Latest News
Wisconsin Congressman Pushes for Equality in Social Security Benefits
(By – U.S. Representative Ron Kind, D-Wisconsin) As we celebrate Pride Month this June, we reflect upon the gains our nation has achieved in equality. While much progress has been made, there is still much work ahead of us. As…
Report: Social Security Overpaid Disability Benefits by $17B
(Source – Associated Press) Social Security overpaid disability beneficiaries by nearly $17 billion over the past decade, a government watchdog said Friday, raising alarms about the massive program just as it approaches the brink of insolvency. Many payments went to people…
Gen X Getting in a Retirement Tizzy
(Source – USA Today) As far as finances go, Rose Cronin is in better shape than most Americans her age. The 40-year-old has been socking money away into a retirement plan since she got her first job out of college. An…
Putnam County Makes U.S. Top 10 in Value in SS Benefits
(By – Steven Coburn-Griffis, Putnam County Sentinel) Despite warnings of doom, mayhem and insolvency, social security benefits for Baby Boomers and even GenXers are considered secure. At least, that’s the opinion issued by SmartAsset, a New York-based personal finance company…
Social Security and You: Does Marriage Ever Cut Benefits?
(By – Tom Margenau) I have written several columns lately describing how a bit of miscommunication on behalf of my readers can lead to misinformation from me. This week’s mailbag brought another example of this. It involves Sam and his wife-to-be. Sam…
Half of People Near Retirement Have No Savings
(By – Gail MarksJarvis, Chicago Tribune) Half of U.S. households headed by a person 55 and over haven’t stashed away any retirement savings. And while old-style pensions will help some of them put food on the table, 29 percent of such…
Social Security: From Typewriters to Megabytes, Social Security Evolving
(By – Ray Vigil, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist) The first typewriter to be commercially successful was invented on June 23, 1868. One hundred years later, Social Security still used the same technology to type Social Security cards, envelopes, forms,…
How Social Security Benefits Are Calculated, and the Cost of Early Retirement
(By – Matthew Frankel) Unlike many retirement programs, such as pensions, Social Security is not calculated by applying a formula to your last few years’ earnings. What many people don’t understand is that Social Security takes decades of earnings into…
Bernie Sanders Wants Wealthy to Pay for Social Security Expansion
(By – Clinton Gillespie) Half of the country, 165 million Americans, accept Social Security in some form. Therefore, reforming the nearly bankrupt wealth transfer program is never popular among politicians. But Bernie Sanders, a socialist Senator from Vermont who is running…
Social Security Crisis in Brazil: The Need for True Reform That Will Change the Country
(By – Arthur Pinheiro Machado) The Brazilian Congress is facing a crisis. It knows it must approve tax adjustments and reforms proposed by Finance Minister Joaquim Levy, however members also fear making unpopular decisions during municipal elections, which are slated…