Finding the right construction partner for your commercial project is crucial. A contractor with the right combination of expertise, knowledge, and capabilities can ensure your project finishes on time, within budget, and to high standards. Here are five key aspects to consider. Talk to us NU Construction
Understanding of the Local Market
A contractor who knows the local market provides essential insights into the area’s unique construction challenges. This includes understanding local building codes, regulations, and weather patterns. This expertise promises a smoother construction process.
Strong Portfolio
Evaluate contractors with a strong track record. Look for examples that reflect yours in scope and challenge. Client feedback and project outcomes can shed light on their expertise and dependability. We fit the bill Commercial Construction Companies
Wide-ranging Services and Specialization
The best contractors provide comprehensive services and hold expertise in multiple construction areas. They should offer services from pre-construction planning to post-construction support. A wide service range leads to a cohesive and cost-effective construction project.
Effective Communication Strategies
Open dialogue is critical to any project’s success. Your contractor should keep you updated, be open regarding challenges, and be responsive to your questions. Proper communication facilitates smooth project progression.
Financial Reliability
Often overlooked, a contractor’s Financial stability is crucial. A financially sound contractor is unlikely to encounter financial issues during your project. They should offer proof of their financial health, including insurance and bonding capabilities.
Choosing the perfect construction partner is a pivotal choice for your project. By focusing on these five areas, you can select a contractor that exceeds your expectations, guaranteeing a fruitful and stress-free build.
IRMAA, short for Medicare’s Income Monthly Adjustment Amount, is a surcharge on top of a Medicare beneficiary’s Part B and Part D premiums if they are earning too much income during the year.
Simply put, IRMAA is a tax on income through Medicare and compounding the impact of this tax is that IRMAA also reduces your Social Security benefit.
You pay this tax of IRMAA automatically through your Social Security benefit too.
So, the more money you generate in retirement the higher your Medicare premiums will be and the less Social Security benefits you will receive.
Think of IRMAA as being a huge revenue generator for Congress that also helps alleviate the burden of what Social Security must pay out in benefits.
Social Security is not going broke not even close.
How do you calculate IRMAA Surcharges?
There are 2 different sets of IRMAA surcharges as this tax will affect both your Medicare Part B AND Part D premiums.
To calculate IRMAA Surcharges – Part B
You must first realize that no one person ever pays full price or the “true cost” of Medicare Part B as the federal government provides a subsidy for all retirees.
The “true cost” of Medicare Part B is the current year’s monthly Part B premium multiplied by 4.
In 2024 the “true cost” of Medicare Part B is $698.80 a month (4 X $174.70).
According to Social Security.gov IRMAA is a Medicare subsidy reduction as those who reach it receive a lower subsidy for Part B premiums.
The subsidy per IRMAA Thresholds is as follows:
IRMAA
Government Subsidy of Part B
Retiree Portion of Part B
No IRMAA
75%
25%
1st Threshold
65%
35%
2nd Threshold
50%
50%
3rd Threshold
35%
65%
4th Threshold
20%
80%
5th Threshold
15%
85%
Knowing the “true cost” of Medicare Part B and the amount of subsidy each person will receive when in IRMAA the monthly surcharge can easily be found.
In 2024 the IRMAA Part B surcharges per Threshold are as follows:
IRMAA Part B surcharges move with in conjunction with the Medicare Part B premium. If the Part B premium increases the IRMAA Part B surcharge will inflate at the same rate.
Over the next 8 years the Trustees of Medicare are projecting that the Part B premium will inflate by over 6.30%.
By 2032 this premium, according to the projections, may be $285.60 a month making the surcharges equate to:
The old saying that goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” expresses the necessity of balancing our private lives and Career responsibilities. We live in a hectic world, where one might fear that once they stop working and decide to rest, more debt and obligations trample upon them. Some feel that doing other things apart from work is equivalent to loss of money, while others fear that the world will leave them behind as it is fast-paced and increasingly changing. But there are better ways to approach your professional responsibilities and private life than this. You need to change your mindset and adopt the right strategies. Take, for instance, Grant Kelley, the renowned Australian-born business expert and entrepreneur. He has perfected the art of work-life balance, and in this article, we will be learning a few techniques from him. These techniques will help you strike a healthy balance and enjoy optimal work-life integration.
1.Redefining Work-Life Balance:
Beginning our journey towards integrating our private lives with our work lives must involve redefining the conventional concept of work-life balance. It would be best if you did not view your work and Personal life as distinct entities but as areas of your lives that cannot exist without another. Therefore, don’t marginalize your time, but target an all-encompassing strategy that allows you to incorporate your work and personal responsibilities.
2.Make your preferences clear.
To achieve a work-life balance, you must declare and begin with activities or engagements that you prefer and are the most important. Assign the required time and energy from the most selected activities to the least. This approach will help you save a lot of time for your personal life if you are the kind that often gets too busy with work.
