Learn more about how the rule works, the impact it could have on your retirement strategy, and some alternative ways to save for your golden years.

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What Is a Catch-up Contribution?

refer to the higher amounts that people 50 or older can make to their retirement accounts, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s and IRAs. Because this group is closer to retirement age, the IRS provides a window to contribute additional funds beyond the standard annual limits

For 2026, the catch-up contribution allows savers to contribute an additional $8,000 to their 401(k)s. If you’re between 60 and 63, your catch-up contribution limit is even higher for 2026 — up to $11,250 this year.

These catch-up contribution limits are not changing, however — the tax treatment of some of those extra contributions is shifting, Frank Davis, president of New Era Financial Services in Toms River, New Jersey, wrote in an email.

What Does the New Roth Catch-up Rule Do?

Before this year, all earners with 401(k)s were allowed to put their catch-up contributions directly into the pre-tax retirement accounts.

Now, higher-income earners must make 401(k) catch-up contributions with after-tax dollars and place them in a Roth account. This applies to anyone whose were more than $150,000 in 2025. Catch-up contributions to IRAs remain unaffected by this rule.

This matters because when you use after-tax contributions, there’s no longer an up-front tax break. However, once you fund a Roth account, its balance grows tax-free, and you won’t owe taxes when you take qualified withdrawals.

The new rule may affect you if:

— You’re 50 or older with an employer-sponsored 401(k).

— Your FICA taxable income for 2025 was higher than $150,000.

— You already maxed out the standard 401(k) contribution limit for the year and want to take advantage of the catch-up contribution allowance.

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Breaking Down the Roth Catch-Up Rule

The new Roth catch-up rule has pros and cons, but the key is knowing about the change so you can plan accordingly.

“This rule should encourage greater tax planning and diversification when preparing for retirement,” Davis says. “Having both pre-tax and Roth assets in retirement can provide more flexibility when managing withdrawals and attempting to mitigate tax liabilities.”

Here are two ways to look at it:

Loss of the Upfront Tax Deduction

“For many savers, this change means losing an immediate tax deduction on catch-up contributions for this calendar year,” Davis says. He means that each time you contribute to your 401(k) or traditional IRA, you lower your taxable income and, as a result, your tax bill decreases.

You can still claim that on regular contributions, but higher earners must now direct catch-up contributions to a Roth account.

Potential Benefit of Tax-Free Withdrawals Later

On the other hand, the rule change may simply be an example of delayed gratification for some taxpayers.

“While it is not reducing taxable income today, those dollars will grow tax-free and may be withdrawn tax-free in retirement after the allotted time,” Davis says. “This could be a net positive for individuals who expect to maintain similar income levels in retirement.”

In fact, some high earners use a “backdoor Roth” strategy to bypass the Roth IRA income limits. In 2026, your modified adjusted gross income, or MAGI, must stay below $165,000 for single filers and $252,000 for married couples filing jointly to contribute directly to a Roth.

With a backdoor Roth, you contribute to a traditional IRA using after-tax dollars and then convert the funds to a Roth account. Any gains you earned on the transferred amount count as ordinary income for the year, but if you made the conversion quickly, the tax impact should be minimal.

With a Roth, you gain the advantage of tax-free growth going forward, Steven Rogé, certified financial planner and CEO of R.W. Rogé & Company, wrote in an email. “This can play a vital role in your tax planning during retirement.”

For who already use the backdoor strategy, directing catch-up contributions straight into a Roth could be a win.

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Alternative Strategies Savers Can Consider

If you have extra funds for a catch-up contribution but aren’t keen on the new Roth rule — or if your employer doesn’t offer a Roth 401(k) option — a financial advisor can help you explore other investment options, including:

— Health Savings Accounts: “For those eligible, offer triple tax advantages,” Rogé says. These accounts have tax-deductible contributions, tax-deferred growth and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses. “They can be a powerful supplemental tool in retirement.”

— Brokerage investing: If you have extra money to invest, you don’t necessarily have to put it into an account earmarked for retirement; you can open a . “Low-cost, diversified, tax-efficient index funds, especially growth funds with little to no dividends in an ETF wrapper, can be extraordinarily tax-efficient investments that compound wealth over time,” Rogé says.

— Annuities: Another popular, though somewhat complex, strategy for soon-to-be retirees is . “These can be purchased with after-tax dollars, grow tax-deferred, and are not subject to required minimum distributions, which can give retirees some flexibility in when and where they withdraw retirement distributions,” Rogé says.

Bottom Line

Taking advantage of catch-up contributions can be a great strategy to pad your retirement savings accounts, but it’s important to know the new rule and how to use it to your advantage.

“(The new Roth rule) is less about losing an opportunity and more about adapting to a new tax strategy,” Davis says. “By creating a diverse retirement savings portfolio, you could potentially enjoy the same or possibly higher income during retirement while lowering your tax bracket and keeping more of your hard-earned money.”

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Shares of psychedelic drug companies soared on Monday, April 20, after a weekend executive order from ?President Donald Trump boosted federal funding for research and instructed regulators to fast-track their reviews of psychedelic treatments.

Under the order, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would prioritize reviews of compounds such as ibogaine, aimed at the treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychedelic drugs with a Breakthrough ?Therapy tag could see their approval times slashed to as short as one or two months. The government will also put $50 million toward ibogaine research, Trump said.

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Recent data from Grand View Research suggests that the psychedelic drugs market will maintain an annualized 12.1% growth rate from now until 2030, and that was before the executive order was signed. That relatively high growth rate can lead to many winners in the stock market. The drugs themselves, however, have some pros and cons to consider. Some studies suggest that psychedelics can minimize anxiety, depression and headaches. However, there are notable risks, such as paranoia, psychosis and addiction, that come with withdrawal symptoms.

Just as taking psychedelics could be viewed as risky, it’s also risky to buy psychedelic stocks at the moment. However, the rewards could be massive, especially with a renewed push for these drugs under the Trump administration.

Joseph Tucker, CEO of Enveric Biosciences Inc. (ticker: ), spoke with U.S. News on why the psychedelic industry is experiencing robust demand for these medical treatments: “The psychedelics sector seeks to address a large and growing unmet need in mental health with the power and open field afforded by a new mechanistic understanding of how to rapidly induce neuroplasticity.” He adds, “That nexus may have the potential to reshape treatment paradigms across depression, anxiety, PTSD and related disorders.”

However, psychedelic stocks are not for risk-averse investors. Investors must be patient and be willing to endure a bumpy ride because these stocks are quite volatile. Results from a phase 2 or 3 trial can result in substantial price movements. It’s best to put money into this sector that you will not need for multiple years, to ensure you can withstand dramatic swings.

But, there’s no denying the potential for reward. “The demand is no longer hypothetical,” Sophia Ellowen, a psychedelic therapy facilitator and founder of Psilence, told U.S. News. “It’s already here, and it’s growing quickly.”

Ellowen says there’s a broad clientele for psychedelic treatments that is gaining momentum, and that many types of people consider these medical drugs. “The people reaching out are not what most people expect. They are professionals, veterans, business owners, parents and people who have tried therapy, medications and everything else without getting the relief they were hoping for,” Ellowen says. “Many of them are not looking for something new or trendy. They are looking for something that actually works after everything else hasn’t.”

Investors who are interested in this industry may want to monitor these top psychedelic stocks and one :

*Enveric Biosciences is up 78.9% in the past 30 days, doubling after Trump’s executive order.

**Helus Pharma is up 21.4% in the past 30 days.

Compass Pathways PLC ()

Compass Pathways is a British that aims to improve the lives of people with mental health challenges. The company’s new model of psilocybin treatment, COMP360, is one of those designated as a Breakthrough Therapy by the FDA.

A phase 2b study showed a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in symptoms of depression within three weeks, and that type of result could push COMP360 to the forefront of the psychedelics industry. Compass Pathways expects to be “launch-ready” by the end of 2026, and the commercial rollout could follow FDA approval in 2027.

Compass Pathways has a market capitalization just above $1.2 billion. After a $150 million financing and $200 million in warrant exercises, the company expects its cash position as of late March to fund operations into 2028.

Definium Therapeutics Inc. ()

Definium Therapeutics has been a red-hot stock, more than quadrupling over the past year as multiple drugs are approaching top-line results as they get closer to commercialization. Major depressive disorder drug Emerge will receive topline data in Q2, while general anxiety disorder drugs Voyage and Panorama are projected to receive additional topline data in the second half of the year.

“Each of these pivotal readouts represents an important catalyst opportunity to move DT120 ODT one step closer to delivering on its best-in-class potential in both MDD and GAD,” Definium Therapeutics CEO Rob Barrow said in a press release, referring to major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

Definium Therapeutics closed the year with a $411.6 million cash position, which is an upgrade from its $273.7 million cash holdings at the end of 2024. All of that capital makes it easier for the company to make meaningful R&D investments that result in more effective drugs.

GH Research PLC ()

GH Research is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that is developing mebufotenin therapies for patients with treatment-resistant depression. The treatment is going through clinical trials on its path to commercialization, and the stock’s 136% one-year gain shows that some investors want a front-row seat before the company’s drugs are widely available.

“Our phase 2b results reinforce our conviction that GH001 has the potential to be a practice-changing therapy for patients with TRD,” GH Research CEO Velichka Valcheva said in a Q4 2025 statement that highlighted a $280.7 million cash position.

R&D expenses came to $38.8 million last year, so the company’s current offers plenty of runway. GH Research also incurred $22 million in general and administrative expenses last year. Three of its GH001 drug products are deep into phase 2 of 3. Once the third phase is completed, these drugs will be commercialized.

Enveric Biosciences Inc. ()

Enveric Biosciences’ neuroplastogenic small-molecule therapeutics aim to address depression, anxiety and addictive disorders. Its lead molecule EB-003 is a neuroplastogen that can help with difficult-to-address mental health disorders. This drug recently received positive preclinical results.

Tucker highlighted the company’s intellectual property strength in a press release that revealed Q4 2025 results. “A post-grant review petition filed by Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, and ultimately withdrawn by AbbVie Inc., underscored the significance and breadth of our intellectual property footprint in the field,” Tucker stated.

That interaction with AbbVie Inc. () after its acquisition of Gilgamesh shows that Enveric can protect its intellectual assets; if does want to enter the industry, however, there could be lucrative opportunities for smaller firms like Enveric.

AtaiBeckley Inc. ()

AtaiBeckley is a biopharmaceutical company that is developing new mental health treatments for patients. The company has backing from Peter Thiel, Catalio Capital Management, Future Ventures and other .

Its treatment-resistant depression medication is on track for phase 3 trials in the second quarter. Its $220.7 million cash position gives it enough funds to support R&D and other expenses leading up to commercialization. Investor enthusiasm has been building for the stock as phase 3 trials are set to begin soon. The stock has tripled over the past year.

Helus Pharma Inc. ()

Helus Pharma, formerly known as Cybin, is a Canadian psychedelic company that was founded in 2019. The company is working on treatments that are designed to improve mental health conditions. The treatments use novel serotonergic agonists.

The company closed 2025 with a $195 million cash position as HLP003, the company’s lead novel serotonergic agonist, continues making progress in phase 3 trials. Helus Pharma also released positive phase 2 data for HLP004, a drug for generalized anxiety disorder, in early March.

Helus Pharma’s intellectual property portfolio includes more than 100 granted patents and more than 250 patent applications that are pending. This portfolio will make it difficult for competitors to release similar medical products.

AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF ()

You don’t have to guess which particular psychedelic stock will take off if you invest in the AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF. This fund contains a basket of psychedelics stocks, and the managers do the stock-picking for you.

PSIL has been around since Sept. 15, 2021, and it has a 1% expense ratio. Investors can also trade PSIL options for to this fund. More than 80% of the fund’s total assets are in micro-cap and small-cap stocks, and more than three-quarters of its holdings are in U.S.-based companies.

The fund is up by 20.7% year to date, which is more than enough to outperform the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite during that stretch. The fund’s top three positions are AtaiBeckley, Relmada Therapeutics Inc. (), and Definium Therapeutics.

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Growth stock analysis and selection are critical these days. Fortunately, the CFRA analyst team has identified these 10 excellent growth stocks to buy in 2026:

*From April 20 close, per CFRA price targets.

