Latest News
Senate bill seeks to amend Medicare hospital stay rule
A U.S. senator is pushing his colleagues to change a law that can leave retirees and others on Medicare on the hook for huge hospital bills. Under the rule, Medicare won’t pay for skilled nursing care after a hospital stay that…
Are America’s seniors secretly rich?
That’s the implication of an op-ed in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, which says that figures on retiree incomes used by the Social Security Administration systematically misses as much as 60% of the income that seniors receive. That income, they say, is IRA…
Take Your Retirement Plan to the Next Level
One of the pitfalls of retirement planning is the “set it and forget it” mindset. Many people have a 401(k) through their employer and contributions are automatically deducted from each paycheck, so they assume that’s all they need to do.…
Neumann: What’s new in Social Security in 2014
This post from Randy Neumann, Columnist for North Jersey Media Group’s NorthJersey.com website, offers a series of interesting perspectives on many of the U.S. Social Security program’s 2014 changes, including the COLA increases, the wage base increment, and the annual earnings…
Medicare is the best care if you are age 65 or older
If you are age 65 or older and haven’t signed up for Medicare Part B now is the time to consider doing so. The general enrollment period for Medicare Part B runs from January 1 through March 31 each year.…
Getting approved for disability benefits still tough as applications rise
If you know of someone who has applied for Social Security Disability benefits, you know that the approval process can be lengthy with many applications being rejected. However, the difficult approval process has apparently not been much of a barrier…
Social Security Goes Digital Along With Everything Else
The digital revolution isn’t just coming–it’s already here. Less than a year ago, the government mandated that all Social Security recipients are required to receive their payments electronically, through direct deposit or a debit card (side note: the debit card is…
Advisors Still Don’t Know Enough About Social Security
Over the last few years, financial advisors have begun to recognize the importance of Social Security benefits to their clients – even to clients with significant financial assets. But there is still a major lack of understanding on the workings of…
Older Americans are Delaying Retirement to Pay Off Mortgages
Older Americans who have debt typically put off retirement, find researchers out of Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research, but may need to turn to a reverse mortgage eventually if their age and health preclude them from working while they still owe…
SSDI offers rapid decisions for more conditions
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has added 25 conditions to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Compassionate Allowances. People who qualify for SSDI can get access to Medicare as well as disability benefits. Getting ordinary SSDI determinations often takes years. Read more……