Good morning. It’s Presidents’ Day, which means the mail isn’t coming, the bank is closed, and someone on TV is selling a mattress.
In this issue:
- Medicare Part B just went up — here’s the math
- Worth Knowing: the Lions’ Super Bowl run, holiday scams, and a tax break you might be missing
- From the Archives: the health topic nobody wants to discuss
- Slice of Life: the best presidential retirement
If you noticed your Social Security check looked a little different in January, here’s why. Medicare Part B premiums for 2026 rose to approximately $190 per month — about $5 more than last year’s $185. That’s an extra $60 per year coming out of your check.
The good news: Social Security’s 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment added roughly $49 per month to the average benefit. The bad news: that Part B increase eats about $5 of it. The takeaway: most retirees are netting about $44 more per month after the Part B deduction. Not nothing, but not as much as the headline COLA number suggested.
Here’s where it gets more complicated. If your 2024 MAGI (that’s modified adjusted gross income — what Medicare uses to set your premium) was over $106,000 (single) or $212,000 (married filing jointly), you’re paying IRMAA (the income-related monthly adjustment amount — basically a surcharge). Those surcharges range from $68 to $384 extra per month on top of the standard premium.
But here’s something a lot of people don’t know: if your income dropped significantly — because you retired, lost a spouse, went through a divorce, or stopped working — you can file Form SSA-44 with Social Security to request a premium reduction based on your current income, not your 2024 tax return.
What to do: Check your 2026 premium and IRMAA status at medicare.gov.
🏈 The Lions’ Super Bowl ride was quite a story. Whether you’re a Lions fan or not, this one hits different if you’ve ever waited decades for your team to show up. I wrote about what it felt like watching the Lions finally make their run — the Bobby Layne curse, the senior fans who never stopped believing, and why it mattered beyond football. It’s a love letter to every fan who refused to give up.
🏦 Presidents’ Day: your bank is closed, but scammers aren’t. Federal holidays are prime time for fraud — you can’t call your bank to verify anything, and scammers know it. If you get a “fraud alert” text or call today, don’t respond. Don’t click any links. Wait until tomorrow when your bank reopens and call the number on the back of your card. Why this matters: Scammers time these messages for days when you can’t verify them. Patience is your best defense.
📋 Tax filing tip: claim the Extra Standard Deduction. If you or your spouse turned 65 by January 1, 2026, you get an extra $1,950 (single) or $1,550 per qualifying spouse (married) added to your standard deduction. That’s on top of the regular amount. Many seniors miss this, and so do some tax preparers. Make sure yours knows your date of birth. It reduces your taxable income automatically — no itemizing required.
Understanding Incontinence in Seniors — by Nino C.
Nobody wants to talk about this. That’s exactly why I wrote about it.
One in three seniors deals with some form of incontinence. It affects sleep, social life, mental health, and independence — and most people suffer in silence because they’re embarrassed. The article covers the five types, what causes them, and the products and management strategies that actually help. I get more quiet thank-you emails about this piece than almost anything else on the site.
If you or someone you care for is dealing with this, you’re not alone, and it’s treatable. This is the kind of article worth bookmarking and sharing privately with someone who needs it.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826 — exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence. But if we’re talking best presidential retirement, my vote goes to Jimmy Carter, who spent his building houses with Habitat for Humanity well into his nineties. The man retired from the presidency and somehow got busier. Goals.
Until next Tuesday,
Nino
P.S. If this was useful, forward it to someone who’d appreciate it. And hit reply if you want — I read every one.
