Many online resources are available to assist faculty and librarians who are making the transition from full-time status to retired status and those who are currently retired.  This page offers links to several of these online resources.

BENEFITS-LOCATING & COMPARING

Benefits Checkup <http://www.benefitscheckup.org/>
A service of the National Council on the Aging. A free, easy-to-use service that identifies federal and state assistance programs for older Americans.

Department of Veterans Affairs  <http://www.va.gov/index.htm>
A very useful site for those eligible for veterans benefits.  Topics include pension benefits, health care, burial and memorial benefits, and appeal information.

Social Security Administration <http://www.ssa.gov/>
This is the official web site of the Social Security Administration.  This site features nearly anything you need to know about Social Security benefits.  Useful information includes how to locate and contact your local SSA office and online planners.
 

HEALTH  INSURANCE

Online Articles About Health Insurance

Comparing Plans, <http://www.insureusa.org/consumerinfo/guidehi.htm#plans> This article offers specific items to consider when comparing insurance plans.  The article is from the InsureUSA web site.

Educated Health Care Choices, <http://www.aarp.org/hcchoices/> This is a set of articles on the AARP web site about Medicare, Private Insurance, and Managed Care.

Filling the Gap With Medigap Insurance, <http://www.tiaa-cref.org/wc_libser/poi/gap.html>(link not active at this time)  An informative article from the TIAA-CREF online library that includes ten standard features of medigap plans that can be used to compare plans.
 

Medicare & Health Insurance Web Sites

Medicare, <http://www.medicare.gov/>  The official U.S. government site for people with Medicare.

www.HMOs4seniors.com <http://www.hmos4seniors.com/>  A free web site for older adults that offers independent Medicare HMO cost comparisons and other information about Medicare plans.

NCQA's Health Plan Report Card <http://hprc.ncqa.org/>  An interactive tool to help you find the health plan that's right for you.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  <http://cms.hhs.gov/>  A "gateway" web site to information about Medicare, Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program.   Offers different tracks for those seeking consumer information and those doing research for professional purposes. This Center replaces the Health Care Financing Administration.

HealthGrades, <http://www.healthgrades.com/>  Offers ratings of hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, home health agencies, and other related information.

Medicare & Health Insurance Web Sites

Medicare, <http://www.medicare.gov/>  The official U.S. government site for people with Medicare.

www.HMOs4seniors.com <http://www.hmos4seniors.com/>  A free web site for older adults that offers independent Medicare HMO cost comparisons and other information about Medicare plans.

NCQA's Health Plan Report Card <http://hprc.ncqa.org/>  An interactive tool to help you find the health plan that's right for you.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  <http://cms.hhs.gov/>  A "gateway" web site to information about Medicare, Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program.   Offers different tracks for those seeking consumer information and those doing research for professional purposes. This Center replaces the Health Care Financing Administration.

HealthGrades, <http://www.healthgrades.com/>  Offers ratings of hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, home health agencies, and other related information.

Health Insurance Industry Web Sites (See the Consumer Information section)

Health Insurance Association of America <http://www.hiaa.org/> see the consumer information section.

InsureUSA  <http://www.insureusa.org/>  see the consumer information section, the Guide to Health Insurance is useful.

Healthcare Intelligence Network  <http://www.hin.com/>.

Insurance News Net  <http://www.insurancenewsnet.com/>.
 

FINANCES & RETIREMENT

TIAA-CREF <http://www.tiaa-cref.org/>
This web site offers numerous aids to retirement financial planning.  The site offers direct access to your account, informative articles, and calculators.  The Library Section features several informative guides prepared by TIAA-CREF.  One useful guide is Choosing Income Options, (link not active at this time).

Administration on Aging--Retirement and Financial Planning Resources Online  http://www.aoa.gov/retirement/default.htm>  Offers a nice collection of links grouped by topics such as "Calculations of Affordable Post-Retirement Spending: How Much Can I Afford to Spend Now That I am Retired."

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)  <http://www.aarp.org/>
The AARP site is extensive offering a wide range of topics of interest to persons 50 years of age and older.  The Money & Work Section  includes information and links about nearly any aspect of post retirement financial planning.  Financial Planning is a  sub-section of the Money & Work section and offers topics ranging from investment vehicles to taxes to estate planning.

GE Center for Financial Learning <http://financiallearning.com>
This web site offers a vast and extensive selection of information about all aspects of financial planning including free, online courses.  See Retirement Planning in the Financial Life Events Section for useful information about retirement planning.

Bloomberg University <http://www.bloomberg.com/analysis/univ/>  This web site offers free, online courses related to financial planning.  Course are offered for both beginners and those with more advanced skills.  A seven week course titled, Planning for Retirement, is offered.

Financial Security in Later Life  <http://www.reeusda.gov/financialsecurity/>  A Cooperative Extension Initiative    This Cooperative Extension initiative focuses on retirement planning, managing long-term care costs, saving, and debt control.  Includes useful resources including free, online courses and download able materials.

Tips, Tools, & Tactics: The Best Resources for Women's Financial Planning
<http://www.heller.brandeis.edu/bestresources/>
The directory addresses the topics of: General Information, Credit & Debt, Investment & Savings, Financial Calculators, Life Transitions (includes information on retirement planning), Housing, Paying for Health Care, Sharing the Wealth: Helping Children & Grandchildren be Money Smart.  Related web sites are the The National Center on Women & Aging <http://heller.brandeis.edu/national/ind.html>, Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement <http://www.wiser.heinz.org/>, and The National Center for Women and Retirement Research (not an active link at this time).

The Investor's Clearinghouse by the Alliance for Investor Education  <http://www.investoreducation.org/>.  Offers information about many aspects of investing.  There is a section for "Older Investors" .

Elerweb  <http://www.elderweb.com>
A generally useful site with an educational/advocacy approach.  The site was started by an accountant who became interested in the financial aspects of care providing.  Though the site now addresses a range of topics, it retains a focus on the financial aspects of care providing.  The site is well maintained and includes daily updates regarding financial, legal and policy aspects of aging.    A section titled, Finance & Law, includes a range of topics including drug costs, insurance, pensions, estate planning, and funeral planning.

Senior Market Advisor <http://www.seniormarketadvisor.com/>  The web site is concerned with a wide range of financial aspects of aging including insurance, investments, and long term care.  Though the web site organizes information about the senior market for the insurance industry it can be useful to and easily consumed by other interested persons.

Housing & Retirement Communities, Relocating

Retirement Living Information Center  http://www.retirementliving.com/RLuseful.html

Monstermoving.comhttp://www.monstermoving.com

Sabbatical Homes (Academic's Real Estate Network)  <http://Sabbaticalhomes.com/sqlarea/> Helping academic communities around the world find or list houses or apartments for rent, exchange or house-sit  when on sabbatical leave, research trip, exchange program, relocation or vacations.