Headlines
How One State is Taking a Crack at the Retirement Crisis
One of the major dilemmas facing America is how to fund the retirements of today’s workers, especially when four out of 10 haven’t even started saving. Now, Illinois has signed into law a new plan that’s aimed at addressing this…
Filing for Social Security? Choose Your Start Date Carefully
There are three key ages when it comes to Social Security: Age 62: This is the earliest age you can begin to receive retirement benefits. Your monthly benefit will be permanently reduced. Age 66: This is currently “full retirement age” (FRA). If…
On the Money: Stretching your nest egg for a comfy retirement
Are you ready for retirement? I’m not talking about the feeling that you’d like to chuck your job or the daily grind of commuting. Rather, do you know if you have enough money to retire and how to stretch what you’ve…
New GOP faces at the helm of 9 House committees
Republicans remain in charge of the House, but it won’t be the same Republicans leading many committees. Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is poised to run the chamber for the fifth straight year, but nine committees are getting new heads, providing…
Obesity is not a curable condition
This is in response to the Dec. 29 editorial “Obesity as disability.” Obesity is not a “curable condition.” Class 3 (severe) obesity affects about 6 percent of U.S. adults. Anyone who has severe obesity or works with people who have…
Budget war looms for Obama, GOP
The federal budget is almost certain to be the central battleground between President Obama and the new Republican Congress in 2015. The GOP has vowed to use control of the House and Senate to slash the size of government, with…
Under Obama, red tape will be hot commodity for 2015
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities calculates today’s spending mix as: defense and national security (19 percent); Social Security (24 percent); health care, including Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program and Obamacare (22 percent); other public assistance programs, including…
Repairing the middle class in 2015
What is curious about the present understandable preoccupation with the middle class is the assumption — both explicit and implicit — that the system is “rigged” (to use Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s favorite term) against this vast constituency of Americans. In…
CBO’s 2014 Long-Term Projections for Social Security: Additional Information
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released a new (December 2014) report with long-term projections for Social Security. In the report, the CBO projects that under current law, the DI trust fund will be exhausted in fiscal year 2017, and the…
A decision for “Make up your mind” day
On Dec. 31, the nation celebrates National Make Up Your Mind Day. The timing is perfect to coincide with those pesky New Year’s resolutions. Some decisions are big and you might need time to plan before you make up your…