-
Dave Hughes at Retire Fabulously: The Truth About Medicare (Dis)Advantage Plans
Reprinted with permission from RetireFabulously.com
I turned 65 in early 2022, and I’ve been enjoying the benefits of traditional Medicare ever since. It’s one of retirement’s greatest benefits. It has lowered my healthcare costs and made obtaining care easier. It’s the system I wish I had throughout my working career.
In the year preceding my 65th birthday, I received a deluge of advertisements touting the benefits of various Medicare Advantage plans and urging me to sign up.
Prior to that, I had no clue how Medicare Advantage plans worked and no idea what I’d choose. So, I did a lot of research. A lot. After all, those Medicare Advantage plans seemed to be offering more coverage (including prescription drugs, dental, vision, and hearing) – all for little or no premium! Why wouldn’t I choose that? It seemed too good to be true!
Of course, like all things that seem too good to be true, it is. I’ll show you why in this article.
It also occurred to me that if Medicare Advantage is such a superior product, why are these companies marketing it to me so aggressively? If it’s that great, I shouldn’t need to be convinced.
-
One Thing or Another Podcast #71: Author Dave Hughes on Finding His Way Into Fiction
What goes around comes around … and it’s another great interview with author, columnist, and renaissance man Dave Hughes. We’ve been friends for nearly a decade, and I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Dave’s post-corporate-job life (I try not to use the word ‘retirement,’ since it needs to be retired!). Join me in a chat with Dave about two of his big ventures: RetireFabulously.com, and his more recent headlong dive into fiction with his ‘Gay Tales for the New Millennium‘ series, with its fifth book, Karma Train from Kansas, having just pulled into the station.
Dave Hughes has written four gay fiction novels, Maybe Next Year; Instant Adult; Open Books, Closed Sets; and If I Seem Quiet…. These are the first four books in a series of six called Gay Tales for the New Millennium. His first short story, Cruise Virgins, is available free to subscribers of his newsletter. Chronologically, it fits between Open Books, Closed Sets and If I Seem Quiet… .
-
The Twist Podcast #245: Thanksgiving Thicket, Tuberville’s Tantrum, and An Interview Small Plate with Author Dave Hughes
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we chat up Thanksgiving, ponder the damage done to military families by Senator Tommy Tuberville, and enjoy an excerpt from Mark’s One Thing or Another Podcast interview with author Dave Hughes. News, views, and more Twist listicles.
The Twist Podcast is brought to you by Queer We Are where you’ll find a podcast, newsletter, merch and more in the Queer We Are shop.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2023 MadeMark Publishing
-
One Thing or Another Podcast #63: Author Dave Hughes Hits Launch Sequence with Fourth Book
It’s great to chat again with friend and prolific author Dave Hughes, founder of RetireFabulously, and soon-to-be author of four fabulous books in his new adult gay series. I’ve known Dave for quite a few years now, and had the pleasure of sharing his articles on retirement at my own LGBTSr.com website. He’s since moved into fiction writing, and he’s got a new one coming out in just a few days. Listen in as we talk about his life, his writing, and his new release, If I Seem Quiet …
About Dave Hughes
Dave Hughes has written three gay fiction novels, Maybe Next Year, Instant Adult, and Open Books, Closed Sets. His next novel, If I Seem Quiet…, will be released on November 17, 2023. These are the first four books in a series of six. His first short story, Cruise Virgins, is available free to subscribers of his newsletter. Chronologically, it fits between Open Books, Closed Sets and If I Seem Quiet… .
-
Interview: 6 Questions for Dave Hughes, Author and Founder of Retire Fabulously
By Mark McNease
I’m delighted to share a new interview with someone I consider a longtime friend, inspiration, and fellow go-getter. Dave Hughes started his website, RetireFabulously.com, ten years ago. We managed to connect, considering some shared demographics with LGBTSr.com. Since then we’ve had many communications and several interviews. I believe he offers some of the best advice on retiring and living in retirement, and he’s now a novelist as well. Can you say dynamo? Enjoy the latest ‘6 Questions’ interview with Dave, and hopefully he’ll inspire some readers to pursue their goals as well, whether you’re retired or not. – Mark
Dave Hughes Congratulations on 10 years of Retire Fabulously! What’s the 411 on Dave Hughes for readers: who/what/where/why.
I enjoyed a reasonably successful career as a software engineer. That’s a broad job title, but at various times in my career, my responsibilities included writing code, customer support, training, and management. Overall, it was very enjoyable. It certainly paid better than being a jazz musician, which was my true passion (and still is). I spent the last 17½ years of my career at Intel Corporation where, in addition to my regular job, I was very active in their diversity and inclusion initiatives, primarily on behalf of LGBTQ employees.
I’m originally from Ohio. I lived in the Washington, DC suburbs for 11½ years before moving to warm, sunny Phoenix, Arizona in late 1995, at age 38. At the time, my motivations were to move to someplace where it doesn’t snow and freeze, and where the cost of living (especially real estate) was much less expensive. At the time, I wasn’t considering where I’d retire, but as it turns out, Phoenix is an excellent place to retire – at least for me.