Nvidia Corp. ()

High-end Nvidia has been one of the most spectacular growth stories in the entire stock market in the past 15 years. Nvidia’s growth numbers have wowed Wall Street, especially for a company of Nvidia’s size. Nvidia’s revenue grew 73% year over year in the fiscal fourth quarter, while net income grew 94%. Analyst Angelo Zino says the next stage of Nvidia’s growth will be driven by opportunities, edge device penetration, software expansion and a widening addressable market. He projects 61% revenue growth in fiscal 2027. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $250 price target for NVDA stock, which closed at $202.06 on April 20.

Broadcom Inc. ()

Broadcom is a diversified designer, developer and supplier of analog semiconductor devices. Broadcom reported 24% revenue growth in fiscal 2025 and has maintained 29% growth as of the most recent quarter, including 106% growth in AI revenue. Zino says Broadcom’s application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) business and its networking business make the company a central player in the ongoing AI infrastructure investment boom. He anticipates Broadcom’s semiconductor revenue will triple by 2027 to over $100 billion. Zino forecasts 64% revenue growth in fiscal 2026 and 41% growth in 2027. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $428 price target for AVGO stock, which closed at $399.63 on April 20.

Meta Platforms Inc. ()

Meta Platforms is a market leader in social media and online advertising and is the parent of Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. Meta has maintained impressive growth even as the company has matured, including 24% revenue growth and 7% family daily active people growth in the fourth quarter. Zino says Meta’s AI feature integration, cost cuts, new model development, attractive valuation and surging advertising business make it a very attractive growth stock investment. He projects 25% revenue growth in 2026 and high-teens growth in 2027. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $804 price target for META stock, which closed at $670.91 on April 20.

Eli Lilly & Co. ()

Eli Lilly produces brand-name prescription drugs to treat a wide range of medical conditions, such as diabetes, cancer and neurological disorders. In the fourth quarter, Lilly reported 43% revenue growth, including impressive 110% revenue growth for diabetes and Mounjaro. Revenue from diabetes and weight-loss drug Zepbound also surged 123% in the quarter. Analyst Sel Hardy says an aging U.S. population coupled with the ongoing boom in GLP-1 weight-loss drugs will support Lilly’s long-term growth. He anticipates 26% revenue growth in 2026. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $1,225 price target for LLY stock, which closed at $919.90 on April 20.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. ()

JPMorgan Chase is one of the world’s with nearly $5 trillion in assets. JPMorgan reported 10% revenue growth in the first quarter, and net income was up 13%. Analyst Kenneth Leon says an expanding U.S. economy will be the primary growth driver for JPMorgan’s profits and sales in coming years. Leon is also expecting asset management and investment banking activities will boost fee service income and help the bank gain wallet share. He forecasts 5.2% revenue growth in 2026. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $340 price target for JPM stock, which closed at $316.99 on April 20.

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Bank of America Corp. ()

Bank of America is one of the largest U.S. commercial and investment banks and wealth management services providers. In the first quarter, Bank of America reported 7% revenue growth and 17% net income growth. Net interest income was up 9%, equities trading revenue was up 30% and investment banking fees were up 21% compared to a year ago. Leon says Bank of America has several growth tailwinds, including healthy consumer card spending trends and a solid U.S. economy. He projects 5.1% revenue growth in 2026. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $65 price target for BAC stock, which closed at $53.95 on April 20.

Palantir Technologies Inc. ()

Palantir is a big data company that builds software platforms that can analyze massive amounts of data using machine learning and AI technology. Palantir’s stock price has been on a tear in recent years, and that performance has been fueled by extraordinary growth numbers. In the fourth quarter, Palantir reported 70% revenue growth, including 137% growth in U.S. commercial revenue and 66% growth in U.S. government revenue. Analyst Janice Quek says Palantir’s growth numbers are accelerating across key metrics. She anticipates 61% revenue growth in 2026. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $203 price target for PLTR stock, which closed at $145.89 on April 20.

Morgan Stanley ()

Morgan Stanley is one of the largest U.S. investment banks. Morgan Stanley reported 16% revenue growth in the first quarter, including a 32% jump in trading revenue compared to a year ago. Leon says Morgan Stanley is a leader in global investment banking and should benefit from a healthy rebound in investment banking activity. In addition, he says elevated equity markets will help Morgan Stanley generate higher fee income in its Investment Management and Wealth Management businesses. Leon forecasts 7.7% revenue growth in 2026. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $220 price target for MS stock, which closed at $190.70 on April 20.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ()

Goldman Sachs is one of the world’s leading investment banks and securities companies. In the first quarter, Goldman reported 14.3% revenue growth and 19% net income growth. Global Banking and Markets revenue was up 19%, while equity trading revenue was up 27% in the quarter. Leon says Goldman is well positioned to capitalize on favorable investment banking trends in 2026. He says Goldman will generate higher investment banking fee revenue and will benefit from improved merger and acquisition activity. He projects 12.9% revenue growth in 2026. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $1,000 price target for GS stock, which closed at $941.74 on April 20.

Wells Fargo & Co. ()

Wells Fargo is one of the largest U.S. banks, lending mostly within the U.S. market. In 2025, the Federal Reserve finally lifted Wells Fargo’s punitive asset cap that had been in place since 2018 and had previously limited the bank’s growth opportunities. In the fourth quarter, Wells Fargo reported 6% revenue growth and 11% loan growth. Analyst Alexander Yokum says Wells Fargo can expand its return on tangible common equity to between 17% and 18% in the medium term. He projects 7% revenue growth in 2026. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $118 price target for WFC stock, which closed at $81.97 on April 20.

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A person’s ability to say what they want — and decode what others are saying — becomes increasingly difficult as dementia progresses. Someone with the disease might repeatedly rely on familiar words, begin inventing new words to describe familiar objects and easily lose their train of thought. People with will also likely have difficulty organizing words logically and, ultimately, will speak less often. As the progress, dementia delusions may become more noticeable. Understanding how to talk to someone with dementia and learning how to can help you fortify your own well-being while providing care.

“Having a loved one with dementia can be emotionally taxing, and you can’t get it right all the time,” says a board-certified neuropsychologist at UCI Health. “Remember to give yourself the same compassion that you offer your loved one.”

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The Toll of Dementia Delusions

According to recent data from the nearly 12 million family members and unpaid caregivers supported people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias in 2024. Overburdened caregivers can be at increased risk for emotional distress, negative and declining physical health.

When a loved one develops dementia delusions, it can become especially challenging to communicate and interact with them. These false beliefs are a result of brain damage from the disease, and feel very real to the a person with dementia.

What are dementia delusions?

Dementia are a type of neuropsychiatric symptom that causes a person to firmly believe in a false reality. Some, but not all, people with dementia develop delusions throughout the course of their disease.

Dementia delusions can fall into different categories, such as theft delusions, paranoid delusions, poisoning delusions, imposter delusions and phantom boarder delusions.

For example, they might believe that personal items have been stolen by family or staff, a neighbor is poisoning their food, a loved one (often the caregiver) has been replaced by an imposter or there are people living in their home that aren’t really there.

When your loved one begins to believe you or another relative is harming them or they are in severe distress because of delusion that isn’t true, it can be extremely challenging. has shown dementia delusions are a leading cause of and depression.

“Dementia is a difficult condition for caregivers,” says a licensed therapist and the chief psychological officer with Recovered, an organization that provides information and resources for mental health and treatment. “It can feel isolating as increased time is dedicated to caring for a loved one’s needs and safety.”

Some caregivers may “suffer from loneliness as dementia destroys shared memories,” or “feel frustrated as their parent, partner, or other loved one is no longer able to function in ways they once did,” Vinall adds.

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12 Essential Rules for Communicating With Someone With Dementia

Whether you’re caregiving or hosting a , these expert tips can make your loved one more comfortable.

1. Learn how to get — and keep — attention

Start by limiting the number of distractions nearby — turn off the TV or radio, or go into a quiet room and close the door. Throughout the conversation, maintain eye contact, smile and speak with a calm tone. Touch can help, too. Try holding the person’s hand, placing your hand on his or her shoulder or gesturing by pointing to whatever you’re describing.

2. Prepare to repeat yourself

Someone with Alzheimer’s likely won’t recall certain details for more than a few moments at a time. Keep in mind this isn’t intentional or meant to frustrate you.

3. Identify yourself

A loved one with dementia may not require immediate family members or caregivers to identify themselves until the later stages of the disease, but that’s not necessarily the case for extended family or friends. Even though a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s may not remember who someone is or the nature of the relationship, they will find comfort in knowing a member of the family or close friend has come to visit.

4. Call them by name

If they prefer, Mary — say Mary. If they say Mrs. Jones, say Mrs. Jones. Addressing someone directly helps retain attention too.

5. Speak in slow, short sentences, not paragraphs

If you’re telling a loved one with Alzheimer’s a story or plan to share multiple ideas, consider how confusing it might sound. Instead, limit your requests or stories to short, direct sentences — with only one idea per sentence.

6. Be specific

If you want to show someone with Alzheimer’s where something is, identify objects by name — “here is your hat,” for example, rather than “here it is.” And avoid confusing and vague statements. Rather than saying, “Hop in the shower,” try, “Please come here. Your shower is ready.”

7. Ask direct questions

Opting for closed-ended questions that can either be answered with a “yes” or “no.”

8. Avoid phrases like “Don’t you remember?”

Same goes for: “Did you forget? We already talked about that. I just told you. How could you not know that? Try to remember!” This type of wording can make someone with Alzheimer’s feel worse about their inability to recall certain people, places or things.

9. Offer to help

Making slight accommodations can go a long way. Maybe they’re having difficulty finishing sentences or can’t think of the right word for a certain thing but are still very capable overall. Ask: “Does it help when I fill in the word, or does that frustrate you?” If the answer is that it helps, suggest a word you believe the person is trying to think of. Just be careful not to cause unnecessary frustration by being overly suggestive or taking over the conversation.

10. Don’t rely only on verbal communication

There are many ways to communicate beyond speaking verbally — facial expressions, body language and behavior. Just because someone might not be able to speak as eloquently as before, doesn’t mean you can’t look them in the eye, greet them by name and take them by the hand.

11. Avoid talking as if they aren’t in the room

Your family member or friend with Alzheimer’s disease is still a person. Don’t talk to someone else in the room about them as if they aren’t there. Just because they have Alzheimer’s disease, doesn’t mean they’re not in the room. People notice when they’re excluded from the conversation — it feels demeaning and can strip away dignity.

12. Relax your tone

Like anyone facing a lifelong illness, people with Alzheimer’s disease appreciate a calm and supportive attitude from caregivers, friends and family. It’s easy to get frustrated — or even angry — when one doesn’t understand what the other is trying to communicate. Keep in mind that even when someone loses their words, that person can still recognize tone.

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How to Respond to Someone With Dementia Who Is Confused or Delusional

If your loved one is expressing a dementia delusion not rooted in reality, it can help to validate the emotion behind their delusion, without supporting the delusion itself. At the same time, you don’t want to deny the person’s delusion, as this is their reality. Meeting someone where they are can look like validating their emotions and speaking in slow, simple sentences.

The connection first approach

— Validate and acknowledge their feelings. “I can see you’re feeling a bit (anxious/upset) right now.”

— Agree and offer a comfort-based pivot. “That does sound like a lot to handle. Why don’t we step into the kitchen for some tea while we figure it out together?”

— Remove the trigger and create a change of scenery. Gently guide them to a different room to leave the source of the confusion behind.

The validation method: Meet them where they are

When a loved one insists on a reality that isn’t true, your first instinct may be to correct the facts. This older approach, known as reality orientation, was once the standard. However, experts now recommend the validation method, popularized by Naomi Feil in her book “The Validation Breakthrough.”

The shift is simple but profound: Instead of trying to force the person back into our world, you enter theirs. While reality orientation often leads to shame and agitation (for example, bluntly telling someone their deceased mother is gone), the validation method prioritizes the person’s feelings over the facts. By confirming the emotions behind the confusion, you can de-escalate tension and maintain a meaningful connection.

How to use validation

Keep your interactions calm and supportive:

— Center yourself. Before responding, take a deep breath. Your calm energy is the most powerful tool you have.

— Validate the emotion, not the delusion. If a loved one is searching for a parent who passed away years ago, don’t correct the date. Instead, say, “You must really miss her. Tell me about her favorite music.”

— Rephrase and listen. Repeat what they’ve said in your own words. It shows them they are being heard, even if the logic is missing.

— Use gentle ambiguity. If you can’t understand what they are trying to say, don’t press for clarity. Use vague but kind phrases and a clear, warm tone of voice to keep the conversation flowing without frustration.

