The nest egg needed to support a comfortable retirement varies widely by state.
Couples receiving dividend income may need a smaller nest egg, but those payments can fluctuate and aren't guaranteed.
Monthly dividends totaling $500 to $2,000 can shrink the required invested nest egg by $150,000 to $600,000.
Building a stream of dividend income is a common retirement strategy, giving couples regular cash flow that can help cover expenses without requiring them to sell as much of their portfolio.
An Investopedia ****** ysis found that a typical American couple age 65 or older needs about $1.16 million saved for a comfortable retirement after accounting for roughly $37,700 a year in Social Security. Across the 50 states and Washington, D.C., that figure ranges from about $800,000 to nearly $1.33 million.

#couples

Replicating the average $2,071 monthly Social Security check requires roughly $991,000 invested across FDLO and VYMI, blending to a 2.5% yield.
At a 6% annual return, reaching $991,000 takes about $2,144 per month over 20 years, dropping to $1,682 at an 8% return.
Place FDLO in a Roth IRA for tax-free growth and VYMI in a taxable account to capture its foreign tax credit.
Read More: Avoid these 13 retirement mistakes before they derail your future (sponsor)
Imagine a second deposit landing every month, the same size as the Social Security check you already count on. The average retired worker collects $2,170 a month in 2026, according to the Social Security Administration's COLA fact sheet. That comes to $26,040 a year, and that's the target.

#Social #average

Realty Income has declared 673 consecutive monthly dividends and raised its payout for the 115th consecutive quarter.
ExxonMobil extended its run to 44 consecutive years of annual dividend increases, while PepsiCo expects to pay $7.9B in dividends in 2026.
Suze Orman says dividend stocks "truly come into play" in downturns "because at least you are being paid to wait."
Just released. Our ****** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and P&G didn't make the cut. Enter your email to see the names that beat PG. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
Suze Orman told investors they can skip the reflex to act every time stocks dip. She said it on the October 25 episode of her Women & Money podcast, ****** led "When Is a Decision Right For You?": "You don't have to think, oh, the markets went down, I have to dollar-cost average, now is the time. No, you don't always have to do something."

#consecutive #suze

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Feeling wealthy in retirement is often just that — a feeling. Having an active social life, a solid purpose and enough cash in the bank to never worry about monthly bills might be all you need to describe yourself as a "rich" retiree.
Feelings aside, what do the cold, hard numbers show? Most Americans agree you need at least $2.2 million (1) to be considered wealthy in America. But they might be surprised to see that you actually need considerably more than that to land in the top 10% of U.S. retirees.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
A single line on your car insurance policy could be inflating your premium by up to 30% — here's what to change

#need #actually #moneywise #feelings

Altria has raised its dividend 61 times in 57 years and yields ~6%, while Realty Income has raised its payout 115 consecutive quarters and yields ~6%.
Kinder Morgan carries a $9.6 billion project backlog, over 60% tied to power generation, while AT&T uses just 46% of adjusted EPS to fund its dividend.
VICI Properties yields ~7.5% with 100% portfolio occupancy and 39.6-year average lease terms, but its stock trades well below the average **** yst target of $31.
Just released. Our **** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and Altria didn't make the cut. Enter your email to see the names that beat MO. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
Retirees need two things from a dividend stock: the check must arrive on schedule, and it must grow faster than the cost of groceries. This month's list covers five cash-generating businesses in five different industries: tobacco, net-lease real estate, gaming real estate, natural gas pipelines, and telecom. In every case, earnings or cash flow will cover the payout, and each company has years of payment history behind it. Several of them pay in November, including Realty Income (NYSE:O), whose next monthly dividend of $0.2715 a share is scheduled to arrive on November 13.

