Should you move your parents into your home? 

By Bonnie Rochman, AARP 

Are You Ready For These Social Security Changes In 2025?

From Retallick Financial Group

Where Paying More Taxes, Not Less, Might be the Right Play

From Retallick Financial Group

Why your body doesn't tolerate alcohol like it used to. Plus, a look at the latest health warnings

If you’re beginning to wonder if your parents are safe living on their own — perhaps you’ve noticed they are having trouble driving or taking care of themselves — you’re not alone. Half of Americans over 50 are caregivers and the majority of them are looking after their parents. Though most of us want to age in our own homes, AARPs “The Journey of Aging” reports that more and more are sharing homes: 67 million adults over 18 live in a multi-generation house, a 272 percent increase over the last decade.

If you are considering whether your parent should move in with you or whether you should move in with your parent — you first need to have a candid conversation about the needs, preferences and concerns of everyone involved. 

Wellness Blog

Social Security is a pillar of financial stability for many retirees. If you’re one of the millions of older Americans collecting Social Security, or if you will be shortly, keeping up with changes to the program is important. 

Thankfully, the SSA commonly announces key changes to the program a few months in advance. Back in October, they announced some changes coming in 2025. Let’s walk you through some of them:

A 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment or (COLA) is coming next year, designed to help seniors on Social Security continue their standard of living despite inflation. This 2.5% increase will bring the average monthly benefit to $1,976, up from $1,927.

Reducing your taxes via getting into a lower tax bracket isn’t always possible. In these cases, it might make sense to take advantage of the “headroom” you have in your existing top bracket. 

The idea is to strategically accelerate income in order to reduce your overall taxes. With tax-filing season underway, now may be a good time to think about this option. Accelerating income goes against the first rule of traditional tax planning: defer taxes whenever possible. But there may be reasons to rethink this rule depending on your situation.  

A new advisory from United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., warns about the direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer. Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., and drinking it increases a person's risk for seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat and larynx. 

In addition to this latest advisory, a recent study of more than 135,000 older adults, published in JAMA, found that even as little as one drink a day raises the risk of death by any cause for older adults with pre-existing conditions or low socioeconomic status. And no one, regardless of health or socioeconomic status, was immune to the effects of more than one drink a day. 

How much is one drink a day?