Insurers see $100M hit from rate fight
August 18, 2010 by Tom Licciardello, CFP · Leave a Comment
The rate disput between Massachusetts Health Insurance carriers and the Department of Insurance that began on April 1st, is nearly settled. The resulting rate reductions are good news for our clients, but not so good for the carriers, as reported in this Boston Business Journal article..
While we can’t predict what rates will look like in the future, we can be sure that the next round of negotiations between insurers and providers will be much more “animated”!
Investment Update: The Summer of Our Discontent
August 10, 2010 by Tom Licciardello, CFP · Leave a Comment
Ordinarily, it’s pretty quiet on Wall Street this time of the year, as many investment professionals take the opportunity to spend their summer vacations in the Hamptons. But this isn’t an ordinary year. Houses in the Hamptons can be rented by the month instead of by the season, and many of those houses are sitting vacant, waiting to be sold. The economic and market environments certainly haven’t lent themselves to a relaxing vacation for anyone.
There seems to be nothing but pessimism, but what is an investor to do? Read Kevin Barr’s assesment as SEI’s Head of Investment Management Services here. SEI’s August Investor’s Report
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts reaches agreement with Division of Insurance
August 5, 2010 by Tom Licciardello, CFP · 2 Comments
Agreement on premium rates ends uncertainty and confusion for customers
Boston—August 5, 2010—Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) has reached agreement with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DoI) on premium rates for small businesses and individuals purchasing or renewing their health insurance plans between April 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. Under the agreement announced today:
- Premium base rates for affected customers will increase between 0.4% and 12.9%. These new rates will be effective on
September 1, 2010. - BCBSMA will not retroactively charge customers who purchased or renewed plans between April 1, 2010 and August 31, 2010 the difference between these new rates and the 2009 rates that had been in effect.
Read the BCBS press release here.
Where Does Social Security Fit in Your Plan?
August 2, 2010 by Tom Licciardello, CFP · Leave a Comment
We get lots of inquiries about the best way to treat Social Security Retirement beneifits in the retirement planning process. The following will help provide some insight into important aspects of this benefit:
Doing the Math on Social Security
July 15, 2010
How are your Social Security benefits figured? This question comes up a lot. The short answer is it’s complicated, MarketWatch’s Andrea Coombes says in her Personal Finance Minute.
Social Security: What Couples Should Consider
July 9, 2010
Deciding when to take your Social Security benefits is no easy matter — and it gets even more complicated when a husband and wife, who will retire at different ages, have to make that decision together. In this Personal Finance Minute, MarketWatch’s Andrea Coombes takes a look at a few things to consider.
Timing Your Social Security Benefits
July 7, 2010
Many people start their Social Security benefits early, but given average life expectancy today, that’s often not a good idea. In today’s Personal Finance Minute, MarketWatch’s Andrea Coombes looks at the timing of your payout.