Consumer and household affairs
Reporting on the bills, contracts and public programs behind everyday household life.
Section
Social Security, Medicare, savings withdrawals and planning for later life.
Retirement · Analysis
The timing decision touches spousal benefits, taxes and savings withdrawals. Treating it as a single number misses most of the picture.
By Samuel Ito
Retirement · Guide
Drug lists, provider networks and cost-sharing can change from year to year, even when a plan’s name does not.
By Ruth Calloway
Retirement · Analysis
By Samuel Ito
Retirement · Guide
By Ruth Calloway
Money · Analysis
Lower inflation does not mean lower prices. For many families, the work now is resetting a budget around costs that are likely to stay where they are.
By Eleanor Marsh
Housing · Guide
An appeal is usually won or lost on the assessor’s record of your home. Reading that record carefully comes first.
By Daniel Okafor
Health · Explainer
The form that follows a doctor’s visit is not a bill, but it is the best tool for checking one.
By Ruth Calloway