#november #raised

FDRR beat JEPI by nearly 12 points over the past year, returning 19% versus JEPI's 7%.
A $100,000 investment in FDRR five years ago grew to $180,650 versus $141,220 for JEPI, a $39,430 gap.
JEPI pays monthly while FDRR pays quarterly, giving retirees who need regular cash a reason to stay put.
Building a portfolio and living off one are two completely different skills, and almost ****** ody teaches the second. This problem is what The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income helps, and it is free today. Read more here. (Sponsor)

#versus #guide #income #sponsor

In a housing market where affordability is increasingly out of reach for many buyers, Vic Bulbon is looking at a type of property that's becoming less expensive: condominiums.
With national home prices near record highs and mortgage rates topping 7% in recent weeks, buying a home remains out of reach for many Americans. Condos appear to offer a rare bright spot, with prices falling across the country.
But even with cheaper sales prices, rising homeowners' **** ociation (HOA) fees and one-time special **** sments are driving up ownership costs.
Now, guidelines released this year by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored agencies that back nearly half of all US home purchases, aim to reduce the financial and structural risks of condo buildings. Real estate agents told CNN that the changes could add pressure to the condo market by further driving up HOA fees, increasing the total monthly bill for condo owners, and potentially eroding the savings of a lower purchase price.
As of mid-October, condo sales prices lagged behind single-family home prices in 99 of the 100 largest markets in the United States, according to data from financial services company Intercontinental Exchange provided to CNN. Nationally, single-family home prices rose 1.5% from a year earlier, while condo prices fell 1.1%.

#prices #home #sales #year

For an average single person planning to stop working at 64, a $1.2 million 401(k) account and $2,800 Social Security benefit could provide enough income to make ends meet during retirement. Widely used guidelines suggest your annual income may be around $81,600, which may or may not be more than your annual expenses. Much depends on individual circumstances, including the kind of retirement lifestyle you desire, your location and future trends of inflation, taxes and investment returns. To get a comprehensive workup of your retirement budget, take the question to a financial advisor.
Income and expenses represent the two sides of your retirement budget. Both are equally important and decisions you make regarding either can affect the overall accuracy and dependability of the budget.
You can estimate expenses by using averages for typical retirees or by considering specifics of your situation with estimate for categories such as housing, healthcare and taxes. Similarly, you can estimate future income with general guidelines or by accounting for specifics such as your personal investment preferences.
In your case, we'll start with income since we have information about that. Despite the possibility that Social Security benefits will be cut by about 20% after 2035, your $2,800 Social Security benefit can probably be relied upon. And benefits are indexed to a cost-of-living benchmark, providing protection against inflation.
Note, however, that if you wait to claim benefits, your monthly amount will increase every year until you are 70. By claiming at age 64 rather than waiting until your full retirement age of 67, you are receiving 20% less. If you wait until age 70, you'll get 24% more than at 67. And you'll receive the higher amount, adjusted annually for cost of living, as long as you live.

#Retirement #benefits

Realty Income (O) sits near its 52-week low of $53, but UBS ***** yst Brent Dilts sees 39% upside to his $74 Buy target.
Net-lease peers NNN REIT and Agree Realty also fell double digits as the 10-year Treasury yield surged toward 5.3%, its one-year high.
A 6% forward yield and 674 consecutive monthly dividends offer income stability, but a recovery toward $74 depends entirely on rates turning.
Just released. Our ***** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now, and Realty Income made the cut. Enter your email to see the other nine names and why O earned its spot. The report is free. Enter your email and see the full list.
Realty Income (NYSE:O) trades at $53.35. Wall Street's average price target is $66.39, which puts the stock about 24.4% below where ***** ysts think it belongs.

#income #yield #toward

A Medicaid divorce lets the at-home spouse keep the house and up to $162,660 while Medicaid covers the nursing home's $9,277 monthly bill.
The strategy requires a real court-ordered divorce, since Medicaid's five-year look-back treats uneven transfers as gifts and penalizes them.
Before filing, families should exhaust spousal refusal, Medicaid-compliant annuities, and exempt-asset conversions, since a divorce strips survivor benefits and medical decision rights.
Just released. Our ***** ysts combed the entire stock market and named the ten best stocks to buy right now. The report is free. Enter your email and see if any of your stocks made the cut.
A Medicaid divorce, involves a long-married couple legally ending their marriage as part of a long-term care strategy. He enters a nursing home that Medicaid may cover, while she keeps the house and a larger share of their savings to protect her retirement. It's a real but uncommon strategy. State laws may vary, and many attorneys consider it a last resort.

