Every question we get asked, answered on one page.

No. There is no fee, retainer, or consulting charge for our help. Insurance carriers pay licensed brokers a commission when you enroll, and that amount is already built into the premium — it does not increase your rate. You pay the same price you would pay applying directly, and you get someone in your corner if something goes wrong later.

It means we are not employed by any single insurance carrier and are not required to place business with one. We hold appointments with multiple carriers and we recommend whichever fits your situation. A captive agent works for one company and can only offer that company’s products, which is a fine arrangement for the company and a limiting one for you.

By the insurance carrier, as a commission on the policy you choose, at rates that are largely standardised across carriers for a given product type. You pay us nothing directly, and your premium is identical whether you use a broker or not. For Medicare products, commission amounts are capped by federal regulation.

No, and no broker does. We offer plans from the carriers we are appointed with, which covers most of what is available in most counties. Where something material sits outside our appointments we will tell you, and point you at Medicare.gov or your state Marketplace so you can look at it yourself.

No. We do not sell, rent or share your information, and we do not generate leads for anyone else. If you ask us not to contact you again, that is the end of it.

Yes, and it is a very common arrangement. Bring everyone who needs to be part of the decision. For anything requiring a signature or a formal appointment of representative, we will tell you exactly what the carrier needs.

We are based in Massachusetts and licensed nationwide, and we hold National Producer Number 14656745. Carrier appointments vary by state and by product, so tell us your ZIP code and we will confirm exactly what we can place for you before we start.

Your Initial Enrollment Period runs for seven months around your 65th birthday — the three months before, your birth month, and the three months after. After that, Medicare Advantage and Part D changes are generally made during the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 through December 7. There are also Special Enrollment Periods for events like moving, losing employer coverage, or retiring after 65. Call us and we will tell you exactly which window applies to you.

A Medicare Advantage plan replaces how you receive your Part A and B benefits, usually bundles drug coverage, often has a low or $0 premium, and uses a provider network with copays. A Medicare Supplement (Medigap) works alongside Original Medicare, has a monthly premium, lets you see any provider who accepts Medicare nationwide, and leaves little or nothing for you to pay at the point of care — but you buy a Part D drug plan separately. Neither is universally better. The right answer depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, how much you travel, and your budget.

Almost always yes, as protection against the late-enrollment penalty. Going 63 days or more without creditable prescription drug coverage adds a permanent surcharge to your Part D premium when you eventually enroll. A low-cost compliant plan now is far cheaper than that surcharge applied for the rest of your life.

Most people pay no premium for Part A because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least ten years. Part B has a standard monthly premium, higher for high earners under the income-related adjustment, plus an annual deductible. On top of that you pay either a Medicare Advantage plan premium and copays, or a Medigap premium and a Part D premium.

Original Medicare covers essentially none of it — no routine cleanings, fillings, dentures, eyeglasses or hearing aids. Many Medicare Advantage plans include allowances for these. If you are on Original Medicare with a supplement, a standalone dental, vision and hearing policy is the usual way to cover them.

Not in the way most people assume. Medicare covers limited skilled nursing facility care following a qualifying hospital stay, and some home health services, both for defined periods with conditions attached. It does not cover custodial long-term care — help with daily living over months or years. That is a separate planning question and worth raising with us.

The income-related monthly adjustment amount: a surcharge on your Part B and Part D premiums if your income two years ago exceeded certain thresholds. If your income has since dropped because of a life-changing event such as retirement, you can ask Social Security to reconsider using form SSA-44.

If your employer has 20 or more employees and the coverage is creditable, you can generally delay Part B without penalty and enroll later through a Special Enrollment Period. If your employer is smaller, Medicare usually becomes the primary payer at 65 and delaying can leave you seriously exposed. Ask your benefits office for a written creditable-coverage statement, then call us.

From October 15 to December 7 each year, you can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, with changes taking effect on January 1. It is the main annual opportunity to change drug or Advantage coverage, and the reason we run reviews every autumn.

From January 1 to March 31, people already in a Medicare Advantage plan may make one change — to a different Advantage plan, or back to Original Medicare with a standalone Part D plan. It does not allow someone on Original Medicare to join an Advantage plan.

Common triggers include moving to a new plan service area, losing employer or union coverage, your plan leaving your county, entering or leaving a nursing facility, qualifying for Extra Help or Medicaid, and several others. Each has its own duration. If something changed in your life, ask — you may have a window open right now.

You can apply at any time, but outside your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period or a guaranteed-issue situation, the carrier may medically underwrite the application and decline it. Some states apply more generous rules. Never cancel an existing policy before a new one is approved and in force.

That event opens a Special Enrollment Period, so you are not stuck waiting for open enrollment. Depending on your age and income, the realistic choices are usually an ACA Marketplace plan (often with a premium tax credit), COBRA, a spouse’s plan, or — if you are 65 or older — moving onto Medicare. These decisions are time-sensitive, so reach out as soon as you know the end date.

No. Every ACA-compliant plan is guaranteed issue. Carriers cannot decline you, charge you more, or exclude a condition. Premiums vary only by age, location, tobacco use and the plan you select.

COBRA keeps your exact plan, network and deductible progress, which matters mid-treatment, and charges the full unsubsidised premium plus a fee. A Marketplace plan resets your deductible but may cost far less after a premium tax credit. We price both before you decide, because the answer genuinely varies.

Extra help that lowers your deductible, copays and out-of-pocket maximum — available only on Silver plans, and only to households below a set income level. It is the single most commonly missed benefit on the Marketplace, because people choose Bronze to save on premium and forfeit it entirely.

Only as a bridge across a short, defined gap. It is medically underwritten, excludes pre-existing conditions, and is not required to cover prescriptions, maternity or mental health. If a subsidised Marketplace plan is available to you, it is almost always the better answer, and we will say so.

Term life covers a defined period, costs the least per dollar of death benefit, and is usually right for covering a mortgage or replacing income while children are at home. Whole life is permanent, costs more, and builds guaranteed cash value. Indexed universal life is permanent with flexible premiums and cash value tied to a market index with a floor and a cap. We will show you the actual illustrations and what each one costs over time so the choice is yours, not a sales pitch.

Add up what genuinely has to be paid for — mortgage, other debts, education, final expenses, and the years of household income you would want replaced — then subtract existing coverage and liquid savings. The difference is the gap. Our calculator does this in a couple of minutes.

Rarely. Group cover is typically one or two times salary and almost always ends when the job does — often at the exact moment your health makes individual coverage expensive. Treat it as a supplement to a policy you own, not as your plan.

Annuity guarantees are backed by the financial strength of the issuing insurance company, not by any federal agency, with state guaranty associations providing a backstop up to state-specific limits. Carrier ratings and contract terms are both real parts of the decision.

Generally, only the portion needed to close the gap between your essential expenses and your guaranteed income. Annuities trade liquidity and growth potential for certainty, which is a sensible trade for the money doing the certainty job and a poor one for the rest.

No. We are licensed insurance professionals. We do not manage portfolios and we do not give tax or legal advice. Where a decision has tax consequences we will flag them and recommend you speak to your accountant — and we are happy to coordinate with them directly.