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Special Needs Families
Twenty million American families have at least one family member who has a disability. In many of these situations, the importance of balancing the financial needs of retirement with long-term needs of a child with disability becomes challenging and complex. In…
Know Your Number
If you think figuring out your retirement savings number is easier said than done, you are wrong. Even though it will be an educated guess, Maurie Backman writing for The Motley Fool (www.fool.com), outlines a three-step plan to help you…
The Smartest Strategy for You
Today, there are fewer filing options for Social Security applicants to maximize their benefits but there are still some that will help you and your loved ones. In Mark Cussen’s column appearing on The Motley Fool website (www.fool.com), he gives…
Self-Directed IRAs
For those individuals interested in investing their IRA dollars in alternative investments, there’s another choice: self-directed IRAs. A self-directed IRA can be set up as either a traditional IRA or Roth IRA with the same potential tax benefits of tax-deferred…
The most frequently asked question: When should I start Social Security benefits?
Advice abounds on when to begin collecting Social Security, with some saying to take it as soon as you can, and others saying wait as long as you can. The reality is that there is no simple answer, because it…
Why is Social Security failing?
The health of Social Security, a program that nearly 61 million Americans rely on, has been in the news for some time now. Although the Trust Fund contains more than 2.8 trillion dollars in reserves, the program will start running a deficit in…
Exploding some Medicare myths
Medicare provides an untold number of people with healthcare coverage, but it’s a complicated program that is often misunderstood. Many people think that Medicare Part A is free but that’s not always the case, and this is only one example…
Common errors when claiming Social Security will cost you
Considering the importance that Social Security represents in most retirement plans, far too many people approach the topic carelessly and without fully considering their options. That’s not surprising considering how daunting and complex the program has become, leaving many to simply…
A dozen surprising facts about Social Security
You may know some about the basics of the Social Security program, but there are a lot of things you may be surprised to find out. Things such as how much total money is paid out in benefits; that Social…
Social Security Administration: Value and Efficiency
Providing Social Security services to over 60 million Americans is a big job done every day by nearly 64,000 employees. But, just like many large corporations, the SSA has to live within its budget constraints and cutting operating costs inevitably affects services.…