Wealth and Wisdom: Week of December 1, 2025
- Mike Brown
- Dec 1
- 4 min read
You’re going to be hearing a lot about the cost of health care in 2026, and for good reason – health insurance premiums are expected to rise at two to three times the rate of inflation.
Employers will likely pay an average of 6.5% more per employee next year – the biggest jump in 15 years (Mercer.com). ACA Marketplace premiums are projected to increase by a median of 9% in 2026 (Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey). And Medicare’s Part B premium will increase by 9.7% in January – more than three times the 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment in Social Security benefits (Medicare.gov).
Why the sudden jump in costs? Blame it on expensive new medical treatments including a surge in the use of weight-loss drugs, changes in government spending on Medicare and Medicaid, higher tariffs on healthcare-related goods, and bigger insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.
Retirees are especially vulnerable to rising healthcare costs. They not only consume more health care than the average American, but their income is less likely to keep up with healthcare inflation – so it’s just as much about how you invest as how you budget going forward.
You can bet we’ll have plenty to say about both of those issues in Wealth and Wisdom in the coming year – and in our regular podcasts, blogs, and webinars. Stay tuned.
Medicare covers a broad range of retiree healthcare expenses, but it’s not free. Explore these four strategies to get your money’s worth. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Private Medigap policies can cover what Medicare doesn’t – but there is a wide array of coverage and costs. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Medicare doesn’t cover medical care you receive outside the U.S., and neither do many health insurance policies. Travel insurance may be the answer. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
What should you do if you get an email saying your Social Security number is about to be suspended? (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Supporting adult children financially seems like the right thing to do – up to the point when you put your own retirement security at risk. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Here’s a list of things to consider before the end of this month that might save you money on your tax return next April. (Reading time: 5 minutes)
Governments around the world are more than $111 trillion in debt – and the U.S. is responsible for more than a third of it. (Reading time: 2 minutes)
The more money our government borrows, the more it impacts interest rates, taxes, and stock prices – and not in a good way. (Reading time: 8 minutes)
Adding up the lifetime costs of housing, retirement, raising children, health care, new cars, vacations, weddings, and pets. (Reading time: 8 minutes)
You might never win the lottery or launch a successful start-up – but developing a handful of simple habits might make luck unnecessary. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Words to the Wise
“Don't let the opinions of the average man sway you. Dream, and he thinks you're crazy. Succeed, and he thinks you're lucky. Acquire welath.”
– Robert G. Allen
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