— Physical connection. When appropriate, a gentle touch on the hand or maintaining soft eye contact can communicate safety more effectively than words ever could.

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Practical Scripts: How to Respond to Common Dementia Scenarios

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How to Calm a Person With Dementia

In addition to conversational tools, you may be able to calm a dementia patient through environmental interventions and decreasing sensory stimulations. This can include:

— Physical environment. Change the lighting, reduce noise, play music or introduce a calming scent.

— Items you can give them. Consider things like weighted blankets, familiar music, favorite foods and fidget tools.

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What Not to Say: Phrases That Trigger Dementia Agitation

Caring for someone with dementia can feel like navigating uncharted waters. The good news is, doctors and researchers have mapped out some tips for you to follow — including advice on what not to do with a loved one with dementia.

Three ‘dont’s’ of dementia discussions include:

1. Don’t argue or correct

explains that “it is a universal human experience to become defensive and double down on positions when contradicted, and this is no different with people with dementia.”

“Arguing with a person with dementia will agitate them further,” Vinall says. “It will be ineffective in changing their mind, potentially increase confusion and shame, and drive a rift between you and them.”

2. Don’t ask “Do you remember?”

Asking questions like “Do you remember?” or “Don’t you remember?” can be some of the “most damaging phrases” to ask a loved one with dementia, when they are confused, Vinall says.

That’s because the questions can cause “feelings of shame, embarrassment and pressure to recall, which can lead to increased agitation,” highlighting their deficit and inciting panic, she says. Instead, Vinall recommends validating your loved one’s feelings and expressing empathy.

She suggests, “I know it must be frustrating or confusing,” as a better phrase.

3. Don’t talk over them

Talking over someone, or treating them like they aren’t in the room, can result in an uncomfortable experience for both of you. Instead, acknowledge your loved one’s presence and practice calm conversations.

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Do People With Dementia Know They’re Confused?

Some people with or other dementias are aware, or partially aware, that their memory is deteriorating. Others may not realize this, or may lose awareness over time. People with progressed dementia may develop a neurological condition called , where they become unable to recognize their memory impairment.

Kristinsson says that “awareness of one’s deficits in dementia varies widely and may change over time.”

“Some individuals, particularly in earlier stages, have partial insight and may recognize that their memory or thinking is not as reliable as it used to be,” Kristinsson adds. “This awareness can come and go, and it is often accompanied by anxiety, frustration or embarrassment.”

Caregivers Should Seek Care Too

Caring for a loved one with dementia can take a toll on your emotional health. Experts stress the importance of self-care throughout your caregiving journey, and recommend seeking if you start to experience more profound mental health symptoms.

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For many students, this content is motivating. It makes a long and isolating process feel shared. But as medfluencer culture grows, so does a quieter problem: medicine is increasingly being sold as an aesthetic, a brand and a highlight reel. In that process, nuance and realism are often the first things to disappear. This is not just about misinformation, it’s about glamorization and the pressure it creates in a system that seems to reward perfectionism.

When Inspiration Turns Into Illusion

Short-form social media platforms reward content that is fast, confident and emotionally satisfying. Medicine, by contrast, is slow, uncertain and full of caveats.

Research shows that health content on TikTok frequently contains errors. A 2022 JAMA study reviewing COVID-19–related videos found that more than one quarter included or misleading claims.

Broader analyses published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and the Journal of Health Communication conclude that creators without formal training frequently prioritize anecdotal evidence, finding that oversimplified health content consistently generates higher engagement than careful, evidence-based explanations.

For premed culture, the bigger issue is what gets highlighted. Viral content tends to showcase aesthetic study sessions, dramatic success arcs and hustle culture framed as passion, while leaving out , academic setbacks, family responsibilities, struggles and nonlinear paths.

The result is a version of medicine that looks glamorous and endlessly productive, selling the idea that if you work hard enough and present yourself well enough, you will become the kind of future doctor people want to see. Over time, this creates the illusion that struggle is optional, success is linear and anyone who falls behind simply didn’t try hard enough.

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Confidence Without Context

Premed creators sit in an unusual space. They aren’t clinicians, but they aren’t outsiders, either. Close enough to medicine to sound authoritative, yet far enough away to lack formal responsibility. Most are well intentioned and want to share what they are learning.

But TikTok doesn’t reward uncertainty. It rewards confidence. Advice shifts from “this worked for me” to “this is what you should do.”

Over time, personal experiences harden into viral rules:

— “If you don’t have , you’re done.”

— “A 3.7 college is basically the minimum now.”

— “You need a prestigious lab.”

— “If you struggle, maybe medicine isn’t for you.”

Not one of these is universally true. But repeated often enough, they start to feel official.

Professional organizations have warned about this. The Association of American Medical Colleges and American Medical Association emphasize that students and trainees should avoid presenting themselves as medical authorities online and should maintain professional boundaries in digital spaces

Still, TikTok rewards certainty, not nuance, and nuance is exactly what medicine requires.

Glamour, Algorithms and Who Gets Seen

Unlike forums you have to search for, TikTok pushes content to you. Watch a few “study” or “premed” videos and your feed quickly becomes a stream of medical ambition, quietly teaching you what a “real” premed student is supposed to look like.

But producing that image requires time, space, technology and emotional energy — resources that aren’t evenly distributed. For many first-generation or underresourced students, TikTok becomes a stand-in adviser, even though simplified or inaccurate content often spreads faster than careful guidance, making algorithm-driven advice especially risky without strong mentorship.

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At the same time, students feel pressure to perform a “professional but inspirational” persona online, hiding struggle, or doubt. For premeds, who already feel like they are constantly auditioning, that pressure is even stronger.

The result is a feedback loop: glamorous content performs well, defines what success looks like, gets copied and is rewarded again. Over time, premed culture becomes shaped less by reality and more by what looks good on a screen.

Navigating the Noise

Most medical school admissions committees aren’t hunting for TikTok scandals, but many have described social media as a double-edged sword in academic medicine. It can show communication skill and , or raise concerns about .

Whether you create content or just consume it, a few principles help cut through the noise:

1. Separate inspiration from instruction. It’s fine to feel motivated by someone’s story — just don’t turn their path into your blueprint.

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2. Remember that viral doesn’t mean true. Algorithms reward what keeps people watching, not what is accurate.

3. Treat advice as an anecdote unless proven otherwise. One person’s cycle, score or strategy doesn’t define yours.

4. Notice what is missing. If every video looks perfect, ask what is not being shown.

5. For those who do create content, boundaries matter. Share experiences, not medical advice. Avoid sweeping claims. Fact-check anything that sounds definitive. Be honest about uncertainty. And remember that mentors, faculty and admissions committees may one day see what you post.

The TikTok era isn’t going away, and neither is the desire to see what medicine looks like before you your life to it. But medicine isn’t a brand, a vibe or a highlight reel. It’s a slow, uncertain, exhausting, meaningful and deeply human path.

Medfluencer culture can inspire, connect and educate, but it can also glamorize struggle, oversimplify success and quietly reshape what students think they are supposed to be. So be mindful about how you engage without letting an algorithm define your worth, your or your future.

In a world that glamorizes medicine, the most radical thing you can do may be this: Let your path be real, even when it is not pretty enough to go viral.

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Here’s everything you need to know about how to maximize the rewards on your Chime Credit Card with your Chime Prime membership.

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Earning Rewards With Chime Prime

The Chime Credit Card replaced the Chime Credit Builder Visa Credit Card, but it’s still a secured credit card. This makes the new rewards structure all the more beneficial for Chime cardholders. Not many offer such high rewards, let alone among secured credit cards.

With the Chime Card — and a Chime Plus membership — cardholders can earn 2% cash back in one category of their choosing (on up to $1,500 in eligible purchases monthly). With the introduction of the third tier, Chime Prime, cardholders can earn 5% cash back on those purchases instead of 2%.

If you don’t select a category for the month, your last selected category will roll over automatically. Categories include:

— Grocery stores

— Gas

— Monthly bills (utilities, cable, streaming, etc.)

— Restaurants

— Ride-hailing/taxi

— Travel

To qualify for Chime Prime, you need to receive at least $3,000 in direct deposits every month. Your membership will automatically adjust based on your direct deposit amount, so there’s nothing extra you need to do to change tiers. That being said, gig workers should probably be wary if their monthly income is a little too unpredictable.

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Chime Memberships at a Glance

Here’s how each membership tier compares.

Chime Prime Credit Card Perks

Airport Lounge Access

When you pair your Chime Credit Card with your Chime Prime membership, you gain access to a number of travel perks.

One travel benefit Chime Card holders can use is the free Priority Pass membership, which includes two complimentary visits per year at any of more than 1,800 airport lounges around the world.

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Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection

Another travel perk is gaining access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. Chime Card holders with Chime Prime status can receive seven benefits at these hotels worldwide. The benefits include:

— Best available rate guarantee

— Automatic room upgrade upon arrival, when available

— Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, when available

— Complimentary breakfast for two

— $25 food or beverage credit

— VIP guest status

— Late check-out upon request, when available

Visa Signature Concierge

Chime Card holders with Chime Prime status also have access to Visa Signature Concierge services. Some examples of what concierges can recommend and help book/secure are:

— Travel and travel-related plans

— Restaurant reservations

— Tickets for events and concerts

— Gifts and floral arrangement delivery

If you’re unsure how to use a concierge, think outside the box a little. One user on the social media platform Reddit posted that they asked a Visa Signature Concierge to check nearby Costcos to see if a piano was in stock. The user said it “saved like one and a half hours of my time.” Another user says they use concierges “for restaurant suggestions and reservations for when I travel and don’t speak the local language.”

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Patrick Ball

How you know him: HBO Max’s “The Pitt”

School:

In his words: “I paid off my student loans like three months into “The Pitt,” and that was a really profound moment ’cause I thought I was gonna die with it,” Ball said in a 2026 “Cultured” interview. “It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it. I was $80,000 in debt and I had been through a series of failed relationships where my financial insecurity was a real problem.”

Takeaway: Student loan debt doesn’t just affect finances. Strained relationships, career finances and personal decisions are worth factoring when considering how much to borrow.

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Ryan Coogler

How you know him: Director of “Black Panther” and “Sinners”

School:

In his words: “I was $200,000 in debt for film school. It was bad,” Ryan Coogler shared in 2026 on the “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast. “We don’t come from no money.”

Takeaway: Even highly successful careers can begin with significant student debt. Be cautious about taking on large loan balances, especially in fields with unpredictable income.

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Ilhan Omar

How you know her: Representative for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District

School:

In her words: “I am a working mom with student loan debt,” Oman said on X in 2025 after an X user criticized her finances. “Unlike some of my colleagues — and similar to most Americans — I am not a millionaire and am raising a family while maintaining a residence in both Minneapolis and D.C., which are among the most expensive housing markets in the country.”

Takeaway: A high income doesn’t make student loans disappear. Expensive housing markets and family costs can keep debt in the picture longer than you might expect.

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Natasha Rothwell

How you know her: HBO Max’s “The White Lotus”

School:

In her words: “I wrote a check to myself for like $40,000, because that would pay off my student loans, or a portion of it, and I just carried it around with me in my wallet while I was broke, picking up Metrocards in New York, and hoping one of them could get me home,” Rothwell shared in a 2025 CNN interview. “And it was just, I was like, ‘One day, I am gonna be able to cash this check and pay off (my loans).’ And I just remember, when I was on the phone with Sallie Mae and closing out my account, and I had that check in my hand.”

Takeaway: Having a concrete goal — even if it’s symbolic — can help borrowers stay motivated over a long repayment timeline.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

How you know her: Representative for New York’s 14th Congressional District

School:

In her words: “I have student loans, too,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a 2019 press conference. “I think it’s so funny, a year ago, I was waiting tables in a restaurant and it was literally easier for me to become the youngest woman in American history elected to Congress than it is to pay off my student loan debt.”

Takeaway: Ocasio-Cortez noted that her student loan debt previously made it more difficult to afford things like health care. Consider the ways borrowing can affect one’s life plans, such as the goal of buying a home.

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Barack Obama

How you know him: Former president of the United States

Schools: , ,

In his words: “I was in my 40s when we finished paying off our debt,” Obama said during a speech at the in 2013. “And (Michelle and I) should have been saving for Malia and Sasha by that time.”

Takeaway: Student borrowers with children must weigh paying down their own debt versus saving for their children’s education. One resource: .

