My husband died earlier this year and I suddenly have to take care of managing our finances. How do I get started?

In all relationships, there is naturally some division of labor that is negotiated. When one partner in the relationship dies, the other is left to take care of all of the responsibilities. This can be overwhelming.

The nature of the responsibilities range from household management to handling the finances to taking care of the children to car care. You may decide that it’s too much to manage on your own and will want to hire professional help for some of …

What does the term “managed care” mean with regard to health insurance?

The easiest way to define managed care is to compare it with traditional health care. Under traditional health care, doctors and hospitals are independent of each other. Doctors and hospitals set their own fees for services. You can go to any doctor you choose, and you are responsible for determining if your doctor is qualified to provide the care you need.

Under managed care, doctors and hospitals, as well as other health care providers, agree to work together through health …