Retirees: Help Is Here

Aging forces you to make increasingly complex financial decisions.

On my last visit to see my mother, she handed me a certified letter from the state of Maryland. I could see that she was worried. The letter stated that Maryland was ending prescription-drug coverage for Medicare-eligible state retirees. Mom retired from a state job nearly 30 years ago, and because of Maryland's generous retiree health care benefits, she never had to worry about choosing a Medicare Part D prescription-drug plan (or a Medicare supplemental insurance, or medigap, plan). The letter was quick to point out that this decision was made by the former governor, Martin O'Malley, and that the current governor, Larry Hogan, had tried unsuccessfully to scotch the change in the state legislature. (Thanks Guv, I guess.)

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Mark Solheim
Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Mark became editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine in July 2017. Prior to becoming editor, he was the Money and Living sections editor and, before that, the automotive writer. He has also been editor of Kiplinger.com as well as the magazine's managing editor, assistant managing editor and chief copy editor. Mark has also served as president of the Washington Automotive Press Association. In 1990 he was nominated for a National Magazine Award. Mark earned a B.A. from University of Virginia and an M.A. in Writing from Johns Hopkins University. Mark lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, and they spend as much time as possible in their Glen Arbor, Mich., vacation home.