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Senator promotes financial aid office to add disclosure statements
For several student borrowers wishing to attend college, taking out student loans may be the biggest financial transaction they have encountered at 18 years old. Tony Fiorentino, Illinois Student Senator and graduate student, fears that these students might not have…
The end of government
Something strange is happening in Washington. We are slowly dismantling the federal government, even as its spending is growing larger. The paradox is that governmental competence is being systematically degraded while the government’s size, as measured by its budget, is…
Burr slams VA over lapse in disability compensation
Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, hammered the Department of Veterans Affairs for keeping soldiers waiting for their disability checks. In Saturday’s Republican weekly address, the ranking Republican on the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee scolded the VA for failing to deliver on its…
Retirement: How often should I rebalance?
Q. How often should I rebalance my portfolio in retirement? A. Rebalancing means two things: First, that you have a target for how you spread money among broad types of investments. For example, a simple division of assets is 40%…
Stumped by the debt ceiling? Here’s an explainer
Q. WHAT IS THE DEBT LIMIT? It is “the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt,…
Disability and the Starfish
Did you know that roughly 20% of the U.S. population is disabled and on Disability? That’s nearly 11 million people. If a population that size formed a state, it would be 8th largest in the U.S. And, did you know that…
Post Office Floats Idea of Offering Financial Services; Banks Hate Idea
If you can remember when you could open a savings account at your local post office, you’re on Social Security. Yes, the postal savings plan was dropped in 1967 and I’m guessing the culprit that killed this convenient idea was…
‘Policymaking Simulation’ on Social Security Goes Live on VOP.org
Today the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) released the results of its latest public consultation on Social Security Reform. PPC found large majorities of Republicans and Democrats agree on how to reform Social Security. Click here for the complete report. Read more……
18 Social Security Surprises Facing Advisors, Clients
I’ve been writing a weekly Q&A column for the last year, and the no. 1 issue I am asked about is claiming Social Security. It is no. 1 by such a wide margin that I can’t even guess what topic…
Hill Plan Would Reward Medicare Doctors For Quality
Now comes the hard part. After negotiating for months over how to overhaul Medicare’s troubled payment system for physicians, the bipartisan leadership of three Senate and House committees has reached a deal on the policy. Their next task could be even…