No one is ever ready for the day the pink slip arrives. No one. Ever.

No matter how much the handwriting’s been on the wall. Not even if you hate the #@& job and are actually relieved.

I could write a whole post on how to handle a job loss, but there are many far more qualified than I to talk about that, and there’s certainly a ton of information online.

But one aspect I am uniquely qualified to address is the health insurance one.  And this is one decision I urge you NOT to make too hastily...
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A few weeks back we hosted our annual New Year's Day brunch for a few neighbors. The recent experience of one of my neighbors pointed out that even when an employer is picking up most of the tab for your health insurance premium, a pricier plan doesn't always turn out to be the best choice. Here's Joanne's (not her real name) story:

Joanne had opted for what she thought would be the best coverage her employer offered: one with a deductible (for the "big" things) and copays for certain services...
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More often than you would think, I come across potential clients who tell me they can't afford health insurance - or who don't come out and say it, but they just never seem to get around to applying for coverage.

Now, these are seldom people whose premiums for a basic policy would be $1200, or $800 or even $500 a month. I "get" that that could put a serious dent in a budget. (Although, I can say with 100% certainty that here in the Nuttall household even those kind of numbers wouldn't stand i...
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On my way home from a BCBSNC meeting today, I stopped to indulge one of my guilty pleasures, eating at McDonald's, and a less-guilty pleasure, reading the Charlotte Observer. I practically choked on my chicken strip when I came upon this letter to the editor on the Forums page:

In response to "Health care insurers' profits up 56% in '09" (Feb. 12):
Huge profits to health insurers while uninsured die? Shameful
So health care insurers made a 56 percent profit in 2009, and there's no chance for red...
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It didn't occur to me until just recently (um, like yesterday) that the way I do business nowadays is WAY greener than it used to be. How so, you ask? Well, let me iterate some of the "old" ways:

1. Everything used to be on paper. Everything! Paper brochures, paper contracts, paper rate sheets, paper marketing materials, and on and on.
2. All that paper stuff changed constantly and so was delivered to me regularly in (you guessed it) paper envelopes and cardboard boxes.
3. All that paper and cardboard st...

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A short-term, or temporary, health plan might be just what the doctor ordered for some situations. If you'll have a coverage gap of of just a few month until other coverage (employer-sponsored, Medicare or an individual health plan) is set to begin, it can be the perfect filler.

I usually don't recommend that short-term coverage be used in place of a regular major medical plans because of its limitations. Pre-existing conditions and annual physicals are not covered. However, in those situatio...
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