Studies have shown that patients who are able to provide important health information and are prepared for a doctor’s appointment tend to receive better care than patients who do not. Here are a few steps to take to make the most of your next doctor’s visit.

Before Appointments

Gathering and organizing your health information before your appointment is key to ensuring a productive meeting with your doctor. This is especially important if you are seeing multiple doctors or meeting with a new physician. Here is what you should do before your next appointment:

1. Get your test results: If you are seeing a new doctor, make sure he or she has copies of your latest X-ray, MRI or any other tests or recent lab results, including reports from other doctors. In most cases, you will need to handle the groundwork on your own. This may require that you make a phone call to your previous doctor, or you may need to pick up your lab results in person.
2. List your medications: Make a list of all the medications and dosages you are currently taking, including prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements. Alternatively, collect all your pill bottles and take them with you to your appointment.
3. Know your health history: Sharing any previous medical problems and procedures can help make an office visit much more efficient. If your health history is complicated, it would be best to write it down. Genetics matter too, so knowing your family’s health history may also be helpful.
4. Prepare a list of questions: Make a written list of the top three or four issues you want to discuss with your doctor. This can help you stay on track during your appointment and ensure you address your most pressing concerns first. If you are in for a diagnostic visit, you should prepare a detailed description of your symptoms.

During Appointments

When you meet with your doctor, it is important to be direct and concise to explain why you are there. Be honest and specific when recounting your symptoms or expressing your concerns. Many patients may be reluctant to talk about their symptoms, which makes the doctor’s job much more difficult. You may want to bring along a family member or friend to your appointment if your doctor’s office permits it. They can help you ask questions, listen to what the doctor is telling you and provide you support.

Consider taking notes or asking the doctor if you can record the session for later review. If you do not understand what the doctor is telling you, ask him or her to explain it in simple terms so you can understand. If you run out of time and do not get your questions answered, ask if you can follow up by phone or email, make another appointment or seek help from a nurse.

For more information, the National Institute on Aging offers a booklet called “Talking with Your Doctor: A Guide for Older Adults” that can help you prepare for an appointment and become a more informed patient. To get a free copy mailed to you, call 800-222-2225 or visit order.nia.nih.gov and search for the guide.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Pill boxes, or pill organizers, can play an important role in maintaining good health as they help you stay on top of your medication regimen. While there are many options, here are a few tips to help you choose.

Identify Your Needs

When choosing an appropriate pill box, ask yourself a few questions, such as:

• What is the number and size of pills you take? If you take only a few medications, a smaller pill box may be sufficient. If you are taking multiple medications and large vitamin supplements, you will want to get a large compartment pill box. Pill boxes often come with different color patterns, allowing users to assign specific colors to particular medications or times of day.
• Do you take your pills once a day or multiple times a day? If you take medications only once a day, a simple pill box with one compartment is practical. If you require medications multiple times a day, a pill box with multiple compartments for each day of the week will work best.
• Do you have trouble remembering to take your medications? Some organizers have built-in alarms and reminder features. Alternatively, there are free smartphone applications that can help set up a schedule for reminders.
• Do you have a difficult time opening your medication containers? There are easy-to-open pill boxes or automated medication dispensers that are ideal for those with dexterity challenges.
• Do you need a portable pill box for travel? Compact portable pill boxes are designed for travel, some of which include sealed cases that prevent moisture and dust from entering.

High-Tech Pill Organizers

If you need more help keeping up with your medication regimen, smart pill boxes will organize your pills, remind you to take them, track your progress and text or email caregivers if the pills are not taken. If you need additional help, consider an automated medication dispenser which is comprehensive, Wi-Fi connected and app-based that reminds you when to take your pills and dispenses them to you. Search for these pill boxes online using key words like “smart pill box.”

Medication Reminding Apps

If you are interested in a medication reminder app, there are free apps that you can download in the Apple or Google Play app stores that will send you timely notifications to take your pills and reminders to refill your prescriptions. A simple solution is to create a daily alarm in the clock app with a reminder to take medications.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

In addition, traditional IRA owners who are age 73 or older have a required minimum distribution (RMD). The RMD starts at approximately 3.8% and increases each year as the IRA owner becomes older. The QCD from an IRA will count towards a taxpayer’s RMD.

