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10 Things You Need to Know About Medicare 11/14/2016 07:00pm • Maximizing MedicareMedicare pays for much of the cost of hospital stays and doctor's office visits for people age 65 and older. This government health insurance program has also more recently added preventive care and prescription drugs to its covered services. Here's how to make the most of your Me 10 Things You Should Know About Medicare 11/14/2016 07:00pm • The Medicare program was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 30, 1965. Former President Harry S. Truman and his wife were the first beneficiaries. Medicare continues to cover hospital and doctor's visits for older Americans, and now it includes many types of preventive care and pr The Basics of Medicare: How to Choose the Right Plan for You 11/14/2016 07:00pm • When you reach 65, you face an important milestone: You are now eligible for Medicare. Contrary to popular belief, Medicare is not free, and it's important to understand the ins and outs of Medicare before you sign up. Making the wrong choices can be expensive. Even if you've been on Medicare for ye How Seniors Can Use Life Insurance 11/13/2016 07:00pm • Anyone with dependents needs life insurance, we're told. Policies on parents can provide food, shelter and education until children can provide for themselves. Husbands and wives can get policies to make a survivor's later years more secure and comfortable. But what about people in their 50s, 60s o How to Keep Grandkid Spending in Check This Christmas 11/13/2016 07:00pm • Many grandparents spend much of the year saving up so that they can shower their grandkids with gifts at Christmas. This may be easy when you're no longer actively parenting and still working full time. But if you need to cut back on spending when you retire, it can be more difficult to spend lavis 6 End-of-Year Retirement Planning Tips That Will Save You Money 11/13/2016 07:00pm • Meeting retirement account deadlines can help you qualify for tax breaks or avoid tax penalties. Some retirement accounts have year-end deadlines for contributions and required distributions, while others give you extra time to make deposits that will count toward tax year 2016. These last-minute m Photos: Veterans Day 2016 — Saluting veterans 11/11/2016 08:45am • WASHINGTON -- WTOP readers and listeners sent in photos of themselves and the veterans in their lives for Veterans Day 2016. See these heroes and read their stories. Column: What happens if your computer is hit by 'ransomware'? 11/10/2016 09:27pm • Q: I have two friends who were recently hit with "ransomware." What are their options? Ransomware is one of the fastest growing cyber-crimes because it’s working so well for organized crime rings around the world. Victims of ransomware are essentially locked out of their private files unless th 7 Medicare Part D Costs to Prepare For 11/10/2016 07:00pm • Medicare Part D beneficiaries are eligible to change Medicare Part D plans each year between October 15 and December 7, and for most people it's worth considering a switch. Two-thirds of Part D plan enrollees are facing premium increases if they stay with their current plan in 2017, according to a K How to Save More Effectively for Retirement in the Post-Recession Economy 11/10/2016 07:00pm • Talk to any financial advisor and the biggest piece of advice is usually, "pay yourself first." "This is something you can control," says Ken Ward, president of Park + Elm Investment Advisers in Indianapolis. The bigger problem is that many Americans aren't paying themselves at all. According to a How Obamacare Can Help You Retire Early 11/10/2016 07:00pm • The three-month open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act insurance started on November 1. Early retirees who are too young for Medicare can now obtain health insurance through their state's health insurance exchange regardless of their pre-existing conditions, and might qualify for federal su Thousands protest Trump win around US 11/10/2016 12:25am • CHICAGO (AP) — The raw divisions exposed by the presidential race were on full display across America on Wednesday, as protesters flooded city streets to condemn Donald Trump's election in demonstrations that police said were mostly peaceful. From New England to heartland cities like Kansas Cit What Merit-Based Medicare Payments Mean for You 11/09/2016 07:00pm • Seniors receiving Medicare benefits might not know it, but the government is implementing a major change in how it reimburses doctors for their care. The change is intended to ensure doctors are keeping their patients healthy and financially reward them for doing so. Merit-based payments. The Medic 5 Ways an IRA Can Save Your Retirement 11/09/2016 07:00pm • Many Americans have no retirement savings at all. Families across the U.S. have a median of just $5,000 stashed away, according to an Economic Policy Institute of 2013 Survey of Consumer Finance data. But families who have a retirement account have managed to tuck away a median of $60,000 for the f A Glass Ceiling Doesn't Shatter After All 11/08/2016 07:00pm • So much for the glass ceiling. Hillary Clinton had planned for this moment her whole life, doing civil rights work in the South as a young lawyer, taking the role of first lady when another Yale-educated lawyer -- her husband, Bill Clinton -- won the White House, then running herself for the Senate.