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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…
What about about taxes on SS benefits?
Will your tax bill this year include taxes on your Social Security benefits? About 55 million people receive monthly Social Security payments, and some of them pay taxes on up to 85 percent of those benefits, depending on their financial…
7 Tips for Women to Have a More Secure Retirement
When it comes to saving for retirement, no one is feeling that secure—but that’s particularly true for women. “Retirement planning is hard for everyone, but it’s especially tough for women,” says David Littell, retirement income program director at The American College.…
Number of disabled federal workers hired reaches 32-year high
With her seeing-eye dog by her side, Denna Lambert works to help ensure that up-and-coming scientists and engineers with disabilities can see a future at NASA. Lambert, the disability program manager at Goddard Space Flight Center, said she is answering President…