Headlines
Pandemic Should Reinforce Need for Savings & Social Security PLUS
If there’s one thing the global pandemic should have taught us, let’s hope saving money for unforeseen events is one of them. The savings Americans should have had in the bank but did not in 2020 greatly contributed to misery…
Auto-IRAs Can Help Retirees Delay Claiming Social Security
This well researched issue brief from The Pew Charitable Trusts provides a viable strategy for those seeking to maximize the amount they receive each from Social Security for the rest of their lives. Most know that each month’s delay increases…
It’s Time to Revisit Social Security’s Early and Delayed Claiming Formulas
Journalist Mark Miller writes in Morningstar that it may be time to revisit the delayed credits and early claiming penalties with Social Security. Both were designed in the 1950s, and as he notes, “the underlying actuarial factors have changed. Interest rates have…
Why do so Many Make the Wrong Social Security Decisions?
Bob Carlson writing in Forbes notes that a mere 4% of people make the optimum claiming decision when it comes to Social Security benefits, according to a study by financial services firm United Capital. Carlson explains the program’s financial problems but…
Are SeLFIES a solution to the retirement crisis?
Is there a retirement-saving product that offers the best of Social Security, a defined benefit plan, and an annuity? According to Robert Merton and Arun Muralidhar, the answer is yes. They are the creators of SeLFIES— Standard-of-Living indexed, Forward-starting, Income-only Securities, an idea…
Time to Adjust Social Security Benefits to Help Lower-income Workers?
This excellent piece by Scott Burns summarizes findings from a study from the Boston College Center for Retirement Research. The key takeaway is that both lower AND higher income people claim Social Security benefits too early. This early claiming by workers…
American Rescue Plan Signed Into Law…Here’s A Stimulus Update
Many are aware that the American Rescue Plan (a.k.a. the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package) includes funding for $1,400 direct payments to most Americans. Now that the bill has been signed to law by President Biden, our Social Security Advisory…
Do you know these facts about Social Security?
Social Security has a major impact on all Americans; however, many people don’t understand the ins and outs of Social Security. A recent GoBankingRates survey asked six basic questions about Social Security and found about 40 percent of the participates…
How to make your retirement comfortable and secure
When Social Security was first enacted 85 years ago, it was designed to provide roughly 40 percent of your preretirement income. Currently, the average monthly Social Security benefit is $1,547 or about $18,500 per year, which means most of us…
The pandemic has taken a toll on women’s retirement savings.
The economic slowdown caused by the pandemic has taken a toll on retirement savings, especially for women. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 2.3 million women have left the…