#medicaid #real #since #stocks

Social Security acts as a financial safety net for many retirees, but it's not enough for most. These government checks were never designed to cover all living expenses. Social Security is a supplemental income source that can keep up with expenses if you combine it with savings.
That's why many people are encouraged to save up before retirement, and the math proves it. Your life in retirement will be very different if you just live on Social Security compared to having $500,000 in savings alongside your government checks. Let's break it all down below.
The average monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers as of mid-2026 was $2,085.98, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). At that rate, you will not pay any taxes on Social Security, ******* uming you do not have any other income sources. You won't even have to worry about state income taxes.
However, that's where the advantages end if you rely exclusively on Social Security. Per Apartment List data, the national median rent was $1,390 in August. That median rent leaves you with less than $700 for groceries, transportation, healthcare, utilities, insurance, debt and miscellaneous purchases.
For most people, the average Social Security is not enough. High-earners can max out their benefits at $5,181 per month if they earned a high salary for most or all of their 35 highest-earning years and wait until 70 to tap into Social Security, per the SSA. That monthly amount offers more room for financial flexibility, but the average is insufficient for most people unless their spouse earns a similar check or they live very frugally.

#income #financial

VICI's 8% yield mostly reflects a stock down 25%, while OHI raised its dividend for the first time since 2020 with coverage at 1.65x.
Energy Transfer has raised its distribution 19 consecutive quarters with 2.3x coverage, while AT&T covers its dividend at just 42% of $18B+ free cash flow.
Building a portfolio and living off one are two completely different skills, and almost ***** ody teaches the second. This problem is what The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income helps, and it is free today. Read more here. (Sponsor)
The 10-year Treasury yield closed at 5.31% as of October 5, 2026, the high of the past month. Any dividend stock has to clear that bar. The five names below try to clear it with cash flow that comes from contracts: decades-long triple-net leases, monthly wireless and fiber bills, and fee-based pipeline volumes. Dividend safety comes first in each entry. A big yield only counts when the payout is covered, the balance sheet can carry it, and the dividend record shows how management acts under pressure.
VICI Properties (NYSE:VICI) offers a forward dividend of $1.84 annualized. At a share price of $22.62, that works out to a very high yield of 8.13%. Most of that yield comes from the share price. The stock is down 24.93% over the past year, 15.28% year to date and 9.32% in the past month alone. Over the same stretch, the dividend rose only slightly. Investors have been marking the stock down on concerns about a shifting gaming landscape and softer Las Vegas travel .

#past #comes

Realty Income (NYSE: O) buyers who entered at the 2013 acquisition milestone turned $1,000 into $2,444, a 144% total return through October 2026.
Buying when Realty Income joined the Dividend Aristocrats in 2020 at $54.21 left investors with just 0.07% total return after six years, as dividends failed to offset share price decline.
Prestige-driven entries consistently underperformed, while the best recent result came after shares already fell, with the 2024 Spirit Realty entry returning 13%.
Read More: Learn 7 ways to generate income with a $1,000,000+ portfolio (sponsor)
Realty Income (NYSE:O) built its reputation on reliable monthly income. (Seven of our favorite monthly payers are rounded up in this free report.) Among the key milestones discussed here, its first two were excellent entry points; the three that followed were poor ones. Each return below runs from the milestone's adjusted price to the October 6, 2026, close of $54.25, adjusted for splits and dividends.

#income #october #dividends #price

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
High street lender Barclays has become the latest bank to introduce a ***** per switching bonus for customers.
Customers could get up to £600 when switching to a Barclays account, making it the highest-paying deal on the market.
However, there are a few hoops to jump through if you want the full £600, and not everyone is eligible for the free cash.
The £600 offer is only available to those who switch to a Barclays Premier account. It pays customers £350 for switching, plus £150 in monthly rewards. Neither is subject to UK income tax.

#switching #future #high

EPR Properties (NYSE: EPR) is a company focused on properties designed for experiential and educational purposes. One of the benefits of owning its stock has been its dividend, which has increased for four consecutive years.
EPR is a real estate investment trust (REIT), which means it must pay out at least 90% of its taxable net income as dividends to retain that status. That makes it highly likely that payouts will continue. As the dividend has become more generous, it might surprise investors how little it takes to generate more than $1,000 in annual dividends in this stock.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 14x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our **** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Working with whole shares, 269 shares purchased for $15,182 will generate $1,001 in annual dividends.
This amounts to an annual dividend of $3.72 per share with a yield of about 6.6%. That is far above the S&P 500 average of 1.1%. Moreover, it is one of the few stocks paying monthly dividends, which might make it especially appealing to income investors.

