The HSA Expert

Watching the Milan-Cortina Olympics, I always looked for our favorite hockey player - #37 on the USA Women’s team. After watching the United States defeat Canada for the Olympic Gold Medal in Milan - what a thrilling game! - we kept the broadcast on to enjoy all of the celebrating. With all of the hugging, smiles and tears and the camera whipping around, it was hard to find #37, she is isn’t the tallest. Then, all of a sudden, the camera turned to a USA player talking very directly to the...

"Father, I don't hear confession and you don't coach this team." Father is Father John P. Raynor, SJ, president of my alma mater, Marquette University. He’s the boss. I was lucky enough to meet Father Raynor a few times. When I introduced him to my family at the President’s Reception during graduation week, he looked at me a bit puzzled, pointed toward my big sister and said, “How did we let this one get away?” I shrugged my shoulders. My sister just laughed. Father Raynor was a joy to be...

Hey Reader, “Welcome! We have a few things for you to complete.” I sit with four other new hires in a conference room. “Fill these out. If you have any questions, just ask”, says the company HR representative. Before me I have IRS Form W9, a request for my driver’s license and a bunch of information about insurance - medical, dental, life, disability and 401(k). “Choose the insurance you want and sign.” I thought to myself, “Is this it?” I was once fresh out of college, ready to take on the...

For better or for worse, I think about insurance a lot. And, if you think about it, nothing really happens without insurance. I can just see my pal, Lee, right now texting me the Facepalm emoji!!! “I’m really disappointed that I didn’t get to make shortbread for Hogmanay!”, I told my mother-in-law as we drove north up the Edens Expressway on the way to her home following the New Year’s celebration. We had just been talking about recipes and I mentioned that my Mom always made shortbread for...

Hey Reader, You never know what is going to happen. Sometimes it’s helpful. 40 years ago this Thanksgiving was such a time. I apologized to Aunt Betty, but I was not going to be with her, Uncle Don and cousin Tom for Thanksgiving in Chicago. I did not tell her why. The only one that I told was my sister. All of the airlines were having “fare wars” as travel picked up following a newly robust US economy. Before the middle 80s, there wasn’t the same frequency of air travel that we take for...

I’m far from a movie fan…Diner is my favorite. The kids always give me a hard time. Sometimes a movie strikes me. The Truman Show Truman Burbank had no idea his entire life had been manipulated, orchestrated, controlled. His life was for the benefit of those that controlled him and those watching at home. Truman was the star of a grand money-making enterprise. He did not know it. He was not told about it. And he was not paid for it. To be honest, he was robbed! And while the man in control...

Today, and the beginning of every January, is the most important date for your Health Savings Account. When your Health Savings Account balance equals (or exceeds) your Annual Out of Pocket Maximum of your High Deductible Health Plan, you should not have to worry about how you will pay for any unexpected accident, sickness or other peril throughout the course of the year. Your HSA gives you peace of mind! Your HSA also ensures you save at least 28% (and up to over 50%) on everything you...

Hello there! It's Open Enrollment time for a lot of people, including me. You may be going through Open Enrollment right now, too. So, since your health insurance is top of mind right now, it's a good time to take inventory or what you CAN DO right now. Right now while I am working on our family's choice for 2025, I am also helping two of my adult kids and a few of their friends who are making their choices, too. Here is what I suggest focusing on right now to take inventory and figure out...