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Cheryl Strayed

How you know her: New York Times bestselling author of “Wild,” which was adapted into the 2014 movie starring Reese Witherspoon

School: ,

In her words: “Here’s another thing that’s so interesting about money that people never talk about: there are all these invisible advantages and privileges people have,” Strayed said in a 2017 published interview. “Parents who help out with a down payment, or a grandparent who takes the kids every Tuesday. Parents who pay for college. We didn’t have any of that. I also had student loan debt from my undergraduate degree that I finally paid off on my 44th birthday, thanks to ‘Wild.'”

Takeaway: Like Strayed, it can take years for borrowers to pay off federal or private student loans. But implementing strategies such as using credit card reward points can expedite the process.

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Finesse Mitchell

How you know him: “Saturday Night Live,” 2003-2006

School:

In his words: “I do know a lot about bill collectors,” Mitchell said in 2004 on “Saturday Night Live.” “So, right now I’m speaking on behalf of all the people who ever took out a student loan for college, when I say, ‘Back up off me, Student CitiBank!’ Back up! Cause I know I’m late on my payments.”

Takeaway: Dodging collectors can result in a host of negative consequences, including default, wage garnishment and loss of a driver’s license.

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Gabrielle Union

How you know her: Movies like “Bring It On” and BET’s “Being Mary Jane”

School:

In her words: “I want people to know the work that it took to get through UCLA, that I had student loans and worked,” Union said in a 2015 interview. “I was eating Top Ramen and lived well below my means. Now that it’s time to get married to a man who happens to play basketball and has done well for himself, I want to make it clear that I have in no way hitched my wagon to his star. I have my own wagon and star.”

Takeaway: Working during college can help students avoid taking on excessive debt. Consider participating in a federal work study program or taking on a part-time job that pay for college.

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Gina Rodriguez

How you know her: Netflix’s “Someone Great” and The CW’s “Jane the Virgin”

School:

In her words: “Yeah dude … I just paid it off,” Rodriguez said during a 2017 interview on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” during which the host noted it took the actress more than 10 years to repay her student loan debt. “College education is so expensive, but it’s so necessary. I would never change it for the world but yes, it took me way too long.”

Takeaway: Sometimes it takes longer than anticipated to repay student loans. To stay on track, keep a detailed spending plan and focus on paying down the principal.

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Jane Lynch

How you know her: Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” and Fox’s “Glee”

Schools: ,

In her words: “I went to a public university that my parents helped pay for, and we supplemented with student loans,” Lynch said in a 2012 interview. “And I was out of debt by the time I was 30. And I deferred a few times.”

Takeaway: Borrowers can take a page out of Lynch’s songbook. Her savvy college cost moves included attending an in-state university, postponing payments instead of defaulting, and quickly repaying her loans.

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Jon Hamm

How you know him: Apple TV’s “Your Friends and Neighbors” and AMC’s “Mad Men”

School:

In his words: “I went to three universities in four years, and I had no financial aid at all,” Hamm said during a 2014 rally for Sen. Al Franken held at the . “It wasn’t that long ago I was dealing with the stuff you guys are dealing with.”

Takeaway: Hamm empathized with students, saying accessibility to higher education should be improved and noting that he wasn’t able to pay off his student loan debt until he started landing acting jobs more than 10 years after he graduated. He encouraged students to vote, noting the power of elections to affect college affordability.

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Kate Walsh

How you know her: ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy”

School:

In her words: “I am a person who came out of college with, oh, jeez, just thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars in debt,” Walsh said in a 2016 interview. “And the only way I was, honestly, able to pay off my student loans was at age 37, because I happened to get on a big, fat TV show called ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and I was able to finally pay my student loan debt. And that’s insane — it was just interest accruing and accruing and accruing. And that just shouldn’t be the price tag of trying to get an education in this country.”

Takeaway: The cost of college is significant and rising: The average tuition and fees at private ranked National Universities have jumped 112% from 2006 to 2016, according to U.S. News data. But keep in mind these costs are just sticker prices — the price advertised by colleges before financial aid is applied.

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Kerry Washington

How you know her: Apple TV’s “Imperfect Women” and ABC’s “Scandal”

School:

In her words: “I’m here, not just as an actress, but as a woman, an African American, a granddaughter of Ellis Island immigrants, a person who could not have afforded college without the help of student loans,” Washington said during a 2012 speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Takeaway: The average net price for federal loan recipients at GW was $34,462, per U.S. News data, so Washington isn’t alone. But student loans help borrowers afford college, establish credit and, if they are federally backed, come with some generous repayment options.

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Kevin Bozeman

How you know him: Stand-up comic with appearances on Comedy Central, NBC and Fox

School:

In his words: “I got one thing out of college: bad credit. That was all I got — some student loans, man. I didn’t know they wanted you to pay that back. I thought that was only if you graduated.”

Takeaway: At one point, he says, he had his wages garnished. He later enrolled in a repayment plan. “I just felt like it’d hovered over my head long enough,” he told U.S. News in 2015.

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Marco Rubio

How you know him: U.S. Secretary of State and former Florida senator

Schools: Tarkio College, ,

In his words: “The only reason why I was able to go to college was because of federal grants and loans,” Rubio said in a 2012 speech. “But when I graduated from law school, I had close to $150,000 in student debt.”

Takeaway: Attending public in-state colleges can be a cost-conscious move. The of in-state tuition and fees at ranked public schools in 2025-2026 is $11,371, according to U.S. News data.

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Martin O’Malley

How you know him: Maryland’s former governor and former Commissioner of the Social Security Administration of the United States

Schools his daughters attended: ,

In his words: The O’Malley family borrowed around $339,200 in mostly . “I wanted (my daughters) to go in-state,” O’Malley said in 2015. “But I lost the vote.”

Takeaway: Parent PLUS loans used to available up to the full cost of attendance, minus other aid. This allowed parents, just like the O’Malley family, to get into trouble and incur massive amounts of debt. Changes to the Federal student loan program that go into effect on July 1, 2026 cap Parent PLUS loans at $20,000 per year with a $65,000 aggregate limit.

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Michelle Obama

How you know her: Former first lady of the United States

Schools: ,

In her words: “The first thing was that I hated being a lawyer,” Obama wrote in “Becoming,” her 2018 memoir. “I wasn’t suited to the work. I felt empty doing it, even if I was plenty good at it. This was a distressing thing to admit, given how hard I’d worked and how in debt I was. In my blinding drive to excel, in my need to do things perfectly, I’d missed the signs and taken the wrong road.”

Takeaway: In addition to reviewing a school’s employment and salary statistics of its graduates, students should also consider their passion when choosing a major or career, experts say.

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Miles Teller

How you know him: Movies “Eternity,” “Fantastic Four” and “Divergent”

School: New York University

In his words: Teller told Vulture in 2015 that he borrowed $100,000 in student loans. “My business manager says the interest is so low, there’s no sense in paying them off. I can, if I want to have that badge of accomplishment, but until then I still very much have my NYU loans.”

Takeaway: Borrowing $100,000 for college was a risky move. Experts recommend borrowing no more than your expected first year’s salary.

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Pete Buttigieg

How you know him: Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana

School: ,

In his words: “(My husband) Chasten is a teacher, so that involved getting a master’s degree, and between the teacher training programs he was in as well as his bachelor’s and master’s, it’s left us with a lot of debt,” Buttigieg said in 2019. “I had the great fortune of getting the Rhodes scholarship and was able to come through Harvard without a lot of debt. But between the two of us, we’re going to have to deal with a lot of debt.”

Takeaway: Student loan borrowers who work full time in the public or nonprofit service sector, like teachers, have the option to enroll in the . But with a complicated qualification process, experts advise caution.

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Roxane Gay

How you know her: New York Times bestselling author of “Bad Feminist” and “Hunger”

School:

In her words: “I took out my first student loans more than 20 years ago,” Gay wrote in a 2020 New York Times article. “I had dropped out of college just before the start of my junior year. I took a couple of years off, and when I went back I had to pay for my final two years myself. I understood the responsibility I was assuming, but I was working minimum wage jobs at the time — retail, telemarketing, bartending. Repayment seemed like a vague, distant concept in large part because I could not fathom being able to repay such staggering amounts of money. I went to graduate school and got two more degrees, and though those programs were funded, I took out student loans because it was impossible to live on the meager stipends we were given.”

Takeaway: Federal student loan payments were temporarily suspended under the the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, in March 2020. Payments officially resumed in October 2023.

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Ted Cruz

How you know him: Senator from Texas

Schools:,

In his words: “(I) took over $100,000 in school loans — loans I suspect a lot of y’all can relate to — loans that I’ll point out I just paid off a few years ago,” Cruz said in a 2015 speech announcing his presidential bid.

Takeaway: While Cruz didn’t say which school his debt is from in that speech, six-figure student loan debt is typical for law school grads.

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The appeal comes down to a few core traits: gold is widely accepted, highly liquid and has historically preserved purchasing power over long periods.

Its finite supply makes it resistant to currency debasement, whether through central bank balance sheet expansion or government spending, and it has generally kept pace ahead of inflation across centuries.

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Silver does not share that same status as a central bank reserve asset, but it remains , nonetheless. Beyond jewelry, silver is increasingly used as a critical industrial input.

One of the key drivers is electrification, which refers to the trend of replacing systems that rely on fossil fuels with to reduce carbon emissions. Silver’s high ductility and conductivity makes it essential in electrification build-outs.

A January study published in the journal of Resources, Conservation and Recycling highlights this dynamic. The authors project that global silver supply may only meet 62% to 70% of demand by 2030, with total demand estimated at 48,000 to 54,000 tons annually.

Photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight into electricity for solar panels, are expected to be the fastest-growing source of demand, even amid competition from sectors like automotive and electronics.

This ties directly into broader shifts in energy consumption. As artificial intelligence compute demand drives exponential growth in , hyperscalers are discovering that power and the materials required to generate it, not chips, may be the real bottleneck.

In March, several major technology firms agreed to a White House-backed pledge to fully fund the energy required for their data centers, rather than passing costs onto consumers.

With fossil fuel supply facing uncertainty tied to geopolitical tensions, including , renewable energy sources like solar are once again in focus. Silver sits at the center of that transition and is highly investable thanks to exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

“Physically backed silver ETFs offer three significant advantages over other types of silver investments: transparency, liquidity and convenience,” says Sean August, CEO of the August Wealth Management Group. “These ETFs regularly disclose the amount of silver held, are easily traded on major exchanges and grant exposure to silver prices without the need to store and insure bullion.”

Here are seven of the best silver ETFs to buy today:

abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF ()

“I really like silver ETFs over other ways to hold silver,” says Anessa Custovic, chief investment officer at Cardinal Retirement Planning Inc. “You get the diversification benefits of holding silver without the headache of trying to purchase and store bullion.” Using a silver ETF can help investors avoid costly dealer spreads and markups, storage and insurance concerns, and transport security risks.

SIVR is currently the lowest-cost physically backed silver ETF in the U.S. market, with an expense ratio of 0.3%. For a $10,000 investment, that works out to just $30 a year in fees. This low cost is partly due to a fee waiver, with the sponsor covering 0.15% and committing to maintain that waiver until further notice. The ETF currently has just under $5.5 billion in assets under management (AUM).

iShares Silver Trust ()

SIVR may be the most affordable U.S.-listed spot silver ETF, but it is not the largest. Despite managing a sizable $5.5 billion in assets, it is dwarfed by SLV, which launched in April 2006 and has grown into a $39 billion giant. Its scale and long track record have made it the default choice for many institutional and retail investors seeking direct exposure to silver prices. SLV also has options available for active traders.

SLV tracks the LBMA silver price and holds physical silver in trust, currently totaling about 492.3 million ounces, or roughly 15,310 tons. However, investors should be aware that during or heightened demand, the ETF’s market price can deviate from its net asset value (NAV). As of April 17, SLV was trading at a modest 2.5% premium to NAV. The ETF charges a 0.50% expense ratio.

Global X Silver Miners ETF ()

“Silver mining stocks can offer indirect exposure to silver prices and tend to be leveraged plays on silver prices, owing to the fixed costs of extracting the metal,” explains Roberta Caselli, commodities investment strategist at Global X ETFs. “Unlike investing directly in silver, miners can expand production as profit margins grow, which can benefit their share prices.” For silver miners, Global X ETFs offers SIL.