#Dividend #annual #missed

Florida exempts a $600,000 IRA from Medicaid's $2,000 ***** et limit once the account enters payout status through RMDs or regular distributions.
Every IRA distribution counts as income against Florida's $2,982 monthly cap, and nearly all of it goes directly to the nursing home.
A named IRA beneficiary keeps the remaining balance out of probate, blocking Florida's estate recovery claim under Fla. Stat. § 409.9101.
Read More: Learn 7 ways to generate income with a $1,000,000+ portfolio (sponsor)
A Florida retiree entering long-term care with $600,000 in her IRA looks like an automatic Medicaid denial. A single applicant there can't hold more than $2,000 in countable ***** ets. Thankfully, Florida's IRA Medicaid rules leave a narrow opening: once a retirement account is in payout status, the state can exclude the balance from the ***** et count. This means withdrawals still count, each distribution is treated as income, and that income ends up paying most of her nursing home bill.

#Florida #once #account

Social Security is the only income that automatically beats inflation, making it the anchor of any retirement plan built on $540,000 in savings.
Delaying Social Security past 64 and bridging expenses with Treasury bills yielding above 4% produces a larger lifetime benefit and a smaller tax bill.
The 4% withdrawal rule applied to $540,000 yields about $21,600 annually, and claiming Social Security early permanently cuts that check by roughly 20%.
Building a portfolio and living off one are two completely different skills, and almost ***** ody teaches the second. This problem is what The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income helps, and it is free today. Read more here. (Sponsor)
A 64-year-old with $540,000 saved and a $2,600 monthly Social Security estimate has two very different kinds of money. One is a government check that rises with prices for life, while the other is a portfolio that has to survive market drops, inflation and possibly 30 years of withdrawals. The income you can count on depends almost entirely on how you connect those two pieces over the next three years.

#security #income #almost #years

FYEE beat JEPI on a $100,000 investment in 2026, paying $7,023 versus $6,070, but FYEE's quarterly payout has fallen from $0.82 to $0.56 per share.
JEPI's monthly distributions better match recurring expenses for retirees, while FYEE's quarterly schedule suits investors who reinvest or can wait between payments.
FYEE's lower share price ($30 vs. JEPI's $56) means $100,000 buys nearly twice as many shares, which is why it delivers more cash despite lower per-share payouts.
Building a portfolio and living off one are two completely different skills, and almost ***** ody teaches the second. This problem is what The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income helps, and it is free today. Read more here. (Sponsor)
The JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI) built its following on a simple promise. It holds lower-volatility U.S. stocks, adds income from S&P 500 call-option premium, and sends a check every month. JEPI holders value that rhythm, and JEPI remains the default name in covered-call income. On an identical $100,000 investment this year, though, the Fidelity Yield Enhanced Equity ETF (CBOE:FYEE) has paid more cash while writing far fewer checks.

#income #quarterly

You might wonder where your monthly Social Security check stands compared to everyone else's. The average monthly benefit for retired workers is $2,071.30 as of December 2025, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). That amounts to about $24,855.60 per year, but this single figure covers a massive range of ages and circumstances.
Age
Overall
Men
Women

#Social #december #administration #women

The US trade deficit jumped to more than $100 billion in August as importers wrestled with a new round of President Trump's tariffs and continued to bring in billions of dollars' worth of components for AI data centers.
The total gap: $105.6 billion, a 13.8% increase from July's revised $92.8 billion deficit, the highest level since early 2025, when importers stocked up ahead of Trump's "Liberation Day" and a later four-month surge in imports that pushed average monthly trade deficits north of $120 billion.
Imports rose in August by 4.3%, compared with a 1.4% increase in exports. The US brought in $420.8 billion in total imports in August against $315.2 billion in exports.
In an **** ysis, Capital Economics said the "sharp rise in imports suggests third quarter GDP growth will be well below our current forecast of 4.0%," suggesting that the final annualized figure could be closer to 2.5%."
"The relatively broad-based rise in goods imports mean net trade was still a drag overall," the group added.

