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  • Do You Get Enough Vitamins? Try These Vitamin Subscription Services

    Do You Get Enough Vitamins? Try These Vitamin Subscription Services

    Everything has a subscription these days. You subscribe to a video streaming service like Netflix. You could have a shave club subscription, or maybe a makeup subscription. Maybe you get meal boxes in the mail, or something more fun like a Loot Crate-style grab bag. But do you get your vitamins delivered to your door?

    Most people don’t get nearly enough vitamins, and it shows in their overall health. After all, it’s hard getting enough vitamins in a normal diet. Don’t worry: today we’re going over the best vitamin subscriptions for those trying to get healthy.

    Vitamin Subscription Services

    Why Get a Subscription?

    Personalized vitamin subscriptions are an important service when you compare them with a normal multivitamin. Mass-market vitamins have to appeal to the widest number of people, but that means that they could be full of stuff you’re already getting enough of.

    Subscription services are wonderful because they’re personalized. You get exactly the vitamins that your diet is missing, so you’re that much healthier! Not to mention, it’s nice to get them delivered right to your door. You don’t need to remember to go out and get them, or be bothered with a trip to the supermarket.

    The Best Subscription Services

    Generally speaking, you want to go with a service that fits your budget and offers you the best value. Some of the more well-regarded vitamin subscription services are HUM Nutrition and Persona Nutrition, both of which offer you access to professional nutritionists. These two services are a bit on the pricier side, however.

    If you don’t care about having contact with a dietician or nutritionist, Rootine offers a subscription service of personalized vitamins for $60 per month. Similarly, Vitafive offers less expensive prices for vitamins in gummy form, and even offers support for Amazon Prime users.

    Other services that get good reviews and offer personalized services are Care/of and Ritual. Care/of sends you multiple pills or powders for your vitamin regiment, whereas Ritual just sends you one pill that has all the stuff you need in it.


  • Accounting Software: Which One is Right for Your Business?

    Accounting Software: Which One is Right for Your Business?

    When it comes to running your business, nothing is quite as important as your accounting software. Whether you’re selling ice cream or life insurance, you’ve got to have accurate bookkeeping.

    The question remains, however, which accounting software is right for you business? Today we’re going to help you narrow it down.

    Which Accounting Software is Right For You?

    Sage50 Cloud

    Designed primarily to help mid-to-small sized businesses, Sage50 Cloud is a great accounting software suite. It helps businesses to stay up on their taxes, keep their bookkeeping clear and concise, and generally stay compliant. Payroll, budgeting, inventory and more can all be tracked through the software.

    As the name suggests, Sage 50 utilizes the cloud to keep your information all backed up. This allows you to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing all of your important accounting information is saved and backed up. You can even track purchases and pay vendors all through this software!

    Sage50 Cloud has a variety of pricing options, which start around $45 per month. Depending on your needs, you can opt for more complex packages at higher rates.

    Freshbooks

    The streamlined, seamless and easy-to-use Freshbooks software is one of the top picks for accounting software. Whether you’re running a large business or a small one, Freshbooks as an accounting suite is a strong choice. You can easily set up recurring invoices to pay out to various contractors, record your expenses easily and import to other software in a flash.

    The dashboard makes it easy to find what you’re looking for, while the easy-to-navigate menus and options make it impossible to get lost. Accounting can be quite difficult, but Freshbooks takes a lot of the difficulty out of the equation! Pricing for this software starts at $15 per month.

    NetSuite ERP

    Another user-friendly and well-presented suite, NetSuite ERP is great for businesses of all sizes. Including integration for marketing, sales and customer relations, NetSuite is a rather robust accounting software. You can even handle your stocks through the excellently-designed suite!

    NetSuite ERP offers integration through inventory management tools, as well as a shipping module to keep track of all of your orders. The easy-to-use interface is available even on mobile devices! You don’t need to be an accounting expert to use the software, and it’s easy to find what you’re looking for through the simple dashboard.


  • Best Trucking Companies

    Best Trucking Companies

    The open road can be a great workplace, as long as you’re working for the right company. If you’re interested in a career as a truck driver, you’re likely wondering which the best trucking companies are to work for. Lucky for you, we’ve got a list of the highest-paying trucking companies right here for you!

    Best Trucking Companies to Work For

    Wal-Mart

    Wal-Mart trucking has a reputation for being really great to work for. The company reportedly pays very competitively. Truckers working for them make, on average, around $80,000 per year. That translates to around $40 per hour. They offer training pay, which is great, as well as mileage and activity pay. Wal-Mart even offers a safe driving bonus every three months.

