Headlines
The jobs report: Being better off, feeling better off
Americans are lagging indicators when it comes to economic improvement, slow to see positive news and often worried that there will be backsliding. Today’s disappointing jobs report, with fewer jobs gained than expected, will underscore the pessimism in the polls.…
How to phase into retirement
Plenty of older Americans apparently want to do it. No, not that. They want to slowly phase into retirement. In fact, more than six in 10 workers (64%) “envision a phased transition into retirement that may involve shifting from full-time…
Get Ready for Medicare’s Open Season
Now that you have made yourself comfortable with your Medicare coverage it is time to check out any changes coming your way for 2015. Open enrollment 2015 starts October 15th and will be ending December 7th 2014. Plan information will…
Social Security offers Spanish services
During National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Social Security recognizes the many contributions of Hispanic Americans and celebrates Hispanic heritage and culture. Our award-winning website provides information and services in Spanish. Find out why by…
More Parents Use Retirement Accounts to Pay for College
Some families dip into their retirement accounts to help pay for college. A Sallie Mae and Ipsos survey of 1,601 college students and parents of undergraduate students found that 7 percent of families took a withdrawal from a retirement account…
COLUMN-A landmark law at 40: How well is it protecting workers’ retirements?
Every American who has retired with economic security – or hopes to – should know these two dates in our history: August 14, 1935, and September 2, 1974. The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt…
Employers who look beyond disabilities find dedicated workers
Nearly a decade ago, Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Anderson, a can-do guy out of suburban St. Paul who was a state high school wrestling champion, was decorated for pulling a wounded buddy out of the line of fire in Iraq.…
Labor force excludes many Americans who desperately need jobs
An unemployed man once told me that looking for work was the hardest job he’d ever had. And here’s the thing: the longer you look, the harder it gets. Bernard Stewart Prosise of West Hollywood is Exhibit A. In 2009,…
Medicare Will Settle Short-Term Care Bills
Sharply criticized by Congress and others, Medicare quietly announced on Friday that it would settle hundreds of thousands of hospital appeals over bills for short-term care, by offering deals that could add up to several hundred million dollars. The decision…
The Good News About Medicare and the Budget
The Times’ Upshot team has posted a fascinating chart, derived from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s data, which shows that the cost of Medicare is rising more slowly than analysts had expected. In 2006, the C.B.O. projected that annual Medicare outlays per person would rise…