The picks below are part of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s annual Best List, a roundup of the best values in all the areas we cover – from funds, stocks and ETFs to credit cards and bank accounts to cars, college, kid stuff, phone plans, travel and health. Discover all our Best List picks here.
Health care cost estimator
At FAIR Health’s Consumer Cost Lookup, you can see the estimated charges (based on costs for your ZIP code) for thousands of medical and dental procedures.
Way to save on prescription drugs
GoodRx.com compares costs for your drugs at local and mail-order pharmacies. It also offers coupons that you can print out immediately, details about manufacturers’ assistance programs, information about lower-cost generics and therapeutic alternatives, other savings tips, and a pharmacy discount card. You can download a mobile app to compare costs at the doctor’s office.
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Hospital finder
Medicare.gov’s Hospital Compare makes it easy to check up on a hospital you would use in an emergency or one you’re considering for a procedure—even if you aren’t on Medicare. The site offers data on quality, safety and patient experience for more than 4,000 hospitals.
Health savings account
If you have a high-deductible health insurance policy and want to invest in an HSA for the long term—and your employer doesn’t offer an HSA or has poor investing choices—consider Health Savings Administrators. You can invest in any of 22 Vanguard funds (12 of which include low-cost Admiral shares) with no minimum, and the company recently added about 70 new fund choices from TIAA, T. Rowe Price, Dimensional and MFS. The annual administrative fee is $45, plus a custodial fee of 62.5 cents per $1,000 every three months for all (except for the TIAA and Price funds, which have no custodial fee).
Fitness tracker
The Fitbit Charge 2 ($150) packs a lot of features into a 0.84-inch-wide wristband. Besides tracking your steps, the device counts calories burned, distance traveled and flights of stairs climbed. It also monitors your heart rate and sleep habits. The small display shows the time and your activity stats, and it will alert you to calls or texts to your Apple or Android phone.
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RMD Deadline April 1: Five Tax Strategies to Manage Your 2025 IncomeTaxable Income The April 1, 2025, deadline for required minimum distributions (RMDs) is fast approaching for retirees who turned 73 in 2024.
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Rising AI Demand Stokes Undersea InvestmentsThe Kiplinger Letter As demand soars for AI, there’s a need to transport huge amounts of data across oceans. Tech giants have big plans for new submarine cables, including the longest ever.
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457 Plan Contribution Limits for 2025Retirement plans There are higher 457 plan contribution limits for state and local government workers in 2025. That's good news for state and local government employees
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Medicare Basics: 11 Things You Need to KnowMedicare There's Medicare Part A, Part B, Part D, Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage plans and so on. We sort out the confusion about signing up for Medicare — and much more.
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The Seven Worst Assets to Leave Your Kids or Grandkidsinheritance Leaving these assets to your loved ones may be more trouble than it’s worth. Here's how to avoid adding to their grief after you're gone.
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SEP IRA Contribution Limits for 2025SEP IRA A good option for small business owners, SEP IRAs allow individual annual contributions of as much as $69,000 in 2024 and $70,000 in 2025..
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Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2025Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up. Here's what you need to know.
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SIMPLE IRA Contribution Limits for 2025simple IRA The SIMPLE IRA contribution limit increased by $500 for 2025. Workers at small businesses can contribute up to $16,500 or $20,000 if 50 or over and $21,750 if 60-63.
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457 Contribution Limits for 2024
retirement plans State and local government workers can contribute more to their 457 plans in 2024 than in 2023.
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Roth 401(k) Contribution Limits for 2025retirement plans The Roth 401(k) contribution limit for 2025 increased, and workers who are 50 and older can save even more.