-
Dave Hughes’s Retire Fabulously: The Truth About Medicare (Dis)Advantage
The following was re-printed with permission from Retire Fabulously
By Dave Hughes
I turned 65 in early 2022, and I’ve been enjoying the benefits of traditional Medicare ever since. It’s one of retirement’s greatest benefits. It has lowered my healthcare costs and made obtaining care easier. It’s the system I wish I had throughout my working career.
In the year preceding my 65th birthday, I received a deluge of advertisements touting the benefits of various Medicare Advantage plans and urging me to sign up.
Prior to that, I had no clue how Medicare Advantage plans worked and no idea what I’d choose. So, I did a lot of research. A lot. After all, those Medicare Advantage plans seemed to be offering more coverage (including prescription drugs, dental, vision, and hearing) – all for little or no premium! Why wouldn’t I choose that? It seemed too good to be true!
Of course, like all things that seem too good to be true, it is. I’ll show you why in this article.
-
Dave Hughes’s Retire Fabulously Celebrates 10 Years!
How exciting! My friend, fellow author, and website wonder Dave Hughes just celebrated 10 years of his Retire Fabulously website. I”ll let him tell you about it. With any luck, he’ll let me share some of his new articles here (hint, Dave):
Retire Fabulously! is 10 years old!
Ten years ago, on July 14, 2013, I posted my first entry into a crazy new blog I started called Retire Fabulously! My intention then, as it remains today, is to help you envision, plan for, and enjoy the best retirement possible. -
Retire Fabulously’s Dave Hughes on the Where Do Gays Retire Podcast
Dave Hughes is a leading authority on retirement lifestyle planning. He has written over 100 articles about retirement lifestyle planning for his website, RetireFabulously.com, and has published three books: Design Your Dream Retirement, Smooth Sailing into Retirement, and The Quest for Retirement Utopia.
From 2016-2017, Dave was a regular contributor to U.S. News’ On Retirement blog. In 2017, RetireFabulously.com received the Best Senior Living Award from SeniorHomes.com as one of the top retirement blogs, by both reader polling and judge’s selection. Dave was named one of NextAvenue.org’s Top 50 Influencers in Aging for 2017.
Following a successful 34-year career as a software engineer, trainer, course developer, and manager, Dave accepted an early retirement package and retired at age 56.
You can hear my own recent interview with Dave on the One Thing or Another Podcast HERE.
-
Author Dave Hughes Offers Complimentary Short Story ‘Cruise Virgins’ for New Subscribers
I’ve been both a friend and fan of Dave Hughes for quite a few years now. He’s the founder of RetireFabulously.com, a recurring guest on my One Thing or Another Podcast, and now a fiction author with an upcoming release, Maybe Next Year:
“Bryan and Chris are high school juniors who have been inseparable best friends for three years. Now, they are discovering that their feelings for each other run much deeper than mere friendship.
Chris, whose open-minded family is completely supportive, is ready and able to live his life out and proud. For Bryan, whose father is the pastor of a very conservative mega-church in a Kansas City suburb, being gay simply isn’t an option. Bryan hopes that maybe next year when they leave Kansas to go to college together, he will be able to live more openly. In the meantime, they must learn how to navigate their conflicting family dynamics and boundaries if they are to fulfill their dream of spending the rest of their lives together.
Everything changes when Bryan is outed. His father will stop at nothing to force Bryan to “leave the homosexual lifestyle,” requiring Bryan and Chris to make some very difficult choices.”
-
Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: Why Pay More? Stretch Your Dollars with Senior Discounts!
This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.
By Dave Hughes
There are many advantages to being retired. One of the biggest perks, and certainly one that will keep more money in your pocket, is… Senior Discounts!
You probably already know that some restaurants offer them, and you know that if you belong to AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons), that card can bring you numerous discounts and benefits.
There are several websites that offer extensive lists of senior discounts. Here are a few of the larger ones.
-
Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: Is Your Retirement Fulfilling … or Just Busy?
Dave Hughes This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.
By Dave Hughes
RetireFabulously.com
If you ask many retired people what their life is like, they will probably tell you that they are as busy as ever. Every day is full of errands, shopping, household chores, yard work, TV and movies, club meetings, and all sorts of other things. Their calendars are filled with events, appointments, and get-togethers.
After you retire and you no longer have to go into work every day, it seems like everything else expands, multiplies, and rushes in to consume the time you used to work. You may wonder how you ever had time to work and still get everything else done.
-
Dave Hughes of Retire Fabulously: Is Downsizing the Right Choice for You?
Dave Hughes This article first appeared at RetireFabulously.com. Reprinted with permission.
By Dave Hughes
RetireFabulously.com
Is Downsizing the Right Choice for You?
As you contemplate your options for where you’ll live after you retire, you may be considering moving to a smaller dwelling.
Downsizing might make sense for both financial and logistical reasons, but it might not be an advantageous choice in every situation. There are many factors you should consider in order to decide whether downsizing is right for you.
Here are some of the pros and cons of moving to a smaller home.