Debt takes a toll on your body, too

I’ve had my share of headaches and stress freak-outs over money. Sort of glad — but sorry at the same time–to see that I’m not alone. Check out this story.

Annoyed by gas prices? There are worse things

Interesting analysis here in a podcast by MIT professor Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. I agree: Our health insurance costs have gone up much more than our gas purchases.

A small victory in eldercare insurance

As if managing our own little family’s money wasn’t hard enough, I’m also in charge of my elderly dad’s financial life. He’s in his 90s and has pretty severe dementia, so it’s absolutely necessary that I step in.

Last fall, Dad developed pneumonia and ended up in a rehabilitation center for a couple of months. I kid you not: The insurance hassles related to a rehab stay are mind-boggling. Enough to make an adult kid want to find ANY solution other than a rehab stay for an elderly parent.

One good thing came out of all this, though. By pure luck (ok, and maybe some divine intervention of some kind!), I found a folder in my dad’s papers titled “Tricare.” I had a vague sense that this was an extra insurance program my dad had through his federal government pension. But he rarely used it when he was of sound mind. There was only one piece of paper in the file–coverage for some long-forgotten dental services.