SIL tracks the Solactive Global Silver Miners Total Return Index, a benchmark of 38 companies that sit almost entirely within the materials sector. Geographically, just under 65% of the portfolio is allocated to Canadian-domiciled miners, reflecting the country’s long-standing role as a global hub for resource development. The ETF charges a 0.65% expense ratio and has $5.7 billion in AUM.

Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF ()

“Silver’s recent rally has been driven by tight physical supply, strong industrial demand and a more supportive macro environment,” says Nathan Miller, vice president of product development at Amplify ETFs. “That backdrop can favor junior silver miners, which tend to exhibit higher operating leverage as prices rise.” Thanks to the silver bull market, SILJ has returned 43% annualized over the last three years.

“SILJ provides diversified exposure to smaller silver producers and developers, offering a higher-beta way to express a bullish silver view,” Miller explains. “The trade-off is increased volatility, but sustained higher silver prices could disproportionately benefit junior miners.”

The ETF charges a 0.69% expense ratio, and also has an income-oriented counterpart, the Amplify SILJ Junior Silver Miners Covered Call ETF ().

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Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF ()

While popular, SIL isn’t the only option for investors seeking . A strong competitor is SLVR from Sprott ETFs, a firm known for its deep expertise in commodities and precious metals. Many investors may already be familiar with Sprott through its lineup of physically backed closed-end trusts, which provide exposure to gold, silver, copper and even .

The majority of SLVR’s portfolio is allocated to silver mining equities via the Nasdaq Sprott Silver Miners Index, resulting in a heavy materials sector tilt and high Canadian equity representation. What sets SLVR apart is its explicit allocation to the Sprott Physical Silver Trust (PSLV), which introduces direct exposure to spot silver prices within the same ETF structure. The ETF charges a 0.65% expense ratio.

iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miner ETF ()

Investors focused on silver miners may also want to keep multiple ETFs on their radar for tax-loss harvesting purposes. Silver miners tend to be more volatile than spot silver due to operating leverage, meaning they can fall harder during downturns. Having an alternative ETF that is not considered substantially identical by the IRS allows investors to realize losses without violating the .

SLVP can serve as a tax-loss harvesting partner for either SLVR or SIL. It tracks the MSCI ACWI Select Silver Miners Investable Market Index, which differs in construction and methodology but still has meaningful overlap in holdings. As an added benefit, SLVP comes with a lower 0.39% expense ratio. The ETF returned 200.8% in 2025, making it one of the best-performing ETFs for that year.

Themes Silver Miners ETF ()

Most of the silver and silver miner ETFs discussed so far charge at least 0.3% or more. Investors focused on affordability, however, may want to keep AGMI on their radar. This ETF tracks the STOXX Global Silver Miners Index. It launched in May 2024 and remains relatively small in terms of AUM compared to more established peers. Still, it undercuts even SLVP with a 0.35% expense ratio.

That said, expense ratios are only one part of the cost equation. AGMI currently has a relatively wide 0.87% 30-day median bid-ask spread. For active traders, that lower liquidity can translate into higher implicit trading costs, though this could improve over time if the ETF is able to scale up in assets and trading volume. Contrast this with SIL, which has a lower 0.16% 30-day median bid-ask spread.

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Several factors affect the cost of in-home care, including location and state regulations, the level of care your loved one needs, the qualifications of the caregiver and how often you will need to have someone visit the home. We’ll break down the expenses and what you’ll need to consider if you decide to spend money on .

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Agency vs. Private Hire: Which In-Home Care Option Is Best?

When you’re thinking about hiring in-home care, you essentially have two options:

— You can work with an agency.

— You can hire someone directly.

Agency vs. direct hire

Is it cheaper to hire a private caregiver or an agency?

In a nutshell, it’s cheaper to hire someone yourself, but it’s far easier to work with an agency, says

, Chicago-based author of “The Complete Eldercare Planner, 4th Edition” and “Who Will Take Care of Me When I’m Old?”

“Lower cost is the major benefit,” she points out.

But the savings come with its own cost: time.

“When you are hiring individuals outside of an agency, you become an employer,” Loverde explains.

This requires you to:

— Pay employer taxes, insurance and workers’ compensation

— Track and file payroll tax reports

— Perform your own background checks

— Arrange a plan B for backup care if the person you hire is sick

Your role also isn’t over even after you hire the perfect caregiver.

“ does not guarantee quality of services provided by an employee,” Loverde says. “It’s important to continuously monitor the quality of services rendered by anyone you bring into your parent’s home.”

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Cost of In-Home Caregivers

The median cost for nonmedical caregivers in the U.S. is $35 per hour, and a private duty nurse is $90 per hour, according to CareScout.

There are a number of factors that can affect cost:

— Location: Areas with a higher cost of living will also dictate higher wages.

— Level of care: The degree of care your loved one needs can significantly affect cost, especially if it means hiring a trained caregiver.

— Certification and training: A licensed medical professional, such as a certified home health aide, will cost more than home care aides or nonmedical caregivers. State regulations may also require additional certifications.

— Minimum wage: “In areas that adhere to the federal minimum wage, I would expect prices to be around $20 to $25 an hour, whereas I would expect to see something closer to $35 an hour in areas with a $15 an hour minimum wage,” says , a certified senior advisor and the owner of Seniors Helping Seniors Bethesda, a home care agency in Maryland.

In-Home Care Cost Plans

How many hours per week you need in-home care for can also play a role in the cost.

— Part-time help (seven hours a week): $1,062 per month. This is assuming the senior who could use some help can generally function fine independently. A lot of home care agencies won’t work for less than seven hours a week, which is generally going to be enough time to prepare meals and do some light housework, and to just hang out, for an hour a day. that is a serious problem.

— Daily check-ins (14 hours a week): $2,123 per month. So you feel like your loved one could use a little more one-on-one time? Two hours a day would mean more time making meals and perhaps helping with daily tasks.

— Full-time support (40 hours a week): $6,066 per month. Maybe you live with an elderly parent, but you work. You could have someone with your parent while you’re out of the house.

— Around-the-clock care (24/7): $25,479 per month. This assumes that you have someone watching your loved one full time.

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Types of In-Home Caregivers and Cost Differences

How much you’ll spend depends on whether you need someone who has medical training (which will always cost more) or only need someone who can cook a few meals and bring in the mail.

Personal care and assistance (nonmedical help)

A nonmedical aide can assist with , such as helping a client bathe, get dressed and groom themselves.

“Oftentimes, caregiving requires heavy lifting,” Loverde adds. “This is why in-home bathing and showering services are gaining in popularity. Aides may also drive clients to and from medical appointments.”

Skilled nursing care

Medical aides, such as certified nursing assistants, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, can help with medical care. This includes medication management, wound care and working with doctors on individualized care plans.

Specialized care

If your loved one has or , they may need specialized care. Depending on the , they may still be able to do a lot of things on their own, like watch TV and call friends and get dressed and bathe. On the other hand, they may need help with grooming and preparing meals and planning activities.

Loverde says she recently helped a client find care for an elderly family member.

“His 24/7 care was provided by two sisters who were licensed to provide both medical and nonmedical services. The cost was $12,000 per month,” Loverde explains, though she adds that she lives in Chicago and someone in a city with a lower cost of living might spend less.

Cost sources: U.S. News and CareScout

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Does Medicare Pay for an In-Home Caregiver?

Generally, .

“Most people should expect to pay out-of-pocket for a caregiver. Health insurance rarely covers the cost of an in-home caregiver, and Medicare only covers an in-home caregiver for a limited time and under very specific situations,” Chernow says.

will cover some home health services, including wound care, , speech-language pathologist services, home health aide care and medical monitoring under very specific guidelines. For example, you must be unable to leave your home because of illness or injury or had a medical professional recommend that you remain homebound.

Loverde says that if somebody on Medicare needs a home care aide after a hospital visit, it would pay for that, “but it’s limited in time and duration.” So Medicare can pay for in-home senior care, but only in short bursts. It isn’t a fix for a long-term situation.

7 Financial Assistance Options for In-Home Care

There are a number of ways people pay for senior care. Some of your options include:

Private pay

It may not be palatable or your first choice, but many households find the money to pay for senior care by pooling resources, among the adult children and from the senior’s retirement fund.

Private insurance

In many cases, private insurance won’t pay for home health aides, or at least what will be paid may be limited. You’ll want to check with your loved one’s insurance to see what will be paid and what won’t.

Long-term care insurance

generally does pay for home health aides. But it’s not a perfect system, in that there is generally a benefit period that you can use it. You may be able to get home health care for three to five years, for instance. If your loved one hopes and expects to live another 10 or 20 years, you may want to hold off before utilizing long-term care insurance to pay for a home health aide.

Medicaid

may provide coverage for home health aides, “but eligibility and coverage will vary from state to state,” Loverde says.

Making matters more uncertain are the cuts to Medicaid that were passed in July 2025, in what was often called . Most of the cuts haven’t gone into effect, but states have been trimming Medicaid budgets. With all of the cutting, there has been fear that that will mean less money to go toward home health aides and that more people could wind up needing to .

Help for veterans

If your loved one is a , you’ll want to reach out to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They have for elderly vets who need it.

Home equity

This is another one of those financial solutions that isn’t very palatable, but some seniors draw upon their home equity to help them pay for in-home care.

Local help

If Medicaid isn’t an avenue you’re pursuing, Loverde says that some states have local programs devoted to covering senior care costs.

For example, Idaho has the . Ohio has the . The has aging programs. Louisiana has its . You may have to do some searching on the internet to locate your state’s aging agency, and you’re not likely to find a service that pays for all of your loved one’s home health aide needs, of course, but your state may offer more senior care assistance than you realize.

You may also want to try . It’s a nonprofit that offers help to elderly seniors, with the goal of keeping them in their home.

Tips for Reducing In-Home Care Costs

Not all of these scenarios will work for everyone, but if your loved one doesn’t need constant supervision, you could try:

—

— Pooling family resources and having family members visit the relative multiple times a day or at least once a day to help as needed

— Leveraging benefits to save time and money, such as free transportation to and from doctors’ offices, if your loved one has this kind of plan

— Seeing if your community center has suggestions on local services or nonprofits, such as Meals on Wheels, that your loved one may be able to use

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“Your instant reaction is to panic,” says Ruth Schau, director of retirement at Novant Health, whose role at a previous employer was eliminated as part of that company’s restructuring. As an , she felt the unexpected layoff stole from her the opportunity to retire when and how she wanted.

Others might be experiencing the same concerns as layoffs surged last month. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement and executive coaching firm, U.S. employers announced 60,620 job cuts in March 2026, a 25% increase from February. The technology sector accounted for a significant share of the losses, shedding nearly 19,000 jobs in March.

“The actual replacing of roles can be seen in technology companies, where AI can replace coding functions,” the Challenger report said. “Other industries are testing the limits of this new technology, and while it can’t replace jobs completely, it is costing jobs.”

As a result, workers in the rapidly evolving tech industry may find it more difficult to find new employment than those in roles like managerial positions, which have more transferable skills.

Regardless of your professional background, finding yourself laid off within a few years of retirement can be especially disruptive. Take these steps to get your plans back on track.

— Pump the brakes on spending

— Run the numbers

— Consider your income options

— Decide whether to be a job seeker or an early retiree

— Reevaluate your Social Security strategy

— Connect with your network

— Rethink your interview strategy

— Call in your friends

— Savor some downtime

Pump the Brakes on Spending

Now is not the time to make big purchases or spend frivolously. Instead, while the dust settles.

“I went into the mode of ‘I can’t spend a dime,'” Schau says.

You may not need to go to that extreme, but be mindful of your spending until you finish the next step.

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Run the Numbers

Before you make any decisions, you need to know where you stand financially, both in terms of expenses and savings. You may also need to consider how you will get health insurance and how much that will cost.

With her background in actuarial science, Schau created spreadsheets to forecast her expected expenses and cash flow under different scenarios. However, you might need to find a professional to help.

“The first call should definitely be to a certified financial planner,” says Melissa Murphy Pavone, a certified financial planner and founder of Mindful Financial Partners, a Long Island, New York-based firm that works with clients nationwide. “Make sure it’s someone with credentials.”

A can review your savings and expenses to determine if and for how long you can go without earned income. They can also help identify your , which is the next step in this process.

Consider Your Income Options

Retirees who are at least 59 1/2 can tap into tax-advantaged retirement accounts such as . Those younger than 59 1/2 will incur a 10% tax penalty for most withdrawals from these accounts.

