How to Plan for a Secure Retirement

Fully updated to reflect 1997 tax law changes, a guide offers readers a comprehensive set of answers to common questions about retirement, and covers topics including social security, insurance, estate planning, and calculating post-retirement expenses.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ix

INTRODUCTION

1

(16)

PART ONE INCOME

17

(112)

1 Getting Ready to Retire

17

(12)

2 SOCIAL SECURITY: The Backbone of Retirement Income

29

(22)

3 Your Pension

51

(32)

4 Annuities

83

(18)

5 Life Insurance

101

(10)

6 Taxes

111

(10)

7 Who Manages Your Money When You Can't?

121

(8)

PART TWO HEALTH CARE

129

(96)

8 MEDICARE: What the Government Pays

129

(14)

9 Health Insurance from Your Employer

143

(12)

10 Insurance to Supplement Medicare

155

(18)

11 New Medicare + Choice Options

173

(16)

12 Insurance for Long-Term Care

189

(16)

13 Medicaid and Long-Term Care

205

(10)

14 Special Health-Care Decisions

215

(10)

PART THREE HOUSING

225

(42)

15 Tapping the Equity in Your Home

225

(10)

16 Housing Tax Breaks

235

(12)

17 Continuing-Care Retirement Communities and Assisted-Living Facilities

247

(20)

PART FOUR ESTATE PLANNING

267

(34)

18 Transferring your Estate

267

(18)

19 Setting up a Trust

285

(16)

WORKSHEET

301

(22)

APPENDIXES

323

(44)

APPENDIX A State Agencies on Aging

323

(6)

APPENDIX B States with High-Risk Health Insurance Pools

329

(3)

APPENDIX C State Insurance Counseling Programs

332

(7)

APPENDIX D State Insurance Regulators

339

(6)

APPENDIX E Organ Donor Organizations

345

(1)

APPENDIX F Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Offices

346

(7)

APPENDIX G States with Property Tax Relief Programs: 1996

353

(2)

APPENDIX H Senior Citizens' Organizations

355

(2)

APPENDIX I Homestead Exemption Credit Programs

357

(2)

APPENDIX J Circuit Breaker for Renters

359

(2)

APPENDIX K Circuit Breakers for Homeowners

361

(3)

APPENDIX L Property-Tax Deferral Programs

364

(3)

INDEX

367

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