On November 4, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2021-61 announcing cost-of-living adjustments affecting dollar limits for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2022. Many pension plan limits will change next year because the increase in the cost-of-living index met the statutory thresholds that trigger their adjustment. Other items, however, will not…
The COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the importance of employer-provided health benefits. Not only have employees been requesting an expansion of their benefits for months, but report after report has indicated that comprehensive plans that also cover mental health or include paid parental leave, for example, are the key to getting people back to…
Today, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced annual inflation adjustments for more than 50 tax provisions, including an increase in voluntary employee contributions to employer-sponsored healthcare flexible spending arrangements (HFSAs) to $2,850 for plan years beginning in 2022, up from the 2021 limit of $2,750. For HFSAs that include a carryover provision, up to $570…
“Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile” stirs happy memories of singing Christmas carols for some, but for others, the holidays can be the most stressful and loneliest time of the year. The holidays often present a dizzying array of demands – shopping, baking, and entertaining to name a few. For those dealing with…
On September 30, 2021, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury (collectively, the Departments), along with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), released an interim final rule (IFR) under the No Surprises Act (Act) to help protect health care consumers from surprise billing and excessive…
Many of us have heard of Alzheimer’s disease but may not know much more than it is a disease that causes memory loss. Experts suggest that more than 6 million Americans, most of them age 65 or older, may have dementia caused by Alzheimer’s. This disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in…
Theories abound about why workers are leaving their jobs in record numbers in 2021 and thus creating what pundits are calling the Great Resignation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs in August. These resignations continue to be higher in food service, retail, and education. One popular opinion…
The end of the year is drawing near which may mean you have some extra money to spend. No, you didn’t read that wrong. Many Americans have money in their Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) that they need to use up before the end of the year. FSAs provide the benefit of putting pre-tax money aside…
Malicious Email A malicious email can look just like it comes from a financial institution, an e-commerce site, a government agency or any other service or business. It often urges you to act quickly, because your account has been compromised, your order cannot be fulfilled or there is another urgent matter to address. If you…
Trying to figure out Medicare can be one of the most frustrating aspects of retirement. Even the savviest of retirees struggle with figuring out when to enroll and which parts to enroll in – there’s Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D, Medigap plans and so on. And, what in the world is a…