One exception is for workers who are at least 55 years old. They can take penalty-free withdrawals from a 401(k) held by the employer they just left. However, any withdrawals from 401(k) accounts held by other employers will be subject to a 10% penalty.

Another option for penalty-free withdrawals before age 59 1/2 is to make substantially equal periodic payments, also known as SEPP. People of any age can utilize this option, but once you begin receiving these payments, they can’t be easily changed or stopped.

“We don’t want to turn on any income that isn’t reversible,” Pavone says. She suggests first tapping into home equity, savings or even downsizing to bridge the gap in a budget after a later-in-life layoff.

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Decide Whether to Be a Job Seeker or an Early Retiree

Once you have looked at the numbers, you will better understand whether early retirement is feasible or more income is needed. Of course, even those who can afford to retire early may prefer to .

“I really like what I do, and I wasn’t ready to leave my job,” Schau says.

If you decide to look for a new job, consider whether you need to continue working in the same capacity.

“Take stock of where you are in terms of your skills,” says Raymond Lee, president of Careerminds, a global virtual outplacement firm. He suggests people consider what would make them feel fulfilled. “That could be .” Lee notes that fractional jobs are becoming more common, allowing professionals with extensive expertise to do high-level work on a limited basis.

Others may find joy in less demanding part-time work. “People in that (pre-retiree to retiree) age bracket really like to turn their passions into part-time jobs,” according to Pavone. They may find employment at a golf clubhouse, sports shop or other store that caters to their interests.

Reevaluate Your Social Security Strategy

Most workers begin anywhere from age 62 to age 70.

“I don’t suggest taking Social Security early because you’re giving yourself a permanent haircut,” Pavone says.

Starting benefits at 62 can result in a permanent 35% reduction in your monthly payment amount. Those born in 1960 or later need to wait until age 67 to reach their , which is the age at which they can claim benefits without any reduction. Waiting longer to begin benefits will give retirees an 8% boost in their monthly payments for each year they wait past their full retirement age until age 70.

You may have already carefully considered when you plan to begin benefits. However, a layoff may require that you revisit those plans. In some situations, early retirees may find they have no choice but to if they lack other sources of income.

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Connect With Your Network

If you have decided to look for a new job, reach out to your professional network to let them know. You may find employment leads from old colleagues, bosses and work acquaintances.

Networking can take the form of personal meetings and phone calls, but don’t overlook your online presence. Update your LinkedIn profile and personal website if you have one. And if you don’t have a professional presence online, now is the time to create one. At the very least, create a LinkedIn profile to serve as your online resume.

“If you’re 60 and have any uncertainty (about your job), take action today,” Lee says. Don’t wait for a layoff to start this step.

Rethink Your Interview Strategy

When you land a job interview, take care to appear up to date on the latest innovations in your field.

“The biggest challenge I see is that you’re not relevant,” Lee says.

By that, he means older workers may go into an interview and talk about how they remember the earlier days of an industry and how things used to be done. The message that an employer may hear is that you are stuck in the past.

“That’s where you get in trouble,” Lee says. “You have to scrap that and show you’re relevant. Talk about the present.”

“Whenever I interviewed for a job, I did a lot of homework,” Schau says. She searched Google and LinkedIn for the latest news about a potential employer. Her preparation paid off, and she was hired for her new job six months after her layoff.

Call In Your Friends

Schau says workers laid off later in life should take a tip from the Beatles and get by with a little help from their friends.

“No one should think alone on this. Talking to people was a savior for me,” she explains.

Friends can provide encouragement and commiseration, and some may have their own experiences to share. “I was amazed how many people reached out to me with similar stories,” Schau says.

Savor Some Downtime

A layoff just before retirement is stressful, but it also presents an opportunity to regroup and consider how you’d like to close your career. Ideally, you’ll have some or leave with a severance package that affords some financial breathing room.

Schau says some of the best advice she received was: “Just enjoy yourself for a few months.”

It may be easier said than done, but make a point of savoring the chance to step out of the rat race and reflect on what’s important to you.

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Interest rates on home loans have risen since the beginning of the U.S. war in Iran. The Middle East conflict has put upward pressure on oil prices, which can make other items more expensive to manufacture and transport. The March consumer price index report found that inflation rose 3.3% year over year, which is the fastest pace since April 2024. Put simply, higher oil prices mean higher inflation — and higher inflation means higher interest rates.

Rates have trended lower in recent days, partly due to the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, which has decreased oil prices and bond yields. That tenuous ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday, and the direction of mortgage rates is likely to be influenced by the progress of peace talks.

Most experts expect over the next few years, stuck above 6% for the 30-year fixed term. Although there’s always the chance that something unexpected could happen in the U.S. economy that could send rates tumbling lower, it’s unlikely that rates will fall below 3% or even 4% in the foreseeable future.

Current Mortgage Purchase Rates

Here are today’s interest rates for conforming purchase mortgages by loan term:

— : 6.296%

— : 6.161%

— : 5.466%

— : 5.497%

— 7-year ARM: 6.338%

— : 6.669%

— 3-year ARM: 8.25%

And here are the current government-backed and nonconforming mortgage rates by loan type:

— : 6.304%

— : 5.483%

— : 5.875%

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Current Mortgage Refinance Rates

Here are today’s mortgage refinance rates:

— 6.414%

— 20-year fixed refi: 6.372%

— 5.437%

— 10-year fixed refi: 6.073%

Mortgage refinance rates tend to follow the same trends as mortgage purchase rates, although interest rates on a mortgage refinance are often a few basis points higher than on purchase mortgages.

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Mortgage Rate Trends in 2026 So Far

collects weekly mortgage rate data, which can help provide context for mortgage borrowers on how and why mortgage rates change over time. Since the mortgage giant began collecting data in 1971, the median mortgage rate is 7.24%.

The 30-year fixed rate of 2.65% in January 2021, driving up demand for purchase and refinance mortgages. Since then, mortgage rates rose to nearly 8% in October 2023 before coming down to around 6.5% currently. Still, that’s nothing compared with the record high of 18.63% recorded in 1981.

You can use the interactive mortgage rates graph below to see how 30-year fixed interest rates have changed so far in 2026, .

Mortgage Monthly Payment Calculator

Your mortgage interest rate is just one aspect of your monthly housing payment. You’ll need to carefully consider how your home’s purchase price will impact your budget so you don’t buy more house than you can comfortably afford.

The mortgage term — or the length of your loan — will also significantly influence your monthly payments. Most borrowers opt for a 30-year fixed mortgage, which can keep monthly payments affordable because they are spread over a long repayment term. But if you can afford the higher monthly payments of a 15-year mortgage, it can save you tens of thousands of dollars in interest payments over time.

You’ll also need to consider property taxes, home insurance, homeowners association fees and , if applicable. You can use the calculator below to run the numbers for your financial situation.

How to Shop for a Mortgage

The mortgage rates we display on this page are national averages from lenders as provided to U.S. News by Zillow, not necessarily the exact rate you’ll receive. Mortgage rates fluctuate throughout the day, and some lenders may be able to offer more favorable pricing for your situation than others.

“With spring homebuying season in full swing, aspiring buyers should remember to shop around for the best mortgage rate, as they can potentially save thousands of dollars by getting multiple quotes,” says Sam Khater, chief economist at Freddie Mac, in a statement.

Here are a few tips to help you shop for the lowest mortgage rate possible for your financial situation:

— Get your finances in order. Collect the documents you’ll need to apply for a mortgage using . You should also check your credit score and get a copy of your credit report to see where you stand.

— Apply through three to five lenders. Be sure to consider different loan types (such as ) as well as different types of lenders (like online lenders versus credit unions). Keep your rate shopping to a two-week window to minimize the negative impact to your credit score.

— Compare loan estimates. This document will outline the loan’s costs, including origination charges, lender credits, discount points, as well as the loan’s interest rate and or APR. The APR includes the interest rate as well as any fees, making it a holistic way to compare the cost of multiple loan offers.

Check out this from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to get a better idea of what to expect when comparing loan offers.

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The change has been broadly labeled the “Sell America” trade, reflecting a reassessment of how much capital investors want concentrated in U.S. stocks. Several factors are driving that narrative.

Since early 2025, the materially, eroding the currency advantage that once supported U.S. asset returns. Moreover, equity valuations in the U.S. remain elevated and increasingly concentrated among a small group of mega-cap technology companies.

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At the same time, persistent over the debt ceiling, rising government borrowing costs and bouts of domestic political unrest have added uncertainty. Layered on top of that is a more erratic foreign policy backdrop, marked by on-again, off-again and the economic fallout of the Iran war.

That combination has pushed capital toward international equity funds, including both and , that invest outside the U.S.

“Our 2026 outlook indicates that over the next decade, international equity markets offer strong risk-adjusted prospects, supported by low valuations and high dividend yields,” says Katherine Kellert, head of index equity product at Vanguard.

On the developed market side, this includes countries such as Canada, the U.K., France, Germany and Switzerland. Emerging markets span economies like Brazil, India, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

According to data from ETF Central, global blended-cap ETFs in particular rank among the top categories for trailing three-month net inflows, attracting $33 billion while delivering an average return of roughly 6% across 112 funds.

By comparison, U.S. large-cap ETFs only returned about 3% over the same period, with inflows of $37 billion.

Here are seven of the best international stock funds to buy for 2026:

Vanguard Total International Stock ETF ()

“VXUS is an effective, low-cost way to gain exposure to non-U.S. stocks,” Kellert says. “The fund holds thousands of companies across developed and emerging markets and delivered strong performance over the past year, reflecting broad international strength.” This ETF tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index for an affordable 0.05% expense ratio, and is also available as a .

For passive like VXUS, Vanguard has spent decades refining portfolio management to minimize tracking error. This refers to the difference between a fund’s net asset value (NAV) return and that of its index benchmark. Vanguard minimizes tracking error through careful rebalancing to align with index changes, low-turnover trading and efficient cash management to reduce drag.

Fidelity Zero International Index Fund ()

“Adding international stocks to your portfolio can dampen volatility and improve returns, since the U.S. economy and market may face challenges at different times compared to international regions,” says Scott Klimo, chief investment officer at Saturna Capital. “Mitigating currency risk also plays a role, as the U.S. dollar may strengthen or weaken versus other countries at different times.”

FZILX goes a step further on cost than VXUS by charging a true 0% expense ratio. Fidelity achieves this by using a proprietary benchmark, the Fidelity Global ex U.S. Index, which eliminates third-party index licensing fees. The fund also relies on sampling rather than full replication to reduce transaction costs, while income from securities lending helps offset the remaining operating expenses.

Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF ()

“The ex-U.S. market makes up about 40% to 45% of the world’s market capitalization, so by ignoring international stocks, investors are missing out on roughly half the world’s investing opportunities,” says Kirk Kinder, director of financial planning at Bastion Fiduciary. “Moreover, international stocks are substantially undervalued when you look at metrics like price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios.”

Some investors hesitate due to the long-term underperformance of , but much of that gap reflects a strong U.S. dollar over the past decade. A currency-hedged option like DBEF is designed to remove that foreign exchange volatility. Over the past 10 years, DBEF delivered an 11.5% annualized return after a 0.35% expense ratio, compared with 8.4% for the unhedged MSCI EAFE Index.

Schwab Fundamental International Equity Index Fund ()

Most international equity funds, particularly index-based ones, weight holdings by market capitalization. The larger the company, the larger its weight, which can work well in as indexes tend to be self-cleansing, with winners naturally rising to the top. The downside is that this approach can introduce concentration risk if investors enter the market at the wrong point in the cycle.

SFNNX takes a different approach by using fundamental weighting. The fund tracks the RAFI Fundamental High Liquidity Developed ex US Large Index, which emphasizes lower price-to-earnings ratios and higher dividend yields. Over the past 10 years, SFNNX has earned a five-star rating from Morningstar, outperforming most of the 241 funds in its peer category on a risk-adjusted basis.

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SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF ()

Prior to the rise of , emerging market exposure was typically expensive and harder for retail investors to access. The rapid expansion of the ETF universe has driven fee compression, meaning costs have steadily fallen even in traditionally niche, less liquid or higher-risk segments. Emerging markets are a clear beneficiary of this trend. SPEM is a good example, charging a 0.07% expense ratio.

