Latest News
One-stop resource camp planned for homeless veterans
Assistance is on the way for area veterans and their families. The VFW Post 7321, Calcasieu Parish Human Services Department, Alexandria VA Medical Center, and the Louisiana Department of Labor will host the first homeless veterans “Stand Down” event Tuesday,…
What Are the Biggest Surprises in Retirement? The Experts Weigh In
The Great Recession served up some nasty financial surprises to people approaching retirement—the housing crash, job loss and shrunken 401(k)s, for starters. But retirement can bring lifestyle surprises, too. It’s one of life’s biggest transitions, and a major leap into…
Social Security benefits are stingy
Two recent developments that I have found both annoying and dangerous are the deletion of replacement-rate information from the annual Social Security Trustees Report and the coordinated campaign in the press arguing that the elderly have plenty of money. Hence,…
Medicare cards put seniors at risk of ID theft
Since cybersecurity and identity theft are such big issues today, you have to wonder why our regulators, legislators and leaders in Washington, D.C., are complacent about putting 50 million senior citizens at risk. What risk? Medicare cards that prominently display…
The Midterms’ Real Winner? Independents and Fiscal Sanity (Maybe).
You can forgive Republicans for thinking the midterm elections were all about them. Hell, they picked up seven Senate seats — and legislative control — from Democrats and added at least 10 seats to their House majority (some races are…
401(k)s, IRAs: Save it before you spend it
As the holidays approach, here’s a gift idea your whole family will appreciate: Ramp up your retirement savings rate now — before you start spending on holiday presents. New data on 401(k) plans reveals that U.S. savers are saving just…
Whalen bringing disability awareness training to first responders in Arkansas, New Jersey
Arkansas will soon join New York as the only states in the country to provide comprehensive disability awareness training to its first responders. It will do so via the Niagara University First Responders Disability Awareness Training program, which received a…
Social Security Gains Support
A new survey finds broad support across party lines and age for the value of Social Security even when it comes to paying a little more to expand benefits. The survey of Americans 21 and older finds three out of four…
How a Conservative Congress Could Make a Huge Difference in Next Two Years
If Republicans should capture the Senate and retain their majority in the House of Representatives, can they move America toward greater freedom, opportunity and prosperity in the next two years? Or, as some cynics claim, will a conservative Congress and…
Longer lifespans hit pensions
With new mortality tables approved and issued the last week of October, the first in nearly 15 years, the Society of Actuaries has increased projected lifespan. Men aged 65 are expected to live to 86.6 years on average, up from 84.6…