Friends Talk Money

In the final part of this Medicare Open Enrollment series, Terry, Pam, and Richard sit down with Michael Boshardy — a licensed Medicare attorney and co-founder of MedicarePocketProtector.com — to answer the question Parts 1 and 2 left hanging: once you know you need to shop, where do you actually go. Michael explains how MedicarePocketProtector.com compares every available plan in a user's zip code (not just the ones that pay commissions), how it's funded entirely by carrier commissions rather than consumer fees, and why that model still leaves room for unbiased recommendations — including plans that pay the company nothing. A key ingredient is the promise that they will never call you or send you a sales pitch!  The comparison tools are free to use – even if you don't purchase a plan.  Whether you're deciding between traditional Medicare with a supplement or Advantage, the website walks you through the decision.   If you decide on Advantage, you can enter your doctors, hospital and drugs before starting the search, so the plan can personalize your recommendation. On every page there is a "Talk to Someone" button, so you can get help at any time.    The conversation covers the free deadline and "should-I-enroll" tools for people still on employer coverage, how the built-in IRMAA calculator and appeal-letter drafting works, and the free app that reviews medical bills, drafts drug-formulary exceptions, and monitors your doctors' network status all year, not just during enrollment. Michael also gives a clear rule of thumb: if you can afford it, a Medicare Supplement Plan G is usually the strongest option — and explains why the cheapest Medigap plan often isn't the smartest one. Links:         The Medicare Pocket Protector         State Health Insurance Assistance Program         Find the plan that works for you (Medicare.gov)  

Medicare expert Diane Omdahl of 65 Incorporated — author of Medicare for You: A Smart Person's Guide — joins Terry, Richard, and Pam for Part 2 of this Medicare Open Enrollment series, and the message gets more specific: your Annual Notice of Change won't tell you everything.   Diane explains why you have to dig into your plan's provider directory yourself (Medicare's official tool has real accuracy problems), what's really happening to dental, vision, and "extra benefit" allowances in Medicare Advantage plans, and why PPOs offering out-of-network flexibility often aren't the safety net people think they are. She also breaks down a guaranteed-issue loophole most people don't know about — if your Advantage plan disappears entirely with no replacement offered, you get a short window to buy a Medigap policy with no health underwriting.   The back half digs into standalone Part D drug plans: disappearing $0-premium options, coinsurance creeping into cheaper drug tiers, the end of the federal premium cap, and why the cheapest monthly premium is often the most expensive plan overall. Diane also shares how her tool, HeyMOE (heymoe.com), compares far more drug plans and pharmacies than Medicare.gov's Plan Finder.   Coming up next: trusted, no-sales-pitch resources to help you make these decisions with real, personalized help.   Links: ●       Sixty-Five Incorporated ●       Find the plan that works for you (Medicare.gov) ●       Medicare For You: A Smart Person's Guide (Amazon) ●       34 health systems dropping Medicare Advantage plans | 2026 (Beckers Hospital Review) ●       Humana exit notices loom for 600,000 Medicare Advantage members (Healthcare Finance) ●       HeyMOE – Medicare Part D Comparison Tool (HeyMOE.com)

Medicare's Open Enrollment window (Oct 15–Dec 7) is quickly approaching, and Terry, Richard, and Pam kick off a three-part series with a simple but urgent message: even if you're happy with your coverage, you can't skip your review this year.   In this episode, they break down what's changing for 2027 — rising Part B premiums, IRMAA surcharges, Medigap and Part D premium hikes, the new Part D out-of-pocket cap, and a mounting crisis in Medicare Advantage as insurers like Humana pull back hundreds of thousands of plans nationwide. They explain why reading your Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter matters more than ever, and why switching from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare might not be so easy.   Coming up next: Part 2 brings in Medicare expert Diane Omdahl of 65 Incorporated to unpack Advantage and drug plan strategy, and Part 3 reveals trusted, no-sales-pitch resources for personalized help.   Links: ●       A Medicare Question (Terry Savage) ●       What to know for Medicare open enrollment (Terry Savage) ●       IRMAA Help (Terry Savage) ●       These are the 10 biggest retirement fears - and what you can do about them (Richard Eisenberg - MarketWatch) ●       Get started with Medicare (Medicare.gov) ●       Find the plan that works for you (Medicare.gov) ●       Medicare Advantage in 2026: Enrollment Update and Key Trends (KFF) ●       Health insurers are dumping Medicare Advantage plans. Here's how many seniors could be affected (Morningstar)

Retirement fears are rising. But what are people really afraid of? Former Fidelity wealth management executive turned retirement coach David Conti joins us to break down his new Retirement Fear Index, ranking the top 10 things Americans fear most as they approach and live through retirement. At the top: healthcare and long-term care costs, running out of money, the future of Social Security, and inflation. We dig into what's driving those fears and which ones deserve the most attention. Richard, Terry, and Pam push back on whether fear is even the right lens and dig into what's actually actionable (32%), what takes behavior change (38%), and what you just have to sit with. Plus: how the Fear Index compares to the VIX and the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, why "confidence" isn't the same as "fear," and the real difference between a financial advisor, a retirement coach, and a financial therapist. Links: RetireMentors.net and RetirementFearIndex.com (David Conti's websites) I'm turning 70. Here's how I'm making this decade the richest of my retirement. (Marketwatch) Dealing with fear in retirement (Yahoo Finance) 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey (EBRI) Boston College Center for Retirement Research The 2025 OASDI Trustees Report University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey

Social Security is back in the headlines, with warnings that the trust fund could become insolvent as early as 2032. Does that mean your benefits are at risk? Should you claim early? Economist Larry Kotlikoff joins us to separate fact from fear. We explain what "insolvency" really means, why the long-term funding gap may be much larger than most people realize, what Congress could do to fix it, and—most importantly—what today's headlines should (and shouldn't) mean for your own retirement decisions. Links: MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com Maxifi.com Economics Matters by Laurence Kotlikoff (Substack) Get What's Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security (Larry Kotlikoff) Social Security Horror Stories: Protect Yourself from the System — and Avoid Clawbacks (Larry Kotlikoff and Terry Savage) Social Security Insolvency (Terry Savage) How to work in retirement without seeing your Social Security checks slashed (Richard Eisenberg) Social Security: Make smarter decisions to maximize your lifetime benefits (Wealthramp) A Summary of the 2026 Annual Reports