By Tom Hamburger & Sarah Kliff; The Washington Post ~ Nov 24, 2013

The success of the Affordable Care Act could ultimately turn on the performance of an agency that has so far eluded the public spotlight amid the program’s tumultuous rollout.

Whether the new law can be enforced will be up to the Internal Revenue Service, an already beleaguered agency charged under the act with carrying out nearly four dozen new tasks in what represents the biggest increase in its responsibilities in decades. None is more crucial than enforcing the requirement that all citizens secure health insurance or pay a penalty.

By Robert Powell; MarketWatch ~ Nov 23, 2013

If you own a traditional IRA, SEP-IRA or SIMPLE IRA and you’re 70½ or older, or if you happen to own an inherited traditional IRA, put this on your list of things to do before year-end: Take your required minimum distribution.

You must take your first required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year in which you turn age 70½ by Dec. 31, according to the IRS. The only exception: Your first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the year following the year in which you turn 70½. But for all subsequent years, including the year in which you were paid the first RMD by April 1, you must take the RMD by Dec 31.

By Gary Jacobson; The Dallas Morning News ~ Nov 23, 2013

More and more, AT&T Inc. is becoming a creator of content, not just a conduit.

From aspiring filmmakers to the Dallas Cowboys, from lip-syncing country music fans to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the giant Dallas-based telecom is supporting efforts that produce video and other content that can be viewed on its networks.

By Michael D. Shear & Robert Pear; The New York Times ~ Nov 22, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Friday that it would give people eight more days, until Dec. 23, to sign up for health insurance coverage that takes effect on Jan. 1 under the new health care law.

By Amy Hoak; MarketWatch ~ Nov 21, 2013

As Americans live longer lives, the top worry for many is outliving their nest eggs. But there’s another concern that is equally as troublesome for the oldest among us: Being a burden on their families.

It appears that the older people get, the more they shift from worrying about money to worrying about being a burden on their loved ones, according to a recent study by Merrill Lynch, conducted in partnership with Age Wave, a firm that helps companies serve the aging population. Thirty-one percent of those between the ages of 68 and 88 (what the study calls the Silent Generation) said running out of money to live comfortably was their biggest worry, while another 31% said that being a burden on their family was most concerning.

By Jed Graham; Investor’s Business Daily ~ Nov 20, 2013

ObamaCare supporters and critics agree that the health reform will rise or fall depending on whether the young and healthy sign up in large numbers.

But it’s not necessarily true: The key isn’t just that young and healthy people sign up — but that they opt for a comprehensive, subsidy-eligible plan (bronze, silver, gold), rather than catastrophic coverage.

By Greg Sargent; The Washington Post ~ Nov 18, 2013

If Elizabeth Warren is emerging as a kind of spokeswoman for the new economic populism that many Democratic activists want the party to embrace heading into 2014 and 2016, this speech that Warren is currently delivering on the floor of the Senate suggests the push to expand Social Security could become a key issue in the argument over the Democratic Party of the future.

In remarks Warren just began delivering, she strongly endorsed the push to boost Social Security benefits — in keeping with Senator Tom Harkin’s proposal to do the same — and condemned the “Chained CPI” that liberals fear Dems will embrace in strong terms. From the prepared remarks:

By Reinhardt Krause; Investor’s Business Daily ~ Nov 18, 2013

Vodafone is the largest wireless services provider by revenue and is a big presence in Europe — that’s one of its London stores above —…

Would acquiring Vodafone be the cure for AT&T’s growth malady?

Consider the patient. AT&T’s (T)Q3 revenue rose just 2%, missing views. Sales for its wireless services, its presumed growth engine, also missed, up 3.7%. AT&T’s annual revenue hasn’t risen more than 4% since 2007.

By Jonnelle Marte; MarketWatch ~ Nov 17, 2013

It may seem surprising that just 106,000 Americans managed to enroll in Obamacare, choosing a health plan through the new state or federally run insurance exchanges. That is, until one considers human nature.

Though the enrollment is about 1.5% of the 7 million people expected to buy coverage through the exchanges next year, and well below expectations for the first month, experts say there’s reason to think our procrastination may be as much to blame as bad programming.

By Barbara Boland; Cybercast News Service ~ Nov 15, 2013

(CNSNews.com) – Under Obamacare — as it is being implemented under a regulation issued by the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) — a middle-aged member of Congress who earns an annual salary of $174,000 from the taxpayers, and who has a wife and children, will get a $10,000 subsidy from the taxpayers (over and above his $174,000 salary) to buy a health insurance plan that a regular citizen making almost $80,000 less than the congressman will not get.