Headlines
2018 COLA Speculation: Maybe a Good News/Bad News Story Ahead?
If CPI-W numbers in the early months of 2017 are any indication of what will happen in the July, August, and September period, the possibility of a higher Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2018 may be in the cards for…
Ways to Increase Your Social Security Benefit
A study conducted by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that, without Social Security income, the estimated poverty rate among seniors would be expected to spike above 40 percent; however, with Social Security income, the senior poverty rate…
How the Social Security COLA Process Works
The Social Security Administration annually evaluates inflation data to see if a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is warranted. This is done as an effort to keep retirees’ purchasing power constant from year to year. In Matthew Frankel’s column, he gives…
Delay Filing For Social Security: Is it Worth It?
If you qualify for Social Security benefits you have the option of starting to collect your monthly checks at any time between the ages of 62 and 70. You may be surprised to learn that the majority of Americans start…
Is Your Retirement Plan Realistic?
If you are planning to retire in five, or maybe ten years, have you thought ahead about making that transition? Most people have an idea of when they would like to retire but too often that idea is just that and…
Retirement Myths
What is your idea of what your life will be like in retirement? Your idea of what lies ahead in retirement years may be far different from reality and may not follow the script you wrote in your head. Ali…
Some Answers to Your 401(k) Questions
For the majority of people, the largest source of funds set aside for retirement is their 401(k). Assuming your company offers 401(k)s or 403(b)s, the most common retirement plan, how much do you contribute? Ian Maxwell, Financial Adviser, gives six…
Married Couples versus Single Person: More Social Security Filing Options
David Freitag, a financial planning consultant for MassMutual Financial Group states: “A single person only has to consider nine different scenarios when claiming retirement benefits. For married couples, the available options for filing strategies grow to 81.” Tom Anderson, a…
Help for deciding when to take Social Security benefits
Your “full retirement age” (somewhere between 66 and 67, depending upon when you were born) is the age at which you will receive 100% of the benefit you are entitled to from a lifetime of working. Although you become eligible…
Seniors’ Social Security benefits outpaced by living expenses
It’s certainly no secret to millions of Social Security beneficiaries, but benefit increases in recent years haven’t kept up with the increase in the cost of their daily living. Seniors’ healthcare expenses have risen substantially, while Social Security COLA increases have gone…