Headlines
Making the wrong financial moves can derail your retirement
After an entire career of hard work and dutifully saving enough to retire comfortably, it can be pretty exciting when you start your final planning for that big day when you step through the door to your golden years. But…
Social Security financial problems: How they were fixed the last time
With all of the publicity about Social Security’s financial woes, you might think that this has never happened before. But you would be wrong. Back in the early 1980’s, Social Security finances were in a similar predicament and it was thought…
Some survivors aren’t getting all they are entitled to
There’s little question that Social Security’s survivor benefits are a lifeline to countless widows and widowers. Losing one’s spouse is certainly devastating enough, without having to worry about being shorted on the survivor’s benefit that will undoubtedly be crucial to…
Consider a phased approach to retirement
The prospect of going from a full time career to total retirement might seem either appealing or scary, depending on how ready you really are to jump into your golden years with both feet. But there’s an alternative that could…
A Primer on Retirement Planning
Recognizing retirement as a transition rather than an end is a good first-step in building a plan that will minimize the disruption that a major life event of this magnitude can have. Whether it’s preparing for a stable income stream after stepping…
Another Call for Bipartisan Action on Social Security’s Solvency Predicament
To anyone up-to-speed on the problems facing Social Security in the distant–and not-too-distant–future, the revelations in the 2017 Social Security Trustees Report came as reaffirmation rather than surprise. The horizon for exhaustion of the Trust Funds’ cash reserves is still…
Time to Assess Your Retirement Savings?
If you’re in your 50s, you know that time seems to be passing more rapidly than before, and you know that life phase called ‘retirement” is looming larger and larger in your plans. Are you ready…is your saving plan on…
Flying Into Social Security Blind Will Likely Cause You to Crash
The rule book for Social Security is frighteningly large and complicated, with rules that overlap rules and regulations that contain nested requirements. In fact, the number of individual provisions in Social Security is somewhere north of 2700, and mistakes–many of which are…
FRA No Longer Means Exiting the Workplace for Many
Attaining the coveted FRA (Social Security’s acronym for Full Retirement Age) once meant it was time to step away from work life and enter a world of total relaxation, travel, and pursuit of hobbies. These days, according to a CareerBuilder study,…
2018 COLA Watch: Forecasted 2.2% Might be in Jeopardy
As explained in a post on fedsmith.com by Michael Wald, public affairs consultant and writer and former U.S. Department of Labor official, the 2018 Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) story is turning into a good news/not-as-good-as-expected news situation. The good…