    Drivers for Wal-Mart don’t load or unload freight. They also get one guaranteed day at home per week! Drivers are also given reset hours on the road. The best part, though, is the benefits. Drivers get benefits starting their very first day, and it covers things like dental, medical, life and more.

    Acme

    While they only operate in seven states, Acme is a prolific trucking company. They’ve got a ton of trucks on the road, although they technically don’t own their own fleet. They actually lease all of their trucks. Acme drivers make an average of around $83,000 per year, or roughly $40 per hour. That’s more than just competitive, it’s nearly the highest in the industry.

    They’ve got work for drivers of all experience levels, and they pay rather promptly. Drivers for Acme have noted that they are typically paid just a week after they haul freight. The upsides to working for them are numerous, such as benefits and tons of work available.

    GP Transco

    GP Transco is a lesser-known company, but they’re notable for a few reasons. For one thing, they have the lowest turnover rate of any company in the business. Their average salary is around $75,000 per year, which is highly competitive with other companies. GP Transco offers what is described as a “fantastic” benefits package, which is a huge part of their low turnover rate.

    If you’re going to spend a ton of time away from home on the open road, you’re going to want pay and benefits that match your time. After all, the biggest thing you’re offering as a truck driver is your time.


  • No Degree? Great Jobs that are Right for You

    No Degree? Great Jobs that are Right for You

    Not everyone gets to, or wants to, go to college. After all, it’s expensive and time consuming, and you’ve got bills to pay and a life to live. That’s not a problem! College isn’t for everyone. However, now you’re looking for a good job to make ends meet. What kind of good jobs are available for someone without a degree? Let’s find out.

    Great Jobs for People without a College Degree

    Truck Driver

    If you don’t mind the open road and long trips across country, there’s a lot of money to be made as a trucker. Once you have a commercial trucking license, you’re a hot commodity. This kind of job isn’t for everyone, but it will ensure a great deal of financial security.

    Staying up for long hours, driving to new places and having a flexible schedule are all part of the job. If you don’t have a problem being away from home for days at a time, you could make a great trucker. Companies are always hiring, and the average pay is around $50,000 per year. That’s not bad for a job that doesn’t require a degree.

    Hotel Management

    Getting in on the ground floor of a hotel isn’t terribly difficult, and doesn’t require a degree. However, it might require you work some pretty crazy hours. Most hotels tend to start people, especially front desk staff, as overnight workers.

    If you go in with an open mind, work hard and keep your nose to the grindstone, you could find yourself promoted rapidly. Hotels are always looking for good people, so the cream will rise to the top. Management could provide some great opportunities, including benefits like medical insurance and paid time off.

    Web Development

    People with a knack for coding and design are naturally drawn to computer-based professions. As it turns out, you don’t need a college degree to be a contractor in the field. Contractors can set their own hours and their own rates. Staying competitive isn’t a matter of education, just a matter of skill.

    If you’re good with computers and can design great websites, you could have a future as a web developer. Keep in mind, however, that most developers work as contractors, not employees. This means you’ll have to cover your own health insurance and pay your own half of Social Security come tax time.

    However, this is a great opportunity for those with the right skills.


  • Lawn Care: Taking Care of Your Grass

    Lawn Care: Taking Care of Your Grass

    Everyone wants the best-looking yard on the block. However, it can be quite difficult to maintain a healthy and plush lawn through the harsh summer months. If you’re looking to keep up a good lawn care regiment and keep your grass looking verdant and perfect, you’re going to want to take some of our summer lawn care tips to heart. Here’s what you need to know.

    Summer Lawn Care Tips

    Know What to Expect

    When the hot summer temperatures show up, it’s time to adjust your expectations of your grass. It’ll grow thick and plush in the Springtime, as even cool-climate grasses love temperatures in the 60’s. That includes grasses like bluegrass and rye. Meanwhile, hot-temperature grasses, like Bermuda and St. Augustine, prefer to grow in the 70’s. Once the temperature jumps above 80 degrees, however, it’s time to expect your grass’s growth to slow and stop.

    Now, you can use techniques like fertilizer and sprinkler systems to make sure your grass gets plenty of coaxing and will want to grow taller. However, know you’re fighting nature when you try to encourage grass growth in the summertime. On top of this, you’re likely using your grass more in the summer time, having friends over, throwing barbecues and parties, and trampling all over your grass. This is a surefire way to see your grass turn brown, dry up and go dormant.

