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How Much Was Misspent on Food Stamps in 2014
This year the U.S. Department of Agriculture misspent $2.4 billion on food stamps, according to a November report from the USDA Office of Inspector General. “Misspending” means the USDA gave a household either more or less food stamp benefits than it…
Congress Goes Home Leaving Social Security Administration Without a Director – Again
Let’s take quick stock of what this lame duck Congressional session has meant for middle-class Americans, especially seniors and their families: 1. Legislation that reversed 40 years of federal law protecting retirees’ pensions was tucked quietly into the massive spending bill.…
Who cares about senior citizens?
There are nearly 40 million seniors living in the United States and over 50 percent are going hungry daily; they need our help, our support. It is projected that by the year 2050 the number of seniors living in the…
How To Prevent Rising Controlled Substance Use In Medicare
A new investigative report indicated that controlled substance prescriptions for Medicare patients have increased, leaving many wondering: What can be done to prevent physicians from churning out prescriptions for these highly addictive drugs? Conducted by ProPublica, a non-profit organization that describes…
Homeless veterans move into Sacred Heart Apartments
Darren Dalpiaz has trouble remembering things. It’s a side effect, the 48-year-old veteran said, from a severe head injury he suffered while serving in the Army. Combined with his social anxiety disorder, the disability makes it hard for him to…
Editorial: Cutting pension benefits is bad but necessary
Congress packed a lot of extraneous issues into the massive $1 trillion spending bill passed just before adjourning last week. Among them was a provision that allows pension benefits to be reduced for about 1.5 million retirees. That is bad…
Social Security deal of 1983 was a punt
The Holy Grail of politics is a ‘grand bargain’ on Social Security in which both parties agree to a mix of benefit cuts and revenue increases that will stabilize the system for the foreseeable future. Pundits and politicians point to…
Medicare for 2015: 3 Key Facts You Should Know
More than 55 million Americans will participate in Medicare in 2015, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and more than 80% of those program participants receive Medicare benefits because of their age. With…
Is Your Financial Advisor Wrecking Your Retirement?
Recently, a close friend of mine rolled over a 401(k) account from a former employer into an IRA through a well-known brokerage. The events that followed are a scary reminder of how Wall Street salesmanship can stealthily rob you of…
How to be a happily working retiree
An abrupt end to paid work may not be the right solution for every retiree. Some people need the income from a post-retirement job. Some are looking for jobs with medical benefits to bridge the gap until they’re eligible for…