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How demographics affect Medicare costs
Let me put my biases on the table. First, I like the Medicare program as currently structured and am delighted at any news that costs are growing more slowly. Second, changes were needed to the health-care system to get costs…
Retirement Money Tips for 30-Year-Olds
If you have not already begun saving, begin saving now! Adhere to the adage: Pay yourself first! Moreover, every time you get a salary increase, have some of that increase go toward more savings until you have maxed out your…
Retirement ain’t what it used to be
The need to develop a retirement plan probably isn’t a revelation to most folks working in the 21st century. Can you afford to retire? Retirement facts by the numbers: Where do Ontario seniors live and…How can federal government help…The age-old dilemma: saving and…Most…
Add Your Voice: Changes Proposed to Social Security Disability Rules for Parkinson’s
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued a proposed rule to revise current regulations used to evaluate whether people with Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders qualify for Social Security disability insurance (SSDI), marking the first broad-scale overhaul of the criteria since 1985.…
15 Facts about Social Security
It’s easy to take Social Security for granted when retirement is years away, but with 94% of the U.S. workforce covered by Social Security, it’s likely that this program will play a role in your financial future, perhaps even sooner…
My Mom and the Lady Next Door
I think it’s time to once again share the story of my mom and the lady who lived in the big house directly behind our modest home. I’ve told this tale before in my column, but it bears repeating. And…
Bipartisan Fix To Retirement Crisis In 2015?
A comfy retirement for all! Talk about an ambitious goal. The Bipartisan Policy Commission today launched a year-long project, the Personal Savings Initiative, to address the U.S. retirement crisis. Among the topics it will address are 401(k)s, defined benefit pensions, Individual Retirement…
Why disability insurance is critical
Most people understand why having life insurance is a good idea: Nobody wants to leave their survivors in a financial lurch if they were to die suddenly. But what if you suffer an accident or illness and don’t die, but rather,…
Retirement: starting over in a new job
When a new company took over the packaging company where Pat Baines was vice-president and asked him to transfer from Charlotte, N.C., to California, he chose early retirement, at age 62. That early retirement, plus paying for his sons’ higher…
Social Security goes green on earth day and every day
For years, Social Security has been at the forefront of offering convenient, easy-to-use, and secure online services. We, along with those we serve, have saved a lot of paper, shipping costs, and fuel–and cut back on a lot of carbon exhaust…