Yahoo Finance: “Why retirement health planning should go hand in hand with money planning”
Yahoo Finance, October 8, 2026 — Retirement health planning needs to go hand-in-hand with money planning.
That’s why Marguerita Cheng, certified financial planner (CFP), CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth, has some simple advice for anyone planning their retirement: Have an income strategy that addresses healthcare costs.
“Even if someone is blessed with excellent health, they shouldn’t look to Medicare to cover vision, hearing or dental,” she said. “Instead, the strategy for having and using income during retirement needs to include a plan to cover medical expenses.
Real Advice From Real Retirees
A recent thread on Reddit’s r/retirement subreddit raised the question of what to watch out for on both fronts when planning for retirement. One Redditor said it’s important to ask yourself if you have enough money and if you have enough health insurance.
The timing of Medicare is another big point of discussion among Redditors talking about retirement. One retiree said to plan to sign up as soon as you are eligible to potentially see lower rates. It may also help to establish a relationship with a primary care doctor and other medical professionals before you retire, in case they don’t regularly take on new Medicare patients.
Speaking of Medicare timing and retirement finances, another Redditor said they took Medicare as soon as they were eligible, and waited until age 70 to collect Social Security to receive a higher payout. Redditors, in a discussion about retirement planning, mentioned the importance of thinking about paperwork for healthcare finances before stopping work, and taking advantage of employer-sponsored plans for as long as possible.