Ditch it. Try Roku. Youtube tv etc. Very cheap. There are lots of alternatives where you can get what you want for next to nothing. Talk to someone in your family who understands tech and doesn’t have a lot of $ ( like a college kid, young 20 something). We dumped comcast a long time ago 
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We downgraded to only 75 Mbps internet and basic cable (which was cheaper than just internet). Our TVs all have an app to watch cable without any external device.
Saves us about $120/month over what we were paying before.
We have Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime, and something else I can’t remember, we pay for one of them and poach the rest.
About sports, I’ll just say that virtually everything is available for free if you know where to look. We have a chromebook we plug into the tv when needed.
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That’s terrifying!
Happytimes - so agree - the healthcare costs and the unknown nature of them are huge!
I’m not sure how people plan for that…
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DH agrees with me - if they don’t give us the same discount, we will ditch. As you said, a lot more available/cheaper; we also have an antenna in our attic and can get local channels and PBS.
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I am counting down months - end of Sept 2021. Talk about it with younger coworkers. There is a 70 YO nurse that is working FT – she must need the money but she should be retired!!
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In the Jan 4 - 17th TV Guide there is a 4 page info on “How to Start Streaming”. Will go over with DH and ‘plan’ if we go off our paid service April 1.
Tax question, for my mother’s estate (July 2020 death; I am executor)…
- She had modest assets but very low income, lived in Section 8 housing. Years ago the IRS informed her she no longer needed to file 1040. (That was good since there was complicated annual paperwork to determine her new subsidized rent rate. She handled that all herself.)
- Per quick google check, minimum income for filing/single is $14,050 if age 65 or older … her 2020 income total (SS + one investment sold $5k profit + some small interest/div checks) was under the cutoff.
- It has been our assumption that we still need to file a 2020 1040 for “Name/ssn - Deceased”, even with income less than $14k … True? Any good website resources to recommend to help me research this further?
Note - This question is for the 1040 in her name. We know there are some things we need to account for on our own 1040 for my inherited assets.
Update/clarification: It appears SS is not taxable at very low incomes.
https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1040gi#idm140228278321024 says (emphasis added):
The emphasized words suggest that not all deceased taxpayers are required to have a tax return filed for them.
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THANKS ucbalumnus… that was exactly what I needed. At this point, it appears we may not need to file 
I did have a bit of stress realizing that my mother had taken RMD for one small $6k annuity IRA that I cashed out after her death but not the other $18K CD that I transferred to inherited IRA at Schwab. Phew… eventually I remembered that CARES covid rules provided RMD waiver for 2020. I’ve printed this for the tax folder - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/coronavirus-relief-for-retirement-plans-and-iras#:~:text=The%20CARES%20Act%20waives%20required,inherited%20in%20a%20retirement%20plan.&text=You’re%20not%20required%20to,waive%20your%20RMD%20for%202020.
Just a side note. This sad fact might affect the RMD % going forward…
Oddly enough, people who died in 2020 are still eligible for the stimulus checks, which you can claim on the 1040. Or you can decide not to.
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Interesting. I have actually wondered how much money in social security savings the SSA will have accumulated based on people dying early. While a lot of people are older thus cutting off benefits, many aren’t. Yes, covid has cost a tremendous amount both emotionally and financially, but social security has to be saving a ton of money too considering almost 500k people have died.
So I asked a tax/estate lawyer this question. While you’re probably not required to file, the suggestion was that you should file a final return just to get it out of the system once and for all.
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Speaking of the stimulus checks something for people to be aware of, I just prepared my son’s 2020 return. For some reason he never got his stimulus last April. I think maybe because in 2018 he earned more than 75k and I filed his 2019 return right around the 15th or just after since they delayed it. I kept looking for the $1,200 in his account but he never got it. In December however, he did receive the $600. So no clue what happened to the $1,200 and I knew it would come with the filing of his 2020 return as a credit. Well, low and behold. His 2020 income was right around 76k and because he went over the 75k, they made the adjustment back for the threshold being over 75k and his check will be reduce proportionately to $1,145. It’s fine because he can well afford it, but no doubt people who can’t, or are expecting the full amount for whatever reason, are going to be in for a rude awakening once they file their 2020 returns! I was a little shocked at first since had I filed his return sooner last year he would’ve received both the $1,200 and $600 but at the same time, it was his fault I didn’t since he took forever to give me his W-2 and it would’ve been reduced this year if there’s a subsequent payment and like I said he isn’t one that really needs it anyway like so many do. So, for anyone still expecting the credit, or whatever if it’s still owed, just know there may be an adjustment based on your earnings for 2020.
Speaking of SS. This is from Market Watch so take it with a grain of salt. Explains how the pandemic affected SS:
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Are you an accountant, @srparent15? If not, maybe it’s time to teach him to do his own taxes and let him take responsibility.
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This is my background so yes I do the taxes for my kids and my mother in law. There’s no reason for them to do their own. Theirs are not simple returns that can just be done by putting in W-2 income and leaving it at that. As for my son, he lived in two states last year. The calculations for 2 state returns is not that simple for someone who is not familiar with filing a non resident return and making sure they receive a credit back for what they paid in that state. If my daughter takes a tax class in her program and after she has some experience maybe she can then do them but until then they’re probably too complicated based on their income and types of income.
My oldest kid is 23 years old. There’s no reason in any case he needs to worry about doing his own return. If I wasn’t the one doing it, he would have someone else doing it who could advise him on appropriate financial issues anyway which is what most people should be doing so that when they have kids they can actually afford to pay for their kids college and not take on debt or learn how to save etc.
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I do one of my kids tax returns. It’s something I enjoy doing and they are appreciative. The other kid hires an accountant and that’s good also.
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