Long Covid’s financial devastation: $8,000 in credit card debt, ruined retirement plans

Teresa Harding Source: Teresa Harding It took three months for Teresa Harding to open her termination letter. “I couldn’t look at it,” Harding, 47, said. For seven years, she’d worked at a pain management center in Lexington, Kentucky. “I enjoyed my co-workers and our patients. “It was a fun, exciting job,” she added. But after…

Op-ed: Investors need to wait it out before snatching up software stocks

Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images Every investor looks to buy low and sell high, which sounds simple enough … until you try to actually put it into practice. The problem is that it’s seldom obvious when the highs and lows of a particular cycle will happen. Most of the time, that’s apparent only…

Long Covid may be ‘the next public health disaster’ — with a $3.7 trillion economic impact rivaling the Great Recession

Sam Norpel and her family. Norpel, 48, second from the right, got Covid-19 in December 2021 and hasn’t recovered. This chronic illness, known as long Covid, impacts up to 23 million Americans. Kirstie Donohue Sam Norpel used to present regular financial updates to C-suite executives. Now, unpredictable bouts of broken, staccato speech make that impossible…

‘I never really got better’ — long Covid patients share their struggle with ongoing symptoms and the health-care system

Michael Bryand, 35, first got Covid in September 2020. “I never really got better,” he said in a sit-down interview with CNBC. “I had symptoms that stayed with me and that are still with me.” Bryand, who was working at Wells Fargo in San Antonio at the time, went on short-term disability and then long-term…

Despite ongoing Covid risks, more employees consider cutting back on health-care benefits

Tech startup company Fast Chief Communications Officer Jason Alderman (R) talks with an employee on the first day working in the office on March 24, 2021 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Inflation has stretched household budgets near their limit. As a result, most people have reined in discretionary spending, even when…

Here’s how those looking to ‘age in place’ can fund home health-care services

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images Some 70% of people want to age at home, yet only 10% have long-term care insurance, a recent HCG Secure/Arctos Foundation study found. Furthermore, about half of respondents had no idea how much in-home care would cost. With the median annual cost of a home health aide nationally…

Op-ed: Cryptocurrency isn’t a smart investment — and hasn’t been for a while

Boonchai Wedmakawand | Moment | Getty Images The collapse of FTX, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, has rippled through the world of digital currencies. Once valued at $32 billion, FTX filed for bankruptcy protection and founder Sam Bankman-Fried resigned as its CEO after reports alleged that the company had loaned billions of dollars…

Op-ed: Here are 6 stocks with excellent vital signs in the health-care sector 

Me 3645 Studio | Moment | Getty Images Cautious investors are turning over every rock in the equities market in search of stocks that have not only high growth potential, but also a record of resiliency in downturns. Yet this dual advantage — a good offense and a good defense — really isn’t that hard…

Op-ed: Here’s a year-end checklist to help you navigate some complicated financial issues

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images The end of the year is one of the most important times for investors because there are so many decisions to make that impact their overall financial planning. This time around, the year’s end is marked with a lot of financial challenges, including inflation, market volatility, domestic political uncertainties…

Op-ed: High-net-worth investors can amplify their charitable impact with a ‘recoverable grant’

Miniseries | E+ | Getty Images Anyone watching the markets this year knows that it’s been a bumpy ride. But investors and the corporate sector aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch as financial markets have fallen sharply. With an estimated 33% of all charitable giving taking place in November and December, non-profit organizations will…

How top-ranked financial advisors are responding to near-retiree concerns about inflation, longevity

Fizkes | Istock | Getty Images Reaching retirement with a nest egg that you trust will last is a stressful endeavor even in the best of times. These days, those nearing the end of their careers also have to contend with historic inflation, stubborn market volatility and the remnants of the coronavirus pandemic. We asked…

‘Your loved ones will already be in a state of trauma.’ The ramifications of dying without a will

C.j. Burton | The Image Bank | Getty Images What happens if a loved one dies without a will? Millions of us are bound to find out, as two-thirds of American adults have no will, according to a recent Caring.com study. If a person dies without a will, or intestate, the probate court decides who…