Ways to Spend your Flex Dollars

  What is a Flex Spending Account? A Flexible Spending Account, also known as a flexible spending arrangement, is a tax-free way to pay for medical and health related expenses not covered by your health or vision insurance. FSAs allow you to set aside a portion of earnings to pay for qualified expenses. These accounts are great for lowering your taxable income and in turn saving you money, but if you don’t use your FSA dollars by the deadline you will lose them for good. Some employers do have a grace period, but it is best not to wait. As the year comes to an end, time is running out to use your FSA dollars before they expire, so don’t forget to use some of that flex … Read More

The Eclipse May Be Beautiful to Watch, But It’s Not Safe for Your Eyes

There has been a lot of publicity and excitement over the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. Millions of people are planning to view the first total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. in nearly 40 years. However, there are risks – the biggest being permanent vision loss, or “solar retinopathy” – that I feel compelled to bring to your attention. On a sunny day, if you take a glimpse of the sun, you have a second or two before the brightness and/or pain cause you to look away. The worrisome part about a solar eclipse is that it’s partially blocked by the moon, which causes it to be less bright. This tricks your eyes into thinking you can look at it … Read More