#billion #imports #total #increase

Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) is one of the largest U.S.-listed master limited partnerships (MLPs) specializing in the ownership of pipelines and other midstream energy ***** ets. Based on current prices, Energy Transfer has a forward distribution yield of 6.64%.
In other words, add up its quarterly cash distributions and divide by the current stock price, and you'll get approximately this figure. Considering this, let's run the numbers and see how many shares of this pipeline stock you'd need to own in order to earn $250 monthly.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 14x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ***** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Considering the complexities of MLPs and taxation, we will focus on a gross dividend income of $250 per month from an Energy Transfer position, for purposes of our calculation. A monthly payout of $250 comes out to $3,000 per year. Energy Transfer pays $1.36 per share in annual distributions.
Divide $3,000 by $1.36, and you get 2,205 shares, worth around $45,136 based on Energy Transfer's current stock price. From this position, you'd generate around $2,998.80 in dividend income annually, or just under $250 per month.

#transfer #mlps #considering

A $100,000 split equally across KO, ABBV, and CVX plus two others yields a blended 3.72%, generating $3,715 in annual passive income.
Realty Income (O) leads the group at a 6.04% yield, paying monthly dividends raised for 115 consecutive quarters on 98.8% occupancy.
Five industries fund the income stream, so a weak year in oil, pharma, or ****** et management hits only a fraction of total payouts.
Building a portfolio and living off one are two completely different skills, and almost ****** ody teaches the second. This problem is what The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income helps, and it is free today. Read more here. (Sponsor)
Retirement changes how income works on the day the paychecks stop. Social Security covers part of the monthly bill, and the rest has to come from savings, an annuity, or a portfolio that pays cash on a schedule. Selling shares to cover groceries works fine until a bear market forces those sales at bad prices. Dividends let a retiree collect income and keep the same number of shares.

#income #works #five

Florida exempts a $600,000 IRA from Medicaid's $2,000 **** et limit once the account enters payout status through RMDs or regular distributions.
Every IRA distribution counts as income against Florida's $2,982 monthly cap, and nearly all of it goes directly to the nursing home.
A named IRA beneficiary keeps the remaining balance out of probate, blocking Florida's estate recovery claim under Fla. Stat. § 409.9101.
Read More: Learn 7 ways to generate income with a $1,000,000+ portfolio (sponsor)
A Florida retiree entering long-term care with $600,000 in her IRA looks like an automatic Medicaid denial. A single applicant there can't hold more than $2,000 in countable **** ets. Thankfully, Florida's IRA Medicaid rules leave a narrow opening: once a retirement account is in payout status, the state can exclude the balance from the **** et count. This means withdrawals still count, each distribution is treated as income, and that income ends up paying most of her nursing home bill.

#Florida

The size of your Social Security check changes the nest egg you need more than any differences between states.
Under the 4% rule, each additional $100 a month in benefits cuts the savings a single retiree needs by about $30,000, regardless of state.
A maximum earner who delays to 70 can cover the average comfortable budget on Social Security alone, with essentially nothing saved—but very few qualify for the maximum benefit.
For a single retiree, your monthly Social Security benefit shapes the savings you need more than your address does—there's no second check to fall back on.
But regional costs of living matter, too. An Investopedia ******* ysis of federal cost and benefit data found that the savings a typical single American age 65 or older needs for a comfortable retirement is about $898,000. The least expensive state, North Dakota, runs about $644,000, while the priciest, New Jersey, costs about $1.02 million—a spread of about $375,000.

#security #check #retiree

Sean "Diddy" Combs is reportedly spending thousands of dollars monthly to live a pampered life at Fort Dix federal prison.
According to NBC News, who spoke with four former inmates who were once in the same unit as the 56-year-old, Diddy has allegedly been paying inmates to cook, clean, and even give him massages. The former inmates claim he accessed contraband phones, antidepressants, and alcohol.
"This is not some normal s**t you see in jail. This is some rich ***** ," a former prisoner told NBC News. "It looks crazy, but again, it's Diddy."
"Pretty much the day he arrived, the party started," said another inmate source.
COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.

