It's Time For Medicare (whether I want it or not)

[Molalla1]

My ten acres and house has an estimated/assessed full market value value of about $223,000,
with that as a base my property taxes are only $1805 per year as a combat veteran my value has been reduced by $25,000.
How ever our school taxes are a separate bill that comes due in January was $3382.
So about $5187 per year on a $230,000 home.

They get a very good chunk don't they . . . I believe that is worse than mine . . . my appraisal here is more . . .

 

[Larry Caldwell]

My ten acres and house has an estimated/assessed full market value value of about $223,000,
with that as a base my property taxes are only $1805 per year as a combat veteran my value has been reduced by $25,000.
How ever our school taxes are a separate bill that comes due in January was $3382.
So about $5187 per year on a $230,000 home.

You guys on the east coast are stuck with colonial era tax structures. Originally, property taxes paid for everything, the theory being that property owners were the only ones with money. The offset was that only male property owners could vote, so they had control of the government.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Planning on early retirement? It could affect your brain

Lots of retirement concerns out there.

Maintaining muscle and mind function are two real concerns of mine.

While we know early retirement can contribute to an early death the key is to learn WHY!

While being taxed on my SS was a surprise it did leading to a 32% larger SS check for life to help offset SS induced tax liability.

Death voids SS payments so Job One is to delay death.

I got the mini horses to help the daughter and it was like magic. Now she is focusing finishing college and getting married. My reason for getting the horses has past so I as planning to sell or give them away. The daughter gave them to her mother who broke her arm.

Since last October I have been daily caring for the horses and I was feeling sorry for myself at first. After dealing Long Covid and massive leg blood clots for the prior 9 months I was weak as a kitten. After 4 months I have gained muscle and lost weight. Seems like the horses may be saving me now.

Retirement has to be more than putting it into Park. Having started getting my head around Quantum Mechanics and that death is not a real thing Conscious wise has made me more positive towards others. People are doing what they can do is now my view on others.

Since temperature has climbed from 19 to 24 with full sun I need make sure the animals have access to water.

The sun shining through the ice bowed trees is beautiful.

 

[fishdrivel]

That sounds wonderful compared to the individual Blue Cross premium I’m paying now. Getting Medicare sounds great other than the part requiring me to be 3 years older.
I have an insurance broker I trust to help me through it when the time comes.

I have private insurance from Aetna from my Federal employment. I keep this because my wife is not old enough for Medicaire The Federal government is paying almost $1400/month for this coverage for 2. I also pay $350? per month towards this coverage.
Now that I have Medicare part B, I get to pay the increased premium of $170/month. Total being paid for all amounts to $1920 /month!!!!! My private insurance covers everything that Medicare B does not. No deductibles or copays. My wife still has the deductibles and copays because she is on my private plan only.

I just got a bill for $80 from a radiologist. It was a $400+ bill and my share is $80. WTF? A call to the radiologist produced 2 hours of conversations of them trying to explain. No direct answers.
Who paid the difference 1 hour later - nobody' we calculated that.
Have you billed Medicare? 1 1/2 hours later - no.
I have to have you bill Medicare. - we did.
Do you have the "Advice Of Payment" no.

I could go on.....

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Planning on early retirement? It could affect your brain

Lots of retirement concerns out there.

Maintaining muscle and mind function are two real concerns of mine.

While we know early retirement can contribute to an early death the key is to learn WHY!

While being taxed on my SS was a surprise it did leading to a 32% larger SS check for life to help offset SS induced tax liability.

Death voids SS payments so Job One is to delay death.

I got the mini horses to help the daughter and it was like magic. Now she is focusing finishing college and getting married. My reason for getting the horses has past so I as planning to sell or give them away. The daughter gave them to her mother who broke her arm.

Since last October I have been daily caring for the horses and I was feeling sorry for myself at first. After dealing Long Covid and massive leg blood clots for the prior 9 months I was weak as a kitten. After 4 months I have gained muscle and lost weight. Seems like the horses may be saving me now.

Retirement has to be more than putting it into Park. Having started getting my head around Quantum Mechanics and that death is not a real thing Conscious wise has made me more positive towards others. People are doing what they can do is now my view on others.

Since temperature has climbed from 19 to 24 with full sun I need make sure the animals have access to water.

The sun shining through the ice bowed trees is beautiful.

I hear you. I turn 75 this spring, and am still having an active life. I almost died summer 2020 from septic shock, and my brother died last March at 79. My sister says I lucked out with all the good genes, but I think it's more that I have always led an active life.

I know a woman who spent 20 years as a hospice nurse. She says the '70s are our last good decade. After that, the inevitable decline into old age will happen. I may beat that a bit, but I have a crusty aortic valve that will need replaced. It already limits my aerobic exercise.

Mentally, I find my attention span wavering. It's easy to get lost in reverie. At least I stay active enough that I don't get transfixed by the TV. During my dad's last years, it was sad to see him spend his days in front of a TV. They don't know if TV watching causes mental decline, or if mental decline leads to TV watching, but there is definitely an association. Being unable to learn new things or enjoy new experiences would be a horror to me, but it's already started. I don't have a TikTok account, and spend my time on fogey sites like TBN.

My big problem is motivation. I have endless projects that I have never started, or worse, started and never finished. At least the down trees from snowmageddon forced me to work daily instead of thinking about it, but now I have a small logging project for my 75 year old body, 25 year old chainsaw, and my little Kubota. That's on top of all the other projects I never finished or started. I have retreated to an existential ding an sich. It's never going to get done, so if it's not worth doing for the doing, don't do it.

Retiring was an interesting transition. I got into MMORPG play for a long time, but have given that up for real world activity. I have been pretty much a hermit through Covid, but plan to return to normal social levels as soon as the new Pfizer pharmaceuticals become generally available. I think of SS, dividends, and pension payments as playchecks. Medicare rescued me during my 3 day ICU stay with septic shock. I'm feeling great, and my PCP may actually let me go back to annual checkups. Maybe. He's had me in every 3 months to monitor my recovery. I picked him because he advertised a specialty in geriatric medicine. He's Chinese, and has me on metformin and atorvastatin for "prophylactic" purposes. Both have reported anti-agathic properties. If taking the pills will add a few more years to my time, I'll take the pills. Medicare and supplemental insurance take care of it.

 

[Molalla1]

^^^^^ Keep on trunkin' Larry . . . I'm 79, everything hurts it's a part of life.

 

[Fuddy1952]

What doesn't hurt doesn't work.

 

[Diggin It]

I haven't paid Federal or State income tax in about 10 years. No income beyond SS, no taxes. That's why the Part B thing is such a killer.

My property taxes have been in the $300/yr range until this year. Now it's $0 due to the homestead exemption based on age.

County tax rate is based on their valuation of $30K, yet homeowner's insurance premium is based on their demands of a value of nearly $200K.

 

[JDZ735M]

yet homeowner's insurance premium is based on their demands of a value of nearly $200K.

Insurance companies will rip your last dimes from your eyes.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I haven't paid Federal or State income tax in about 10 years. No income beyond SS, no taxes. That's why the Part B thing is such a killer.

My property taxes have been in the $300/yr range until this year. Now it's $0 due to the homestead exemption based on age.

County tax rate is based on their valuation of $30K, yet homeowner's insurance premium is based on their demands of a value of nearly $200K.

Sounds like you may have a full replacement cost policy. Can you fine a Carrier that sells Actual Cash Value coverage in your state?