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Adding a mortgage once you've retired adds a big monthly expense and it's a decision that you may want to discuss with an independent financial advisor..Help! My Mentally Disabled Brother Was Target Of A Predatory Auto Loan!.According to Senator Thune, there is likely to be another major bill providing more money for businesses and others to keep the economy afloat. However, that may not happen until later in June or sometime in July. Obviously, that will use up time that would otherwise have been spent dealing with the other important issues Congress must address..This week was a busy one for Social Security and Medicare Advocates! There was considerable activity to combat the high cost of prescription drugs. The Ways and Means Committee had a hearing on the Social Security 2100 Act. And, work continues on repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision..But not all beneficiaries are protected by the hold harmless provision. The provision covers about three-quarters of beneficiaries who would not see any change in their basic Part B premiums in 2010, according to the Actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But one quarter of beneficiaries would face reductions to their monthly Social Security checks as money is deducted to cover the increased Part B premium costs. And although the "hold harmless" provision provides protection from the rising Part B premiums, that provision of law does not apply at all to Part D drug coverage or Part C Medicare Advantage plan premiums. If a person's Part D or Medicare Advantage plan premium goes up, he or she would have less Social Security to live on in 20An emergency COLA, however would offset those costs and prevent those reductions..Heating and cooling: According to TSCL's Annual Survey of senior costs, residential fuel oil has been the fastest rising expense for more than a decade. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a 250-gallon delivery of home heating oil this season may cost more than With the average monthly Social Security payment around ,100, that's a cost few seniors can afford and still have something left over for groceries. Take time to survey suppliers in your area and compare costs. Do ask for a senior citizen discount and learn the supplier's payment options. Financing your heating fuel through the supplier may give you smaller, more manageable payments, but you will pay financing fees and interest. With interest so low on savings, it sometimes makes sense to pay in full when you can to save financing charges..Medicare Part B premiums jumped .10 per month in 2020 - one of the biggest increases in recent years. While the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment increased benefits by 1.6 percent in 2020, Medicare Part B premiums climbed 6.7 percent, more than four times faster. A jump of this size can put older household budgets into a bind, forcing retirees to go without essentials when they run short before their next Social Security check..That is not as easy as it might seem but if they Senate is able to accomplish that whatever it passes must then go to a House/Senate conference committee which will have to come up with one bill that must then go back to each house and pass before it goes to the President for his signature. With just three work weeks left before October 1 it will have to be a marathon if they are to finish their work on time..While your Members of Congress are in their home states and districts, it is the perfect time to approach them at local events and request their support for a fair Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and other key issues.