#according

By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said the US government will send a one-time $90 payment to more than 20 million ‌Americans enrolled in Medicare, a health insurance program for the elderly, ‌to help offset the cost of their monthly medical insurance premiums.
Trump said on social media late on Friday the payments will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which he said was given $2 billion by Congress to improve the Medicare fee-for-service program.
The announcement is the latest in a series of financial promises the Republican leader has made to ‌voters heading into the November ⁠midterm elections where control of Congress is at stake.
Trump's Republican Party currently has a narrow majority in both the Senate ⁠and the House of Representatives but his approval rating has been low over his handling of the high cost of living for Americans during the US-Israeli war on Iran that has spiked oil and gas prices.

#americans #insurance #program #singh

Millions of Americans recently received unwelcome news about their cell phone bills.
In late June, T-Mobile (TMUS) said it was retiring over 1,000 older plans, shifting customers to newer offerings at an added cost of as much as $6 per line per month. And starting in August, AT&T (T) hiked rates on some of its older plans by $10 to $20 and increased a monthly per-line fee by $1.
The changes contributed to a steep 5.9% jump in Americans' wireless bills from July to August alone, according to Consumer Price Index data. It was the largest single-month jump since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the category nearly three decades ago.
In a twist, last month's rising phone bills may have helped convince the Federal Reserve to implement its first interest rate hike in three years. The steep price jump likely contributed about 10 basis points of August's 0.3% month-over-month rise in core consumer prices, according to Wall Street ******* ysts. The hotter-than-expected jump in this category, which strips out price changes in the particularly volatile food and energy sectors, helped cement expectations for the Fed's 25 basis point hike to benchmark rates last Wednesday.
Read more: How the Fed rate decision affects your bank accounts, loans, credit cards, and investments

#august #plans

Around 57% of households have some type of unsecured debt, including credit cards and personal loans. This debt can be a financial burden because borrowers must make monthly payments and cover interest.
Once you've taken on debt, you're committed to paying it back. Otherwise, you could hurt your credit score and face collection activity. But what happens if the company you borrowed from runs into financial trouble and goes out of business? Does that mean your debt disappears?
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake. Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028. Here are 4 moves to make before the window closes

#around #once #otherwise

LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) announced an exclusive healthcare collaboration on September 15 that initially makes virtual-health membership benefits available to approximately 29 million eligible AT&T wireless and fiber customers across 11 states. Customers must be 18 or older, and some services have additional eligibility and state restrictions. A nationwide expansion planned for January 2027 would extend eligibility beyond 100 million customers.
The $19 monthly membership fee is waived, but customers must enroll. Visits, prescriptions, and other services remain separately payable. For LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD), the opportunity is converting access to a large audience into recurring demand for paid care.
The partnership gives LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) a distribution channel through the website, mobile app and customer-benefits program of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). Reaching customers through an established relationship could reduce reliance on advertising and lower acquisition costs per paying patient.
Removing the membership charge also reduces the financial commitment required to try the service. Announced visit prices start at $29 for message-based care, $49 for urgent and primary care video visits, and $79 for specialty care. Customers may use insurance, Medicare, or discounted cash-pay rates for visits and prescriptions.
LifeMD, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFMD) could benefit from repeat consultations and prescription fulfillment when clinically appropriate. Primary care, chronic-condition management and other services create opportunities for continuing patient relationships. If satisfied patients return, the revenue earned over those relationships could exceed the cost of acquiring and serving them.

#Services

Millions of Americans recently received unwelcome news about their cell phone bills.
In late June, T-Mobile (TMUS) said it was retiring over 1,000 older plans, shifting customers to newer offerings at an added cost of as much as $6 per line per month. And starting in August, AT&T (T) hiked rates on some of its older plans by $10 to $20 and increased a monthly per-line fee by $1.
The changes contributed to a steep 5.9% jump in Americans' wireless bills from July to August alone, according to Consumer Price Index data. It was the largest single-month jump since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the category nearly three decades ago.
In a twist, last month's rising phone bills may have helped convince the Federal Reserve to implement its first interest rate hike in three years. The steep price jump likely contributed about 10 basis points of August's 0.3% month-over-month rise in core consumer prices, according to Wall Street ******* ysts. The hotter-than-expected jump in this category, which strips out price changes in the particularly volatile food and energy sectors, helped cement expectations for the Fed's 25 basis point hike to benchmark rates last Wednesday.
Read more: How the Fed rate decision affects your bank accounts, loans, credit cards, and investments

#Consumer