The fund tracks the S&P Emerging BMI Index, with BMI standing for broad market index, covering large-, mid- and small-cap stocks. While the index includes more than 7,200 securities, SPEM holds nearly 3,000 stocks and uses a sampling approach to keep costs low while minimizing tracking error. Over the last 10 years, SPEM has returned an annualized 8% with distributions reinvested.

WisdomTree International High Dividend Fund ()

International equities already tend to offer higher yields than U.S. stocks on average, but a dividend-focused strategy can push income even higher. DTH does this by tracking the WisdomTree International Equity Index, which uses a fundamentally weighted approach. The index selects the top 30% of stocks ranked by dividend yield and then weights them by the total cash dividends paid.

The resulting portfolio has a clear tilt toward financial and industrial companies, sectors that traditionally support higher payouts. On a country basis, the largest exposures come from the U.K., Japan and France. The bias toward dividend-paying companies also introduces a tilt. After accounting for a 0.58% expense ratio, DTH currently offers a 3% 30-day SEC yield.

Amplify CWP International Enhanced Dividend Income ETF ()

To further increase income potential from international stocks, an options-based ETF like IDVO can be useful. The core of the fund is a concentrated portfolio of 30 to 50 companies selected from the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index, based on factors such as earnings growth, free-cash-flow growth and dividend growth. IDVO also actively manages sector and country exposure in terms of portfolio weights.

Layered on top of that equity exposure is a strategy implemented at the individual stock level, which caps upside in exchange for enhanced income. IDVO estimates that roughly 3% to 4% of its yield comes from dividends, with an additional 2% to 4% generated from option premiums. After accounting for a 0.65% expense ratio, the ETF offers a 6.1% distribution yield with monthly payouts.

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These are companies that offer above-average payouts relative to a benchmark like the S&P 500, while also exhibiting lower , a measure of how sensitive a stock is to broader market movements.

While there are many third-party stock screeners available, their data can sometimes be inconsistent or outdated. For stock pickers, , or ETFs, can be an unorthodox starting point.

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Specifically, investors can review the underlying index methodology of passive ETFs to understand exactly how holdings are selected and weighted. For example, a defensive investor might look to the Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (ticker: ) as a starting point for idea generation.

“SPHD owns the 50 stocks within the S&P 500 with the highest yield and lowest 12-month trailing volatility,” explains Nick Kalivas, head of factor and core equity ETF product strategy at Invesco.

In addition, the stocks in this ETF are weighted by dividend yield, with guardrails in place to prevent concentration risk. Each sector is capped at no more than 10 companies and a maximum weight of 25%, while individual positions are limited to about 3%.

“SPHD’s strategy utilizes a low-volatility screen with the expectations of reducing dividend traps,” Kalivas explains. “This is because high-yielding stocks with elevated volatility may be an indication of deteriorating financial health and increased risk of a dividend cut.”

Investors who like this methodology do not necessarily need to own the ETF itself, although it can be a hands-off option that currently delivers a 4.6% 30-day SEC yield at a 0.3% expense ratio.

SPHD has already done the screening and portfolio construction work, which means investors can use it as a curated list of candidates. With a bit more effort, it is possible to select individual stocks from its holdings and build a similar portfolio while avoiding the ongoing fee.

Here are five of the best high-dividend, low-volatility stocks from SPHD’s holdings as of April 17:

Altria Group Inc. ()

SPHD’s index methodology results in a notable overweight to , which make up about 18.5% of the portfolio. This includes familiar categories like household products, beverages and packaged foods, but also less widely owned segments such as tobacco.

That spans both combustible products, like cigarettes, and non-combustible alternatives such as vaping devices and oral nicotine pouches. These companies are often excluded from institutional portfolios due to environmental, social and governance constraints, and some individual investors may also avoid them for personal reasons.

There is also a broader perception that tobacco is a declining industry. While smoking rates have fallen and revenue growth has slowed, that does not prevent tobacco companies from continuing to generate strong cash flows and return capital to shareholders.

Altria has made its dividend the centerpiece of that strategy. The stock currently yields 6.6%, with management targeting a payout ratio of 80% of earnings. The rationale is that long-term volume growth is uncertain, so returning cash to shareholders allows investors to redeploy it elsewhere as they see fit.

Altria continues to explore non-combustible products, but those efforts do not fully offset the structural decline in smoking. Instead, the company leans into its role as an income vehicle, having increased its dividend for . The stock also exhibits relatively low volatility, with a five-year monthly beta of 0.45, or less than half that of the broader market.

Realty Income Corp. ()

Unlike some dividend ETFs, SPHD’s methodology does not exclude , or REITs. While REITs often offer high yields, some strategies avoid them due to tax considerations, as their distributions are typically less tax efficient.

Because SPHD includes them, real estate is its largest sector, at 19.2%. One of the more prominent holdings is Realty Income, a that has increased its dividend for more than 25 consecutive years. In December, Realty Income announced its 114th quarterly dividend increase since listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 1994, bringing its annualized payout to $3.24 per share.

Despite the high dividend, the company maintains a stable payout profile. Dividends represent about 75% of adjusted funds from operations, a REIT-specific metric used in place of earnings per share.

This is supported by a diversified portfolio of income-generating properties, with grocery stores making up about 11% and convenience stores 9.6%. These categories tend to be less cyclical, supporting stable tenants and consistent occupancy, which are key for reliable cash flow.

The remainder of the portfolio includes more discretionary segments such as home improvement, dollar stores, quick-service restaurants, and health and fitness. Even so, Realty Income emphasizes tenant quality and geographic diversification, helping it maintain a 98.9% occupancy rate.

The stock currently offers a forward annual dividend yield of 5% with monthly payouts. While more volatile than Altria, it remains less sensitive than the S&P 500, with a five-year monthly beta of 0.8.

Kimberly-Clark Corp. ()

Inelastic demand refers to products that consumers continue to buy regardless of changes in price or economic conditions. Household essentials tend to fall into this category, which is why companies like Kimberly-Clark are often viewed as defensive holdings.

The company produces everyday items such as diapers under brands like Huggies, Pull-Ups and Goodnites, along with feminine care products like Kotex and household staples like Kleenex and Scott. These help support steady sales even during .

That consistency translates into reliable margins and lower volatility. Kimberly-Clark has a five-year monthly beta of just 0.3, even lower than Altria, while still offering a 5.2% annual dividend yield. But despite its reputation as a slow-moving company, Kimberly-Clark has been active on the acquisition front.

Last November, the company announced a planned $48.7 billion acquisition of Kenvue Inc. (), the consumer health spin-off from Johnson & Johnson (), which owns brands like Tylenol, Band-Aid and Listerine. Once completed, the deal would make Kimberly-Clark the second-largest consumer staples company globally, behind Procter & Gamble Co. () but ahead of Unilever PLC ().

The market has reacted cautiously to the acquisition, and the broader consumer staples sector has also fallen out of favor. Over the past year, KMB is down 30.7% on a price return basis, and now trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 13.2, which may appeal to value-oriented investors.

[Read: ]

Williams Cos. Inc. ()

have been back in focus amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis, where disruptions tied to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran have tightened global supply and lifted prices. That has benefited domestic producers and exporters, but energy markets can swing both ways. Demand-side shocks, like those seen during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, can just as quickly reverse fortunes.

Investors looking for income with less exposure to commodity price swings may instead turn to midstream companies like Williams, which operates energy infrastructure primarily focused on natural gas transportation.

Williams is one of the largest operators in North America, with more than 33,000 miles of pipeline moving roughly one-third of U.S. by volume. Its flagship Transco pipeline spans about 10,000 miles from South Texas to New York City and accounts for about 15% of U.S. natural gas demand.

The appeal for investors lies in the business model. Unlike upstream producers, midstream companies generate steady cash flows based on volume and long-term contracts rather than direct exposure to commodity prices. The stock is less volatile than the S&P 500, with a five-year monthly beta of 0.65.

Williams is also structured as a corporation rather than a . While that results in a more modest 3% dividend yield, it avoids the added tax complexity of Schedule K-1 forms.

Duke Energy Corp. ()

are often described as “widow and orphan” investments. The idea was that these were the types of holdings you could recommend to someone who needed steady income and low volatility, rather than market-beating returns.

On the surface, a utility giant like Duke Energy fits that mold, with a five-year monthly beta of 0.45, less than half that of the S&P 500, and a 3.3% forward dividend yield. That characterization, however, understates the structural tailwinds behind the business today. Duke Energy is up about 9% this year on a price return basis, supported by its scale and positioning.

The company is one of the largest utilities in the U.S., serving 8.7 million customers across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, with 55,700 megawatts of generation capacity. It also operates a natural gas utility business serving 1.8 million customers across several of those same states.

More importantly, utilities like Duke are increasingly tied to rising energy demand from artificial intelligence . In July, Duke outlined plans to meet this demand with roughly $100 billion in near-term infrastructure investments and up to $190 billion over the next decade.

This includes adding 13 gigawatts of capacity by 2030 and laying thousands of miles of new power lines. Duke specifically highlighted a $10 billion investment from Amazon Web Services in North Carolina for AI infrastructure, one of the key regions it serves.

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Beyond its use in jewelry, the precious metal is seen as a store of value, or inflation hedge, holding up even when government-backed currencies falter. Also, gold can act as a safe-haven investment, and investors and traders tend to flock to it when there is concern about the economy or geopolitics. While these factors can act in concert, they sometimes compete against each other, which is one reason gold prices can be volatile and hard to anticipate.

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Take the U.S.-Iran conflict, for example. While there was some initial safe-haven buying shortly after the U.S. and Israel began their attacks on Iran in late February, the precious metal then fell precipitously. That may be because investors booked profits from gold’s previous record high as the Iran war ratcheted up worries and set equities back.

“When the financial system experiences a shock and investors need to raise funds quickly, they sell what they can, not necessarily what they want to,” says Vince Stanzione, CEO at First Information, a publisher of educational materials related to financial spread betting and derivatives trading. “As gold is a very large and , it can be sold to raise cash instantly.”

Gold’s fall also may have been because inflation expectations boosted thinking that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates higher for longer, which supported the dollar. Because the dollar and gold often move inversely to one another, gold prices fell.

Gold vs. Treasury Bonds as “Safe” Investments

Gold also competes against government debt, especially , as a safe-haven investment. But government debt pays interest, and that creates an opportunity cost for gold, which doesn’t pay interest. So, expectations of higher interest rates may have dulled gold’s allure somewhat even in the face of higher inflation expectations.

But the tide seems to be turning for gold as the precious metal regains ground as the Iran conflict drags on. Although it’s no longer at record highs above $5,000 per ounce, $4,800 gold is nothing to sneeze at and suggests investors and traders may be shifting priorities once again.

“In past geopolitical shocks, gold often dips initially as investors sell assets, before moving higher again,” says Chris Gannatti, head of research with WisdomTree Asset Management. “That pattern appears to be playing out amid the Iran conflict, alongside short-term headwinds like a stronger U.S. dollar and rising bond yields. As those pressures ease, gold’s role as a geopolitical hedge is reasserting itself.”

What Types of ETFs Invest in Gold?

Before gold can be invested in, it has to come out of the ground, which brings us to gold mining stocks that feature in many gold .

Gold Miner ETFs

Miners can outperform the price of gold as the metal rises in value because the increase in the gold price adds to cash flow while operating and financial leverage amplify their gains. This is assuming production costs and company debt remain the same. While an erosion of gold’s value could create the opposite scenario, companies in a declining gold-price environment can take measures to offset the damage by cutting costs, finding efficiencies or boosting production.

As an example of the power of leverage when it comes to mining companies, Thomas Winmill, portfolio manager with Midas Funds, points to Lundin Gold Inc. (ticker: OTC: LUGDF). The company is the second-biggest holding in the Midas Discovery Fund () and has seen its return on equity rise from about 9% in 2022 when the gold price was about $1,800 to approximately 55% in the trailing 12 months. At the start of 2022, Lundin was trading around $8, and shares now are around $85.

Another advantage of mining companies is that they can use cash flow to fund dividends, unlike non-yield-bearing gold, or share buybacks.

“Gold miner ETFs have historically offered more leverage to moves in gold prices, along with the potential for dividend income,” says Trevor Yates, portfolio manager and senior investment analyst at Global X, which offers the Global X Gold Explorers ETF () and Global X Gold Miners ETF (). “They also provide diversified exposure across a basket of companies, which can help mitigate idiosyncratic operational risks that are often specific to individual miners. At the same time, investors benefit from the liquidity, tax efficiency and transparency of the ETF structure.”