3.Don’t allow people to cross your boundaries.
When people see that you are always a ‘yes’ kind of person, they can use you to achieve their respective aims, but you will not have the opportunity to attend to your responsibilities and enjoy your leisure. By setting boundaries, such as limiting the time to receive phone calls during the day or only offering to handle another one’s concerns at your own scheduled time, you indirectly communicate to those who are always likely to border you in your no-go area.
4.Be Adaptable
When it comes to being adaptable, it means utilizing alternate means or tools at work and during leisure to deliver the same outcome. For instance, if your career okays working from home, you should learn to perfect yourself in it to maintain efficiency in the workplace irrespective of your geographical location. Furthermore, since you can work from home, it will be easier for you to attend to your personal life even as you are working, thereby integrating your profession with your personal life.
Conclusion
The journey to finding a balance between work and your private life is continuous and requires deliberate effort and dedication. Remember that the benefits surrounding you once you strike a proportion are significant, including prosperity in businesses like Grant Kelley.
“An amount that you will pay for your Medicare Part B and D coverage when your modified adjusted gross income is above the certain thresholds.”
IRMAA is a tax on your income through Medicare Part B and Part D coverage if you have too much income while in retirement.
Will you actually enter IRMAA:
According to the 2022 Medicare Board of Trustees Report, currently, there are over 6.8 million people in IRMAA. These people in IRMAA make up 16.63% of all eligible Medicare beneficiaries.
By 2031, according to recent reports the number of people in IRMAA will double to 13.8 million eligible people in IRMAA.
IRMAA is a revenue generator for both the Medicare and Social Security programs.
For the Medicare Program, IRMAA is an added cost that the person in it must pay. This added cost provides more money each year for the program.
As for Social Security, according to Congress, all IRMAA costs are automatically deducted from any Social Security benefit a person is receiving. Thus, for those who enter IRMAA, Social Security has to pay out less to them which reduces that program’s obligation to pay benefits.
With both Medicare and Social Security projected by the government to be insolvent (unable to pay) in less than 8 years the easiest way to save these programs is to make sure more people are in IRMAA.
How do you reach an IRMAA bracket:
IRMAA is all about your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).
The more of it you have the higher the chances that you have to reaching IRMAA while having less of an MAGI reduces the chance of you reaching IRMAA.
What counts towards your MAGI:
According to Social Security your MAGI is the total of your adjusted gross income (AGI) and any tax-exempt interest you may have.
Both of these can be found on lines 2a and 11 of your 2022 IRS tax form 1040.
Some examples of where your MAGI will come from are:
Taxable Social Security benefits
Traditional 401(k) Withdrawals
Wages
Traditional IRA Withdrawals
Pension & Rental Income
Traditional 403(b) Withdrawals
Capital Gains
Qualified Annuities
Dividends
Interest
If you want to avoid IRMAA all together then the goal is to generate an income from financial instruments that do not count towards your MAGI and they are:
Roth Account Withdrawals
Life Insurance Loans
Non-Qualified Annuities*
Health Saving Account Withdrawals
401(h) Plans
Home Loans or Reverse Mortgages
*Non-Qualified Annuities – depending on certain factors a certain portion of all income you will receive from them can be completely tax free. Please see an IRMAA Certified Professional for more information on which Annuity is best for you.
If you feel you shouldn’t be subject to IRMAA, you can file an appeal. What you do comes down to how you want to appeal.
For Medicare enrollees with a qualifying life changing event:
All that needs to be done is for you to fill out the SSA-44 form by competing the first 3 pages and then submit it with your corresponding proof of your life changing event to your local SSA office.
Once the paperwork is submitted all correspondence about your appeal will be mailed to you from the SSA. If the result is not satisfactory you can request a hearing which can also be done through your local SSA office.
For Medicare enrollees without a qualifying life changing event but who want to appeal based on an updated tax-return or income discrepancy:
Appealing IRMAA is even simpler than have a qualifying life changing event as all that is needed to be done is for you to request an appeal at your local SSA office.
Explain to the local field Representative that you have a received an IRMAA notification and that you like to appeal based on updated tax information.
A case number will be assigned to you as well as Field Agent, which could be the person at your local office, so always be nice and any correspondence about your case ill be mailed to you by the SSA.
If the IRMAA result is not satisfactory you can always request a hearing at your local SSA office too.
At the point of request your local agent will be able to submit your appeal and a case number at that moment should be assigned to you. As your case is evolving you will have to provide documentation that disproves the information that the IRS has provided which can be a corrected or amended tax-return or even a more update one
Conclusion:
The 2024 IRMAA Brackets are, by law, going to increase, but the odds of you or someone you know reaching IRMAA at some point are also increasing.
