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Some niche retirement communities
Niche retirement communities are growing particularly popular as the 76 million baby boomers reach retirement age. The communities are aimed at people of specific ethnic backgrounds, hobbies or collegiate allegiances. Here are some niche retirement communities found across the United…
Deficits drop but debt bomb ticks on
Remember when the federal budget deficit was a huge deal? Hardly a day went by when Republicans didn’t accuse President Obama of fiscal negligence — a charge easy to make with annual shortfalls topping $1 trillion. Nowadays, the deficit rarely comes…
Retirement Uncertainty Up As Social Security And Medicare Face Long-Term Challenges
The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) issued the following statement from IRI President and CEO Cathy Weatherford in response to reports released today by the trustees of the Social Security and Medicare programs. According to this year’s Social Security Trustees Report, the combined…
Tell Governor Christie No Social Security or Medicare Cuts
As budget hawks once again turn up the pressure to balance the federal budget on the backs of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens, activists demanding income security for New Hampshire’s seniors will take their case to New Jersey Gov. Chris…
Social Security piggyback
Social Security is a significant part of life for many Americans. Apart from the wealthy or government pensioners, Social Security can represent a lifeline that keeps many dangling above the poverty line. How high you are above that poverty line…
Steep hospital markups strike blow to uninsured
The bill totaled more than $21,000, and David Rigsby’s creditors were threatening to heap on another $9,000 if he didn’t pay up. Presbyterian Española Hospital had charged the sum for a colonoscopy and hernia repair in 2005. Both procedures took about an hour. Rigsby, a 66-year-old…
Retirement with mortgage loans? Why some keep debt for tax deductions.
As we all know, the one benefit of paying all of that interest on our mortgages is that it generally creates a tax deduction. And if you have been carrying a mortgage for a good portion of your adult life,…
As Medicare Advantage Cuts Loom, Disagreement Over Program’s Stability
The ability of cost savings achieved through healthcare reform efforts to offset the coming cuts to Medicare Advantage is hotly debated at a House Ways and Means health subcommittee meeting. A decade-long, $300 billion hit to Medicare to help fund the…
The Newest ‘Disability’
The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, has always had the potential to morph into a legal monster for employers. In 2008 Congress amended and expanded the act substantially, arguing that the Supreme Court’s interpretations of “disability” were too…
Social Security disability benefits, part two
As we covered in last week’s column, if you have met the age and duration of work criteria as they relate to your participation in the Social Security program, and if your disability will prevent you from working for at…