Physical Gold or Futures ETFs

In addition to ETFs that hold mining companies, others are backed by physical gold stored in vaults while some are backed by . In these cases, the funds still trade on stock exchanges like regular shares of any company, meaning they’re much easier for investors to deal with than the complications of actually trading futures or buying and storing physical gold themselves.

For long-term investors, it’s crucial to keep in mind that gold acts as a store of value, which means it will likely hold up against inflation over the long run, but it won’t gain value like equities tend to do, and the precious metal does have its detractors.

Robert R. Johnson, finance professor at Creighton University, points out that was one of those who didn’t think gold was a good investment. “While having a small position in precious metals may dampen portfolio volatility in the short run, the trade-off between slightly dampened volatility and the lost long-term return is certainly not a prudent one, particularly for Gen Z (and) millennials with long investing time horizons,” Johnson says.

Still, some investing experts say gold should make up a small portion of portfolios as a safety net. With that in mind, here’s a look at five top gold ETFs:

VanEck Gold Miners ETF ()

“I think people miss the boat on these gold miners as a gold proxy thing all the time,” says Chris Berkel, investment advisor and president of Axis Financial. “Buying gold miners as a proxy for gold is not the same thing. Gold miners essentially play hot potato with the metal and as they dig it up, it’s their goal to get it out of their hands and into the marketplace.”

And recently, gold miners have been doing very well with the gold they get to the market, as the gold they were expecting to dig up at a certain price is suddenly worth much more, he points out.

GDX holds the world’s biggest gold miners, including Newmont Corp. () and Barrick Mining Corp. (). Their size and give larger mining companies a measure of stability that can be welcome in a difficult industry.

This mining equity ETF tracks the MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index and has an expense ratio of 0.51%.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF ()

In addition to large mining companies with producing operations, the gold mining sector also has so-called junior miners that are primarily involved in exploring for gold, developing mines or producing much smaller amounts than their larger brethren.

These miners tend to be more risky, and so an ETF can be particularly helpful. But that diversification can be a double-edged sword because it means the ETF as a whole may not perform as well as a single gold miner that strikes it rich.

This ETF tracks the MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners Index, and has an expense ratio of 0.51%.

SPDR Gold Shares ()

When it comes to ETFs that are backed by physical gold, this fund managed by State Street Investment Management is the biggest, with over $163 billion in assets. GLD was the first gold-backed ETF to trade on U.S. markets, and it remains one of the most popular gold ETFs with both retail and institutional investors.

The fund’s gold is held on behalf of shareholders with custodians JPMorgan Chase & Co. () in the U.S. and HSBC Holdings PLC () in London. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.4%, or $40 annually on $10,000 invested.

Invesco DB Precious Metals Fund ()

Investors who want exposure to gold futures contracts without the hassle of setting up a futures trading account can turn to this offering. While this fund also invests in silver and platinum futures, most of its holdings are in gold futures traded on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Futures tend to track the price of gold more closely than mining stocks. And, unlike physical gold, which is priced on the spot market, futures offer investors a chance to express an opinion about where prices will go in coming months.

This fund has a 0.77% expense ratio.

WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners Strategy Fund (GDMN)

This ETF is a hybrid that combines both futures and major mining stocks.

The fund’s literature notes that investors seeking will often buy exposure to the physical metal and mining companies in two separate trades. By combining mining stocks and futures, the fund aims to offer a more efficient use of capital. Futures offer leverage, which can amplify returns — or magnify losses.

The fund gives investors 90% exposure to mining stocks and 90% exposure to gold futures. It can do that because of the nature of futures markets, where leverage allows investors to control large positions with a small amount of collateral. The fund uses 10% of its investments for short-term Treasurys as collateral.

“For investors with a constructive view on gold prices, the combined upside potential is compelling,” Gannatti says. “The flip side is that cuts both ways: If miners and gold fall simultaneously, losses are compounded. Even so, for any investor bullish on gold, this fund warrants a serious look as a new addition to the toolkit.”

The fund has an expense ratio of 0.45%.

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Update 04/20/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.

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If you need to do a Medicare Set-Aside, read on to learn about how they work, what to expect and whether you should do it (in some cases you may be required).

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What Is a Medicare Set-Aside?

It is a financial arrangement that allocates money that comes from a personal injury or workers’ compensation settlement and is “set aside” into an interest-bearing account to pay for the individual’s future health care costs that are related to their injury and would otherwise be covered by .

Medicare Set-Asides are generally required by federal law in a workers’ comp settlement and not in a personal injury case — though they tend to be recommended.

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How Does a Medicare Set-Aside Work in a Settlement?

A Medicare Set-Aside has to pay for those injury-related health care costs, and ensures that Medicare is the secondary payer. This means settlement funds must be exhausted before Medicare begins paying for injury-related care. Once the money in the MSA account has been spent, then Medicare takes over paying those medical expenses.

MSAs are required if you’re a Medicare beneficiary — or if you’re expected to enroll in Medicare .

Medicare Set-Asides are designed to protect the beneficiary, says , a managing partner at J&Y Law, a personal injury law firm in Los Angeles.

If you are required to have one and don’t, you could run into problems, Yahoudai says.

“Without a structured MSA, Medicare could deny coverage for injury-related treatment or require proof that the settlement funds were appropriately used,” Yahoudai says. “If the MSA is underfunded, that’s when people end up paying out of pocket or dealing with delays in getting treatment. That’s why it’s so important to structure them correctly from the start.”

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How to Set Up a Medicare Set-Aside

Setting up a Medicare Set-Aside can be complicated, which is why it’s a good idea to enlist help from a professional.

Steps to create a Medicare Set-Aside

1. Assessment: Estimate future medical costs related to your injury

2. Submission: Submit the proposed MSA amount to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for approval

3. Funding: Set aside the approved amount in a dedicated account

4. Use and reporting: Use the funds only for injury-related medical expenses, keeping detailed records

While there are no provisions requiring that a MSA proposal be submitted to CMS for review, submission is a recommended process. CMS will only review proposals that meet the following criteria:

— The claimant is a Medicare beneficiary and the total settlement amount is greater than $25,000
Or

— The claimant has a reasonable expectation of Medicare enrollment within 30 months of the settlement date and the anticipated total settlement amount for future medical expenses and disability/lost wages over the life or duration of the settlement agreement is expected to be greater than $250,000

You don’t have to submit a Medicare Set-Aside if you meet either criteria above. But it won’t be advised, because you do run the risk that down the road, Medicare could deny an injury-related claim.

Some of the documentation you’ll need includes:

— A referral form (generally filled out by an insurance carrier, a third-party administrator or your employer)

— Two years of medical records, including prescriptions drug history

— Court documentation, related to the injury

— Denial letters, denying coverage for injuries

— An IME (independent medical evaluation), showing that a physician who doesn’t have a relationship with you has also weighed in on your injuries.

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How to Fund a Medicare Set-Aside Account: Lump Sum vs. Structured Settlement

You have two choices for funding a Medicare set-aside. Yes, the money comes from a workers compensation or personal injury settlement, but it can be funded with a lump sum settlement or with a structured settlement, which involves getting money every year for the MSA.

If you receive a lump sum of money, once that is all paid, then Medicare takes over.

If you have a structured settlement, if the fund is empty before the year is up, then Medicare takes over. The process begins anew the following year, with the MSA funds paying for your injury-related care.

Often, depending how state law interacts with the federal law, you may be required to take a lump sum. That may be for the best. There’s far more paperwork involved with a structured settlement, where you or your MSA administrator will be tasked with giving Medicare an annual report.

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What happens to Medicare Set-Aside you don’t spend?

And if one day your injury is healed and you don’t need care for your injury, what happens to the money? It remains in the account. You can’t use it (unless your injury resurfaces and you need more medical care). The money can only be used to cover medical expenses due to your injury as set out in the MSA agreement.

If money remains in the account after you die, your estate administrator can distribute funds according to state law once all other claims have been satisfied. Money may go to beneficiaries named in the settlement agreement after a period of 12 months. During this time, providers, physicians and other medical suppliers can submit bills to Medicare for reimbursement first.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid With Medicare Set-Asides

Making errors with an MSA can lead to financial and legal complications.

Some frequent mistakes include:

— Incorrectly estimating future medical expenses related to the injury

— Not setting aside enough funds to cover future medical expenses

— Using MSA funds for non-injury-related costs, which is prohibited

— Failing to keep detailed spending records

— Skipping the formal submission to CMS when required

— Assuming that it isn’t difficult to run an MSA and that you don’t need a professional administrator

On that last point, sure, there may be some detail-minded individuals out there, who may enjoy running their own MSA. If that’s you, great. But this is not easy. For instance, once you have a MSA account, you’ll need to track what expenses are being paid — including the dates they were paid — and share that every year with the CMS. You also need to pay bills adhering to your state’s specific workers compensation fee schedule. There are also ICD-9 and ICD-10 billing codes that you need submit to Medicare. It’s a lot.

You also need to hang onto your receipts, says , founder and CEO of SIS Financial Group, a financial planning firm in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. This way you can prove the expenses. It’s also important to make sure the funds are only used to pay for qualified treatments and prescriptions directly related to the injury.

If it’s discovered that you used the funds for something else, unrelated to your injury, you could wind up owing Medicare money — or have future claims denied.

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Pros and Cons for a Medicare Set-Aside

Pros

— A Medicare set-aside protects you from Medicare refusing an injury-related claim. Having coverage denied sometimes happened — maybe due to a billing code or because Medicare deems coverage not being medically necessary. With a Medicare set-aside, you, at least in theory, shouldn’t have that happen.

— . Without an MSA, you could wind up with a settlement that suggests you have more money than you really do (since much of that money is going towards treating your injury). If you collect more than 80% of your average earnings before you became disabled when you add your workers compensation money and SSDI benefits, you could see your SSDI benefits reduced. But the MSA prevents that from happening.

— Possible peace of mind — you’ll know going forward that there’s a plan, and money, set aside, for your injury-related health care.

Cons

— The money you make off interest in your MSA account will be taxed. The money you get from the settlement that goes into the MSA, however, will not be taxed.

— The administrative paperwork associated with an MSA can be onerous and complicated, which means either you’re going to be swamped in red tape, or you’ll pay a professional to manage it. Typically, those details are worked out when the settlement details are being hammered out; administrative fees aren’t allowed to come out of the money in the Medicare Set-Aside.

— The money is set aside solely for your injury-related health care. If you recover, you’ve got money in an account that you can’t touch (though your heirs may be entitled to it).

While there are a lot of restrictions on an individual with a Medicare Set-Aside, there may be a certain freedom too, says Pruemm.

“Since Medicare Set-Asides are set up for a workers’ compensation injury, they benefit the Medicare beneficiary for future medical costs that may not be covered by Medicare. Maybe you need a specialized surgery, and you’ve found a surgeon that is 1,000 miles away,” Pruemm says. “You could use your Medicare Set-Aside for the airfare and lodging if the surgery is directly related to your injury.”

Is a Medicare Set-Aside worth it?

Whether it’s worth it or not, and whether you like the idea or not, you may realistically have no choice but to set up a Medicare Set-Aside. But if you’re somebody who isn’t required to set up an MSA, you may wonder if you should, since it doesn’t just protect Medicare, it protects the Medicare beneficiary as well.

“Thirty months is just usually where the review cutoffs are,” Yahoudai says. “If someone is younger than that and dealing with a serious injury, it’s still something they’d want to think about, though. They might not need a formal MSA, but you’d want a clear plan for how future medical treatments are going to be taken care of.”

One way to look at it — if you’re 40 years old and were injured enough for a personal or workers comp settlement, but you’re confident by the time you get to your Medicare days, you’ll be well, you may feel like a Medicare set-aside is the last thing you need. After all, when you put money into an MSA, you can’t use it for anything else.

But if you’re 40 at the time of your settlement, with a serious injury that will have complications for the rest of your life and you’re not confident you’ll be in the peak of health when you enroll in Medicare and worried that Medicare may not pay for some of your injury-related expenses, in that case, an MSA might be a good idea.

“So it’s less about how old someone is and more about their health and the likelihood that they’ll need long-term care,” Yahoudai says. “The more serious the injury, the more important it is to have those future medical expenses calculated, like we do with settlement negotiations.”

Smart strategy or not, that’s really a conversation between you and your attorney or financial advisor. Everybody’s monetary needs and health situation is different. Still, planning ahead for long-term health care in your senior years is never a bad idea.

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