To qualify as a QCD, the distribution must be sent directly to a qualified charity. Some IRA custodians will send a check to the IRA owner for distribution to the charity, however, the check must be payable only to a qualified exempt organization. Because it may take time for some custodians to process the request, the IRS urges IRA owners to initiate the QCD process by early December. This ensures sufficient time to make certain that the transaction has been completed by December 31, 2024.

The maximum QCD, which is indexed each year for inflation, is $105,000 in 2024. If a married couple are both over age 70½, they could potentially contribute double the limit to charity, up to $210,000.

For IRA owners who are planning for next year, the IRS has released the inflation-adjusted number for 2025. In 2025, individuals will be able to transfer $108,000 from an IRA to charity as a QCD.

If the IRA custodian does make a transfer to a charity, the IRA owner will receive IRS Form 1099-R, Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans. The IRS Form 1040 for tax year 2024 will require the IRA distribution to be reported on Line 4a. If the full distribution is a QCD, the taxpayer will enter "0" on Line 4b of his or her tax return.

A charity must send the donor a written acknowledgment of the IRA contribution. This is not a receipt because the gift is not included in the donor’s income and is not deductible. However, the written acknowledgment from the charity must state that "no goods or services were received" in return for the IRA gift.

IRS Publication 526, Charitable Contributions and IRS Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) have additional information on the procedures for substantiating a gift from your IRA.

Not only was this process rather cumbersome, it also resulted in increased adjusted gross income. With higher income, you may pay more income tax on Social Security or pay a higher Medicare Part B premium. That’s why an IRA charitable rollover may be a great option.

The IRA charitable rollover is very simple. An IRA owner who has reached the age of 70½ may transfer up to $105,000 per year. The transfer is made directly from the IRA to a qualified public charity. The IRA rollover is not taxable on your income tax return, so there is no need for a tax deduction. It is a simple and effective way to make a charitable gift.

The IRA charitable rollover or qualified charitable distribution (QCD) limit of $105,000 will be indexed for inflation in 2025. The Secure 2.0 Act expanded the QCD by allowing a one-time transfer of up to $53,000 to a charitable remainder annuity trust, standard charitable remainder unitrust or immediate charitable gift annuity.

Mary Makes a Convenient Gift

Mary Smith is a retired teacher who recently turned 73. She regularly volunteers for her favorite charity and makes a gift each year of $2,000. Last year, Mary withdrew $2,000 from her IRA, reported that amount in her taxable income and then wrote a check to charity. Because the gift was over $250, the charity sent Mary a receipt. She deducted the $2,000 charitable gift on her tax return.

Mary heard from a friend about the IRA rollover option. She called the development director at the charity and asked about using an IRA rollover to make her annual gift. Mary would simply need to contact her IRA custodian and have the IRA gift transferred to her favorite charity.

Mary contacted the large financial company that managed her IRA and filled out a distribution form. She asked that the financial company make a “qualified charitable distribution” of $2,000 to her favorite charity. The financial company then transferred the $2,000 directly to her favorite charity. The balance of her required minimum distribution for that year was distributed to Mary. She reported her IRA distribution on her tax return, but did not pay tax on the $2,000 gift to charity.

Mary loved the simplicity of the IRA charitable rollover. The $2,000 gift to charity was not taxed on her income tax return and she did not have to itemize to take the deduction. The simplicity and convenience of this gift was a wonderful benefit for Mary.

Judy Takes the Standard Deduction

Judy is a retired nurse and a volunteer for her favorite charity. During her working years, Judy had sufficient income and lived a moderate lifestyle. She saved regularly and contributed to her IRA. With good investments and tax-free growth, Judy's retirement plan has increased to over $435,000.

Judy is age 78, owns her home and has more income than she needs. Each year she makes a gift of $1,000 to charity. Because she does not report home mortgage interest or have enough other deductions to itemize, Judy takes the standard deduction. But she has heard about the IRA charitable rollover and wonders if that will be a good option. She asked her best friend, “Do you think that I should give the $1,000 from my IRA?”

