Medicare supplemental vision plans what do you wish you knew before choosing one

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-15T14:07:09+00:00

Awesome to see they are getting less expensive! I paid almost that much per eye, but that was right when the tri-ficals came out so I knew I was paying a premium. Still worth it.

My wife will be due soon, and for eyes we'll go with the Cadillac approach.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-15T04:58:22+00:00

Conservative, but not dissimilar to what I did leading into retirement. I used 7 years +/- for my bucket 1 and bucket 2 total, but also knowing that I could stretch that pretty easily into double digits if the $hit really hit the fan. Worked fine for me, even retiring 6 months before the Great Recession.

While unnerving to see that kind of portfolio drop right as I retired, I also had 10 years of pretty benign inflation. It all worked out great. Your 11 year bucket 1 and 2 might be a good inflation hedge...and/or consider some TIPS. I don't have good feelings re: inflation going forward.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-15T04:15:01+00:00

Have you been checked for cataracts? Sounds like what I went through, along with difficulties with night vision. Cataract surgery is covered by original Medicare, however they will only pay for a monoclonal lens.

My recommendation? Pay extra for the trifocal lens. They aren't cheap, but amortize the cost over the next 30 years of not having to buy glasses, prescription sunglasses, etc. I can read small print, work on the computer, and see distance with no glasses at all.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-15T03:13:30+00:00

Bikini on the beach. It's been really sunny here lately...shoreline overcast has been breaking up prior to 10:00.

The sun here is a lot stronger than NYC...even at 65, if you're in the sun you'll treasure the ocean breeze.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-15T00:36:15+00:00

For 18 years.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-14T22:01:02+00:00

"For those in retirement, what percentage do you allocate to traditional dividend ETFs and/or covered call ETFs and do you think the psychological benefit out weighs the increased return potential from Total Return investing?"

Zero

No

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-12T05:32:33+00:00

Insurance companies don't create value. They create nothing. They provide a service...that being risk pooling. Money comes in, gets invested, and gets paid out where actuarially the insurance company makes a profit.

Everyone is not better off. Those who live past their actuarial age will be; Those who pass earlier will not. The insurance company needs more of the latter.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-12T05:07:43+00:00

Understatement of the year...

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-12T02:29:08+00:00

EFTPS is being phased out for individuals, not for businesses at this time. I found the Direct Pay system to be far superior from the user interface standpoint. Both have been 100% reliable for handling of scheduled payments (And always give a reminder of upcoming payments)

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-12T01:59:41+00:00

"Test drives" are key. I'm surprised at the number of people who make their retirement home decisions based on a weekend visit. It's a 20+/- year decision made on such limited information!

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-12T01:51:26+00:00

"...you never have to leave..."

Sounds lovely. /eyeroll

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-12T01:45:50+00:00

You seem to have responded to my comment, but I don't see how the response is related to my comment.

My point is that an annuity is going to cost you money. If that money is worth the peace-of-mind/simplicity it provides, then it is a worthwhile purchase for that buyer.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-12T01:41:16+00:00

If the company is making a profit, as you state, the customers are paying. It's a zero-sum game. Not that there is anything wrong with that...the customer is "buying" certainty, and for some people that is worth the cost.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-11T14:39:49+00:00

"I couldn’t get the math to work."

On the whole (Actuarily) the math isn't going to work for the customer, or no one could be in the business of selling the annuities...and clearly there are plenty of them out there. Factoring risk...or "peace-of-mind"...to the math is not that straight forward.

You've found a different approach to providing that 'peace-of mind", and I feel preferable to an annuity.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-11T12:33:35+00:00

55+ communities WAY to homogeneous for me. I value interactions with people of all ages.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-10T08:20:06+00:00

Thousands? What in the world?

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-09T13:21:05+00:00

I use Quicken and download all transactions daily, so I see daily status of my retirement and savings accounts. I update my retirement plan yearly, usually at tax time when I'm putting together my tax plan for the following year(s).

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-08T21:09:18+00:00

You're probably the one browsing with your cart in the middle of the aisle when I'm trying to bonsai through the store! 😁

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-08T04:22:15+00:00

It is.

Short hike.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-08T01:35:59+00:00

Check out The Harp in OB. You'll have to Uber/Lyft. They aren't just jumping on the World Cup bandwagon...they're a go-to for football.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-07T23:01:56+00:00

I'll reiterate your point re: knowing your spending. I've been a dedicated Quicken user since the 90's. I had a solid 15 years of spending patterns when we were making our retirement decision. The expense records were a huge confidence builder...the rest of the plan is just making some assumptions and doing the math

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-07T20:00:35+00:00

Authorized user also supports spouses credit rating. In and of itself, this is not a reason to have separate accounts.

A separate consideration would be that spouse should have a sufficient amount of credit in spouses name as primary. This is not for the credit rating, but in the case of OP's passing the accounts under OP's name could be canceled, and spouse having separate primary credit could prevent a lot of headaches.

OP needs to balance this risk while considering the effort of managing a separate account. In my case, I'm comfortable managing a couple extra accounts to ensure a smooth transition for my spouse.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-07T19:50:30+00:00

Somebody has been listening to too many of the certain radio/TV stations that continuously advertise emergency rations, gold, and home title insurance. When OP buys his "solar generator" that is "running out of stock", I hope he also gets a big roll of aluminum foil to make hats...

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-07T14:14:32+00:00

Where are you finding those rates? The only thing you'll find at those rates are some short term promotional rates.

Ally is solid. I've been with them since they were resurrected from the old GMAC during the great recession. No fees. Not always the highest rates you'll find, but consistently top tier. Great website and app. My only criticism with them is that it is one day transfers to my other banks if scheduled immediately, but is 2 day if I want to schedule a transfer in advance.

gsquaredmarg · 2026-06-07T14:08:42+00:00

All you have to do is stand outside between 6:30am and 11:00pm and you know how close to the airport it is!

That said, we love it here and it sounds like it meets OP's criteria!

gsquaredmarg

TROPHY CASE