    Proper Watering

    As you might expect, proper watering is a huge aspect of good summer lawn maintenance. If your grass isn’t getting enough water from rainfall, you need to make up that difference yourself. Your grass needs about an inch of water per week, so use a rain gauge to keep up with how much your yard is getting. Make up the difference with your sprinkler system or just by hand-watering your lawn. Make sure you water in the morning to avoid fungal growth and evaporation.

    When you get into watering your lawn for the summer, make sure you’re in a regular groove. Water the grass regularly and deeply to encourage drought-resistant roots. Also, if you’re not going to water the lawn regularly, don’t water it at all. If the grass goes brown and dormant, don’t try to water it back into being green. Your lawn will bounce back in the fall if it falls dormant, so just let it lie if it does.

    Mowing Your Grass

    Raise your mower blade in the summer to avoid damaging your grass. Taller grass is more drought-resistant, with deeper roots and hardier constitution. It also keeps the ground well-shaded, preventing the growth of low-lying weeds. Warm season grasses need to be about two or three inches in the summer, while cooler season grasses need to be between three and four inches.

    Make sure you also mow regularly in the summertime. You don’t want to cut more than a third of the length of a blade of grass, to encourage your lawn’s health. Another important factor is the amount of grass clippings, which could smother your lawn if they fall too densely over your grass. Finally, you’ll want to make sure your mower blades are kept razor-sharp in the summer. If they aren’t, they won’t be cutting your grass, they’ll be tearing your grass. That’s terrible for your lawn’s health.

    Fertilizer

    Use fertilizer sparingly. You don’t need to use fertilizer on brown, flagging lawns. If you do, you’ll only burn the grass out and encourage fresh growths that will just die to the heat. Instead, wait until the fall when your grass is green again to fertilize. Yes, this does mean that your grass will just look bad throughout the summer, but it’ll save you money on dropping fertilizer for no reason.


  • Get Prepared for Tax Season with These Easy Steps

    Get Prepared for Tax Season with These Easy Steps

    It can be a little daunting to start thinking about taxes but remember that it’s important to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. You’ve got until April to get your taxes in, but that doesn’t mean you should wait until then to start filing. The sooner you start thinking about tax season the sooner you can respond should unforeseen conditions arise. After all, you don’t want to get a nasty surprise and not have time to respond to it!

    Easy Steps to Get Ready for Tax Season

    Choose a Method of Filing

    First, you’re going to want to choose a method of filing. Are you going to file your taxes yourself or are you going to use a tax preparer? Generally, we advise that you file your taxes yourself unless they are particularly complex. If you have a very complex tax return that you need to fill out, consider going with an inexpensive tax preparer.

    When choosing a tax preparer, make sure they have a PTIN, or Preparer Tax Identification Number. If they do, it means they’re qualified to fill out a federal tax return. Before choosing this person, ask about any fees that they may charge to prepare taxes. The more complex your return, the higher the fee you can expect to pay. However, stay away from anyone who wants a percentage of your return: stick to flat fees only.

    If you choose to use a tax preparer, make sure you set up an appointment with them as soon as possible to begin discussing your tax returns. This goes double if you expect a tax refund. The sooner you get the ball rolling on getting your return in, the sooner you can get your money!

    Gather Your Files

    Get ready to start gathering your personal files. By the end of January your employers should have provided you with various documents relating to your tax returns. Typically these documents are W-2’s, which employers provide to employees and indicate your income from your job. Self-employed individuals get a different form, however, and there are many other types of documents you may receive.

    However, whatever your forms of income may be, you should have all of the documents related to your taxes in hand by the end of January. Make sure you carefully file these somewhere you won’t lose track of them! It’s very important to have these on hand while filing your taxes.

    Other files you may need to gather could be receipts from various purchases or charitable contributions you made this year. If you think you’ll get a bigger deduction by itemizing, then you should opt to gather your relevant receipts. However, the standard deduction can often be larger than an itemized deduction, so keep that in mind when you set about filing your taxes.

    Get Personal Info Together

    Make sure you have information like your social security number and the numbers of all dependents you’re claiming this year. If you own any vacation homes or rental properties, make sure you have the documents relating to them together and ready to go in time for tax time. Addresses and deeds will be helpful to have on hand! Additionally, the amount you paid, the amount you’ve made on them if they are rental properties and the dates you purchased them will all be needed.