Each year Judy withdraws the $1,000 from her IRA. It increases her income by $1,000. Because she gives the $1,000 to charity and takes the standard deduction, Judy does not reduce her income taxes with her charitable gift. The $1,000 IRA withdrawal increases her income, but Judy does not benefit from a charitable deduction.

A better plan is for Judy to give $1,000 directly from her IRA to charity. The IRA charitable rollover reduces her income by $1,000 and saves taxes.

Judy was pleased to learn that she could roll over $1,000 from her IRA to her favorite charity. Best of all, Judy was able to make the gift and reduce her current taxes. Judy spoke with her best friend and noted, “An IRA charitable rollover is a great plan. I helped those in need through my favorite charity and also lowered my taxes!”

Bruce is a Very Generous Donor

Bruce retired several years ago, but remained active during his retirement years. Recently, Bruce started volunteering with a local charity. He devotes several hours a week to his volunteer work and receives great satisfaction through helping others.

Since Bruce lives moderately and has good income from his retirement plan and investments, he is a generous donor. In fact, Bruce donates 60% of his income each year and lives on the balance. He feels that this is an opportunity for him to “give back” to society for the good life he has been able to lead. But Bruce would like to do more. Is there a way for Bruce to help even more?

The charity has a special project underway. Bruce understands the importance of this charitable project and would like to make an additional gift of $20,000. He checked with his CPA, who explained that he qualifies for a tax-free IRA charitable rollover. As a result, Bruce was able to contact his IRA custodian and have a gift of $20,000 sent to the charity. The charity honored Bruce for his generous gift. Bruce is happy with his rollover gift. It was not included in his taxable income and he was able to deduct his regular charitable gifts.

Bruce noted, “I am very pleased with my IRA gift. Because it was not included in my income, I am able to deduct my regular gifts and still help with an added gift of $20,000!”

Claire Simplifies Her Taxes

Claire is a retired investment advisor. Over the years, she watched her IRA blossom and grow into the largest asset in her estate. Based on her age of 78 and the increased IRA value, her required distribution this year is nearly $105,000!

Claire is a frequent volunteer for her favorite charity and wants to make a major gift to a special project. In November, she decided that she had sufficient other income and did not actually need the IRA distribution for this year. With the growth of her IRA, it was logical to make the charitable gift from her IRA. But how can this work? Is this a good tax planning strategy?

Claire contacted her CPA Susan to discuss the best way to make her major gift. Susan explained to Claire the benefits of making a tax-free IRA charitable rollover. By not taking the $105,000 into her income, Claire will benefit in several ways. Her income will be lower and she will not have other tax benefits phased out. She will have a reduced income level and pay a lower Medicare Part B premium.

Claire responded, “I don’t understand all of that tax talk, but it does make sense that with $105,000 less in taxable income, my return will be easier to complete. Plus, there are those other savings that you mentioned. This sounds like a great idea!”

The next day, Claire contacted her IRA custodian and had the full $105,000 IRA distribution sent to her favorite charity. She and her CPA Susan were both delighted. Claire made a wonderful gift and her tax situation was simplified.

How to Give From an IRA

The IRA rollover requires a payment by your IRA custodian to a qualified public charity. IRA custodians are generally familiar with the IRA charitable rollover and may use the IRS term, the “qualified charitable distribution.”

Your first step is to contact the IRA custodian. Most IRA custodians have a standard IRA distribution form. Some IRA custodians have added the IRA charitable rollover as an option to this form. As the IRA owner, you will need to sign the application and indicate the amount of the gift and the correct legal name, city and state of the public charity.

After your IRA custodian has received the form and processed the transfer, it will pay the specified amount to the public charity. This gift can be made for a specific purpose. For example, the gift could be to a specific relief fund, to a scholarship fund or to another “field of interest fund” with a charity. If you have a specific goal for your IRA charitable gift, you will want to contact the charity to confirm the gift will be used for that purpose.