 and receives his Social Security retirement benefits?

Ask the Experts: How Will My Job Affect My Early Social Security Benefit?
September 23, 2009
Q. I’m age 62 and trying to decide whether to take early Social Security benefits. I make about $30,000 a year at my job. Is it correct that if I take my benefit early, Social Security will withhold about $8,000 from my annual benefit of $14,000? Also, when I reach full retirement age at 66, will I get my full amount even if I’ve taken my benefit early?

Ask the Experts: Social Security Benefits and Severance Pay
September 1, 2009
Q. How does severance pay affect the Social Security benefit I’m collecting? The plant I worked at closed in April. I’m 63.

Ask the Experts: Increasing Your Social Security Benefit by Working Longer
September 1, 2009
Q. I’m 66 and working full time. If I reduce my hours and work part time until age 70, will working between ages 66 and 70 increase my benefit? If I take Social Security at age 70 instead of 66, how much will my benefit increase?

Ask the Experts: Adjusting Your Portfolio for a Volatile Market
September 1, 2009
Q.  I’m about a decade from retiring, and watching the ups and downs on Wall Street. How should my portfolio be divided in this volatile market?

Ask the Experts: Stop Harassment From a Debt Collector
August 18, 2009
Q. I’ve fallen behind on my credit card bills. A bill collector has been calling me numerous times each day and harassing me for payment. If I could make a payment, I would. It doesn’t help to have someone yelling at me on the other end of the phone. What are my rights in this situation?

Ask the Experts: U.S. Guarantee for Money Market Funds Ending Soon
August 12, 2009
Q. I invested in a money market fund. But given the ups and downs of the economy, I’m worried that the value of money market shares will drop below $1. Does the government guarantee these funds?

Ask the Experts: When Are IRA Withdrawals Required?
July 28, 2009
Q. When must I start taking distributions from my IRA?

Ask the Experts: Tax Credit for Buying a House
July 15, 2009
Q. I’ve never owned a home before, but with prices going lower, I’m considering buying. Can I still get a federal tax credit if I buy a home this year?

Ask the Experts: Volunteering in Retirement
July 1, 2009
Q. I’m getting ready to retire. I would like to volunteer in my community, but I don’t know where to begin. Any ideas?

Ask the Experts: Social Security and Retiring at 55
July 1, 2009
Q. I’m 55 and about to retire. I plan to file for Social Security benefits when I reach 62. Will my benefit be reduced because I’m not earning wages for seven years until then? 

Ask the Experts: When a Layoff Catches You With a 401(k) Loan
June 24, 2009
Q. I was just told I’m going to be laid off. What happens to the money I borrowed from my 401(k)? I haven’t paid it back in full yet.

Ask the Experts: Is My IRA Withdrawal for Medical Expenses Penalty-Free?
June 17, 2009
Q.  I took money out of my IRA to pay medical bills and other expenses. I’m 57. Will I have to pay a penalty and taxes for the early withdrawal?

Ask the Experts: Applying for a Deceased Spouse's Social Security Benefit
May 27, 2009
Q. My mother’s husband passed away a few years back. She never applied for his Social Security benefits. Can she apply now or is it too late?

Ask the Experts: Missing Savings Bonds
May 20, 2009
Q. I think my grandparents, who have passed on, left me savings bonds. I’ve looked everywhere but can’t locate them. What should I do?

Ask the Experts: Receiving Social Security While Still Working
May 1, 2009
Q. When I turn 66, will I be penalized if I collect Social Security but still work?

Ask the Experts: How Can I Increase My Social Security Benefit?
April 1, 2009
Q. Is there any way I can get my Social Security benefit increased?

Ask the Experts: Whose Benefits Are Best?
April 1, 2009
Q. I’m a recent widow. Can I choose between my Social Security benefits and the benefits of my deceased husband? And if I choose his, do I get his full benefit or a percentage of it, and what might that be?

Ask the Experts: Getting Unemployment Benefits Faster
April 1, 2009
Q. I was just laid off and need to file for unemployment benefits, but the lines are out the door at my local unemployment office. How can I speed things up?

Ask the Experts: How Unemployment Benefits Affect Social Security
March 2, 2009
Q. Can I collect unemployment compensation and Social Security benefits at the same time?

Ask the Experts: Social Security Benefits
March 2, 2009
Q. Can I get my Social Security benefit increased?

Ask the Experts: Timing the Market
Jan. 6, 2009
Q. I’ve been hearing that trying to “time the market” doesn’t work and that if I miss out on a few good days when the market is up, I could miss out on gaining back my portfolio’s value. Is this true?

Ask the Experts: 401(k) Maximums in 2009
Jan. 6, 2009
Q. What’s the maximum that I can contribute to my 401(k) plan for 2009?

Ask the Experts: My Employer Is No Longer Matching 401(k) Contributions
Jan. 6, 2009
Q. My firm is no longer matching my 401(k) contribution. I’m 51. Should I keep saving in the plan? 

Ask the Experts: Paying Taxes on Social Security Benefits
Jan. 6, 2009
Q. Do I have to pay income tax on my Social Security benefits after age 72?

Ask the Experts: Getting Your First Pension Check
May 28, 2008
Q. I am preparing to retire this year. My company says that it may take up to three or four months to get my first pension check. Does that mean I’m going to lose three or four months of pension pay?

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WORLD

Ask the Experts: Family
January 2008
Q. My son is the father of a 3-month-old girl, but he's not married. The baby lives with her mother and their family. They're reluctant to let us visit, so we've hardly seen the baby since her birth. What are my options?

Ask the Experts: Home
December 2007
Q. I've heard that people who signed up on the National Do Not Call Registry get dropped after five years. Is this true?

Ask the Experts: Law
April 2006
Q. I filed an age discrimination claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. What are my options if the claim is dismissed?

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