    Get a Copy of Last Year’s Return

    You’re going to want a copy of your prior year’s return on hand. If you need information you may have forgotten, you’re going to need the previous year’s return. While the information held within might not be the most critical, it’s still good to have things like charitable donations from last year and payors of interest and dividends on hand to refresh your memory.

    Decide What to do With a Refund

    If you expect to get a tax refund, be thinking about what you’re going to do with it once you get it. Many people prefer to simply have the funds deposited straight into their checking accounts, and while this is straightforward, it might not be the best plan. Consider saving the money, instead, or applying it to next year’s tax bill!

    For instance, you could have the funds allocated to your retirement account or invest it in stocks after it’s deposited into your checking. Whichever route you choose, just keep in mind that the sum you get may be better served being saved than being used to get a new tattoo or game console! Just don’t spend it all in one place.


  • Get Tax Help for Seniors

    Get Tax Help for Seniors

    There’s a reason most people get help filing their taxes: taxes are really, really complicated. Between social security, tax credit, exemptions, deductions, property taxes, there are a ton of complex things to keep up with. It’s no surprise that a number of seniors get intimidated when it comes to filing their taxes. There are changing technologies, changing tax rules, and fixed incomes can all make tax season difficult for seniors. Here are some of the best ways to get tax help for seniors.

    Get Tax Help for Seniors

    AARP Tax-Aide

    Whether or not you already have an AARP membership, or know someone who does, this is a great way to go. The AARP Foundation has tax aide services that can be a lifesaver for seniors. The best part is that you don’t even need to be an AARP member to take advantage of this great service! It’s available for anyone over 50, free of charge. You can meet with these tax professionals free of charge online or in person, whichever you prefer! That way, if you would rather talk face-to-face, or if you prefer to file form the comfort of your home, you’re set either way!

    The volunteers who work for the AARP Tax-Aide program are also IRS-certified tax professionals. These aren’t amateurs who are going to mess up your taxes, these are people who are certified and know what they’re doing! That way, you can rest assured knowing you’re getting the help you need with your taxes and the peace of mind that includes.

    If you go for an in-person session, you’ll be glad to hear that they’re available all throughout tax season, from January to April 15th. Generally, these visits occur in convenient and public locations. Community centers, public libraries, banks and shopping malls are all common locations for these visits, so you need not worry about meeting in person. These locations are in public, well-lit and easy to access, so you don’t have to worry about getting to the meeting location.

    Best of all, the online side of this tax service is available year-round to answer your questions about taxes. If you have any burning questions you need answered and want to be ahead of the curve, this is a great way to go! That’s what happens when you go through an organization as helpful as the AARP.

    Federal Government Tax Assistance

    There are two tax services offered by the IRS. There’s the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program. If you go through the IRS website, you can find in-depth information on both of these programs. Both the VITA and TCE programs have physical locations throughout the country you can visit to receive direct, in-person help with your taxes.

    Firstly, the VITA is a good program for those seniors who still earn some income, such as through a part-time job or perhaps through owned property. The VITA program typically helps those who do not speak English fluently, disabled people, people under a certain income level and the elderly. These services are primarily geared at seniors who make an amount of money under a certain threshold. Generally, those seniors who make more money than this threshold should consider going with professional paid tax services.

    The TCE, for its part, is geared more for seniors who aren’t sure where to turn for tax help. The service is specifically for seniors of age 60 or older who are on a fixed-income. These types of people are the exact ones that the TCE was created to help. If you or someone you love lives on a fixed income and needs income tax help, the TCE is the right call to help. They help seniors with things like retirement income and pensions, as opposed to traditional income methods. The free service is also volunteer-based and offers help during tax season. The volunteers are all IRS-certified professionals.

    State Taxes

    Both the VITA and TCE programs offer help with state taxes as well as federal taxes, so this usually shouldn’t be a huge concern for seniors. However, beyond this, some states do offer a state-specific tax program to help seniors if they have state-specific tax questions. While such situations would be rare, if a senior needs help with complex aspects of their state taxes in particular then they should look into whether their state offers a tax program.

    In the event it doesn’t, don’t panic! The bar association of your state may provide pro-bono legal help to seniors seeking tax advice. Local CPAs or other professionals may also offer help for seniors at no cost, so consider looking into these avenues!


  • Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

    Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

    If you’re expecting a tax refund this year, you’ve probably got a few ideas as to how you’re going to spend it. Maybe you’re looking to get a new tattoo, or maybe you want to buy some video games or new rims for your car. Maybe before you get your sights set on a frivolous purchase, however, you should start thinking about smart ways to spend your tax refund. There are better ways to spend a sudden windfall than on something frivolous and goofy!

    Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

    Set Up an Emergency Fund

    Do you have a savings account with $1,000 in it? No? Okay, here’s the first thing you need to do with that money. Take your tax refund, set aside $1,000 and save it. If you have money leftover after that, pay bills with it. Easy! See, having a savings account with a good little chunk of money in it is a good way to insulate yourself against those dumb, random things that are going to happen and drain your checking account.

    Your car is going to break down. Your heater is going to stop working in February. Or, your AC is going to bust in July. No matter what it is, some stupid happenstance will come along and smack you with a huge bill. Be ready for these frustrating moments by having money set aside to deal with them when (not if) they show up.

    Pay Down Debt

    That debt you have hovering over your head like the Sword of Damocles isn’t going anywhere until you do something about it. Kick that debt to the curb by paying your tax refund into it! The sooner you start paying down those big debts, the better. The longer your let those debts float by with minimum payments, the higher and higher the interest gets.

    That means that by focusing a large sum, like your tax refund, you buy back all the money that interest would have eaten up down the road. Why let interest compound and cause you issues down the line when you can buy back your money now? It’s the definition of a win-win scenario.

    Fix Up Your House

    You spend a lot of time at home. Make sure it’s a place you like being. By making your house nicer, you’re actually helping yourself in two ways. The first way is pretty straightforward: you like living in your house, so make it a nice place. The second is a bit more financial in nature. If you invest in your home, it’ll be worth more down the line!

    This especially goes for homes in areas that have ever-increasing property values. If your home is always going up, up, up in value just because of where it is, you can multiply this value a lot by just doing a bit of work on the place. A new roof, repairs to older sections of the house, a kitchen remodel: all of these things can add a ton of value to the place. What better time to do this kind of work than when you have the money free at hand?

    Travel Somewhere

    Rather than spending your money on something like a new TV or a down payment on a car, you could instead opt to go on a trip. There’s nothing quite like traveling to a new place and enjoying the scenery! Whether that’s some beautiful tropical island, a mountain ski lodge or just a city you’ve been dying to visit.

    See, when you buy “stuff,” the fun of buying the new thing wears off sooner rather than later. Then, you find a few months down the line wishing that you hadn’t spent all that money on something you’re just going to replace next year anyway. If you pay for a trip, however, you’ll make memories that will last you a lifetime.

    Donate the Money

    Do you have a hard time figuring out what to do with a sudden windfall? Maybe you’ve got a good bit of money in savings and you don’t really have the time to go out of town for a long trip. Maybe your house is already up to a great standard and you’re at a loss for what to do with the money.

    Well, good news! You can donate that money to a good cause. If you’re passionate about a social issue of some kind, like homeless shelters or cancer research, you can donate that tax refund money and make a difference in the world! You can even write it off on next year’s taxes and repeat the cycle of giving.


  • The Secret Hack To Getting Your Taxes Done During Coronavirus!!

    The Secret Hack To Getting Your Taxes Done During Coronavirus!!

    It’s that time of year again. Tax time, the time when you know you need to get out and get your taxes prepared. Maybe you’re notorious for putting it off, since it can be pricey.

    However, there are a number of ways to get your taxes prepared for FREE during COVID-19! In fact, you can even get your taxes prepared online for completely free today! Here are some of the best sites to use for free tax preparation during this pandemic.

    Free Tax Preparation During COVID-19

    FreeTaxUSA

    FreeTaxUSA is a user-friendly and well-made site for tax preparation. The site is very straightforward, easily walking you through filing your taxes step-by-step. If you’re worried about your taxes being too complex to fill out online, don’t. This site offers you a very thorough helping hand in getting everything filed easily.

    While the federal return is totally free through this site, filing a state return through this site costs money. On average it costs about $12, so make sure you factor that in when you’re considering your tax filing. Keep in mind that it’s most likely that any tax prep site you use will require a small fee for filing a state return.

    H&R Block

    Many people are much more familiar with H&R Block due to their physical tax preparation locations. However, H&R Block also offers a free tax filing service through their website. While preparing online might not sound like the normal H&R Block, it’s actually a rather streamlined and easy-to-use site.

    Not all types of returns can be prepared on the site for free, however. As with most sites, state returns will still require a fee to be sent in from their site. Additionally, more complex tax returns could include a fee for filing.

