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Why It Pays to Delay Social Security Benefits
There’s a flaw in the thinking that drives many people to start taking benefits early. Social security is a great insurance policy. But sometimes people mistakenly regard it as just one more investment that they should try to maximize. That kind…
The Value of Double-Checking Your Retirement Strategy
Motivational speaker Denis Waitley once remarked, “You must stick to your conviction, but be ready to abandon your assumptions.” That statement certainly applies to retirement planning. Your effort must not waver, yet you must also examine it from time to…
Survey Results: Citizens Can Face Hard Policy Choices, But Recommendations are Politically Problematics
THE group “Voice Of the People” has a novel idea: that citizens, when given ample information on major issues, are capable of reaching consensus….The Social Security trust fund is expected to go broke by 2033. After reviewing a wide range…
How to Retire on Less Than $1 Million
$1 million is a great goal for your retirement savings. Indeed, if you were to retire now with a $1 million nest egg and typical Social Security benefits, your lifestyle would be roughly in line with that of a typical…
Social Security benefits tax a burden on singles, too
The tax burden on Social Security benefits isn’t just for couples filing joint returns. It’s an equal opportunity burden — it falls on singles, too. Whatever your marital status, you are subject to the tax if you have income from sources…
Social Security: 9 Seriously Fun Facts (Really!)
Want to know who voluntarily spends hours of their day scouring the Social Security Administration’s website? People who get paid to. That includes me and the four remaining members of the SSA.gov tech support team who didn’t get jobs at…
Getting Started: How women can win the retirement savings game
Saving enough money for retirement can be daunting for anyone. But a growing body of research shows that women in particular lack the confidence to plan for old age. According to the latest annual retirement survey by financial services firm Transamerica,…
Rubio: ‘No way’ a governor is ready on foreign policy
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio covered many issues in a meeting with The Des Moines Register’s editorial board on his first day in Iowa as a declared candidate for president. Here are a few: Read more… Notice: The “Read more…” link…
Savings Game for Saturday, April 25
After a recent column about optimizing your Social Security benefits, I received a lot of mail from readers wanting to know more — and to share their frustration. Unfortunately, many readers complained that when they contacted the Social Security Administration (SSA),…
Social Security and You: When in doubt, file claim
I’ve written columns similar to this before, but I must keep repeating the following message: Whenever you are not sure if you are eligible for any kind of Social Security benefit, it never hurts to actually file a claim for…