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Kiplinger's Personal Finance
November 2019Written to help you do a better job of managing your personal and family financial affairs and to help you get more for your money. You get ideas on saving, investing, cutting taxes, making major purchases, advancing your career, buying a home, paying for education, health care and travel, plus much, much more. Special issues cover the latest information about car buying (December) and Mutual Funds (March and September).
IN THIS ISSUE
kiplinger.com
RV REGRETS You might have a few. Kiplinger’s Bob Niedt checked in with retired RV owners and discovered a list of 13 common concerns. kiplinger.com/links/rv GUIDE TO STATE TAXES Updated for 2019, the Kiplinger Tax Map reveals how each state taxes your income and property and everything you buy. kiplinger.com/links/taxmap BEST VANGUARD FUNDS FOR 401(K)S Kiplinger’s Nellie Huang assesses the Vanguard actively managed funds that are most popular among 401(k) retirement-plan investors. kiplinger.com/links/vanguard19 Kiplinger Today Profit from the best of Kiplinger delivered to your e-mail inbox every weekday. Sign up for our Kiplinger Today e-newsletter at kiplinger.com/links/ktoday. FACEBOOK: KiplingerPersonalFinance TWITTER: @Kiplinger…
affordable health care
As open enrollment rolls around again, our special report, starting on page 42, has advice on picking the best group, individual or Medicare plan, plus tips on how to save money on health care providers and prescription drugs throughout the year. The very fact that we publish a guide to navigating the complexities of choosing health care each year is evidence that our system needs fixing—which is exactly what voters on both sides of the political spectrum are saying as we close in on the 2020 elections. The U.S. health insurance system is a confusing patchwork of employer-provided group and individual coverage, as well as Medicaid and Medicare. No matter what plan you’re on, the rules are complex, and it’s up to you to appeal when the insurance company denies coverage. WE…
social security: when?
Single, never-married individuals need not worry so much about the best time to start Social Security benefits. If one needs the money, take it. If not, bank it (“Rethinking Retirement,” Sept.). Since benefits are based on actuarial tables, the government expects to pay you the same amount whether you start claiming at age 62, age 70 or any age in between, program solvency aside. The real question is, How likely are you to outlive the actuarial tables? Most of the time it’s a coin toss. Things get more complicated when other people are involved, especially when age and wage differences are substantial. However, no matter one’s circumstances, those confounded tables still loom. TONY BOUFFARDANTIOCH, CALIF. Health care sticker shock. It is simply ridiculous that a standard blood test can cost as little as…
kiplinger’s personal finance
EDITORIAL EDITOR Mark K. Solheim EXECUTIVE EDITOR Anne Kates Smith MANAGING EDITOR Frederic Fane Wolfer SENIOR EDITORS Eileen Ambrose, Sandra Block, Jeffrey R. Kosnett EDITOR AT LARGE Janet Bodnar SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITORS Nellie S. Huang, John Waggoner, Marc A. Wojno (research) ASSOCIATE EDITORS Miriam Cross, Ryan Ermey, Patricia Mertz Esswein, Kaitlin Pitsker STAFF WRITER Rivan V. Stinson CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Lisa Gerstner, James K. Glassman COPY EDITORS Rachel McVearry, Denise E. Mitchell INTERN Sabrina Medler ART DESIGN DIRECTOR Stacie A. Harrison ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Yajaira St. Fleurant ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Natalie F. Kress EDITORIAL PRODUCTION MANAGER Kevin Childers ADVERTISING SALES ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER AND NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Paul Vizza (202-887-6558; pvizza@kiplinger.com) SALES DIRECTOR Jim Marron (917-621-6627; jmarron@kiplinger.com) DIRECT RESPONSE Anthony Smyth (914-409-4202; anthony@smythmedia.com) ONLINE SALES DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL OPERATIONS AND ADVERTISING Andy Price (aprice@kiplinger.com) REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGERS Maggie Kinsky (mkinsky@kiplinger.com), Stevie Lee (slee@kiplinger.com) DIGITAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN MANAGER Neshmia Tahir KIPLINGER.COM GENERAL MANAGER Robert Long EXECUTIVE EDITOR Michael DeSenne SENIOR…
the census gears up
DEBATE OVER THE CITIZENSHIP question is no longer looming over the 2020 census. But other developments are shaking up this once-a-decade count of the entire U.S. population, which starts in January in remote Alaska and continues well into the spring. The biggest change for 2020: digitization. Invitations to take the census will start arriving in the mail at most homes in mid March. But for the first time, households will be encouraged to answer the questionnaire online (or by phone) rather than by mail. You’ll be asked several questions about the ages, genders, races and ethnic origins of people in your household. You’ll also be able to supply new answers to some questions. For example, people can identify as same-sex spouses or partners. Uncle Sam will hire fewer temp workers to go…
yahoo makes amends
Remember the massive Yahoo data breaches? More than 3 billion Yahoo account holders were affected by the data hacks, which occurred between 2012 and 2016 and are believed to be the largest breaches to date. Now a settlement is finally at hand. Yahoo, which is now part of Verizon Communications, has proposed a $117.5 million settlement. If you received a notice that your account was compromised, or you simply had a Yahoo account between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016, you may be eligible for two years of free credit monitoring or a payment of $100 if you’ve already signed up for a credit-monitoring service. You can also apply for reimbursement if you spent money on a credit freeze (which is now free but wasn’t at the time of the…