    The upside to H&R Block is that if your taxes prove too complex to fill out online, you can go to one of their physical locations. Then, a tax-preparer can get you set up in-person! Keep in mind, however, that using in-person tax preparation won’t be free.

    TurboTax

    As their numerous commercials have proclaimed, TurboTax allows you to file your federal return for free. As you might expect, this doesn’t apply to state returns, which include a small fee. Much like FreeTaxUSA, TurboTax offers a great user interface for inputting all of your tax information.

    You won’t have to worry about forgetting something or getting lost. If you miss a box or need to input more info, the useful client will remind you. You can rest assured with TurboTax that your return will be accurate before you submit it!


  • Reduce the Cost of Pre-Medicare Health Insurance

    Reduce the Cost of Pre-Medicare Health Insurance

    If you retire early, or you are self-employed, and you’re looking for health insurance, you might find it difficult to save money. A lot of people who retire before 65, when they become eligible for Medicare coverage, may find themselves spending an arm and a leg for insurance. If you feel like you’re paying way too much for your pre-Medicare health insurance, you’re not alone. Many people have felt the squeeze of rising inflation rates with insurance lately. Here are some ways you can save and reduce the cost of your health insurance.

    Reduce the Cost of Pre-Medicare Health Insurance

    The Problem

    Many people who are retirement-age, or who work for themselves, are finding it difficult to get affordable health insurance. These people who need pre-Medicare health insurance find that it is incredibly difficult to get coverage with a decent deductible that doesn’t cost an exorbitant amount. While the ACA has helped some people in this boat, there are others who don’t qualify for the subsidies on ACA plans.

    Instead, these people have been experiencing ballooning costs for premiums and watching as deductibles are slashed as health insurance companies try to squeeze more and more money out of them. The future hardly looks bright for the ACA marketplace: the current administration has vowed to stop protections for those with preexisting conditions and next year the penalties for having no insurance will fall away. This means that many healthy people may ignore the marketplace altogether, making premiums that much higher for those who use ACA plans.

    Who This Effects

    This situation disproportionately effects people in their 50’s and 60’s who have yet to reach Medicare eligibility. These pre-Medicare health insurance plans are increasingly failing people in their 50’s and 60’s as they develop more serious medical conditions and have to pay more and more every year to keep getting medicine and treatment they need to survive.

    For many of these people, even those who don’t currently have any serious health issues, the ballooning premiums and absurd cost of healthcare makes them nervous. They can’t opt for coverage with bare-bones provisions as they may develop serious medical conditions sooner rather than later. However, they also can’t afford the existing plans. So what do they do?

    Check the Marketplace

    While you might think there’s no good coverage on the Marketplace, you’d be wrong. For some people there are great pre-Medicare health insurance plans available through the marketplace. According to some industry analysts, people over 50 who use the Marketplace to find health coverage are actually saving more money now than in the past three years. Since 2015, premiums for people over 50 have dropped nearly 40%, down to an average of about $60 per month!

    As for those dramatic increases in premiums, you need not worry about them if you get subsidies through the ACA. For people who receive subsidies, these increases won’t actually hit you. For a single-person household, if the income is below around $48,000, you’ll receive these subsidies. For two-person households, this threshold is roughly $66,000.

    Even if you’re only just above this threshold, speak to a tax advisor. There are some ways you can qualify for the subsidies even if you make a bit more than these thresholds if you do something like making an IRA account contribution or some similar method.

    Consider Direct Payment

    This isn’t suggesting you simply pay for your treatments outright. Instead, some people are sidestepping insurance altogether and opting instead to engage in “direct primary care.” This method sees the patient paying their doctor a flat fee, usually around $70 per month, that tends to cover some portion of typical doctor’s visits, check-ups and preventative care.

    Doctors who engage in direct primary care often take steps to make sure their patients pay less overall for most basic medical services. This may include buying medications from pharmaceutical companies at wholesale prices and then selling them at cost. Another common cost-saving method is through direct contracts with labs, allowing for less expensive lab results and radiology, passing those savings to customers.

    Those who choose to use direct primary care are often advised to get insurance with high deductibles so that they have an option in case they become seriously ill or otherwise take on some large hospital bill. Generally this method is advised for people who have found relatively affordable high-deductible pre-Medicare health insurance. While this might not work for everyone, for many patients it results in them saving more money in the long run compared to getting a high-premium, low-deductible plan.