Latest News
After Budget Deal, Time to Move Forward
President Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress deserve credit for successfully fending off Republican efforts to first torpedo the Affordable Care Act and then to attack Social Security and Medicare. Unfortunately, it does not appear that they are prepared…
Seniors living below poverty level
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 11 percent of Greene County (Ark.) citizens over the age of 65 live below the poverty level. The national average of elderly living below the poverty level is 9.1 percent. This places Greene County…
A fair trade for entitlement reform includes increased revenue
The Post’s Oct. 20 editorial on the budget challenge [“A fiscal quid pro quo”] made important points but was way off-base on the issue of revenue. It suggested that a fair trade would be reductions to the “sequester” budget cuts…
Letter: Inaction of GOP, Democrats is suspect regarding health care
The Oct. 13 Associated Press story by Stephen Cohlemacher, “Social Security raise to be among lowest in years,” speculated the government shutdown might be a reason for the delayed announcement of the cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) that is provided by law to…
Report: Americans’ debt grows faster than retirement savings
A majority of Americans with 401(k)-type savings accounts are accumulating debt faster than they are setting aside money for retirement, further undermining the nation’s troubled system for old-age saving, a new report has found. Three in five workers with defined contribution…
Understanding Social Security
A recent “60 Minutes” report suggested the Social Security disability program is in financial trouble and will soon run out of money to pay benefits. It is true the Disability Insurance Trust Fund is projected to be fully funded only until…
Senior Democrat pushes firm line in U.S. budget talks
A senior House of Representatives Democrat set down a firm marker on Tuesday for newly convened U.S. budget talks, saying his party would not agree to significant cuts in large social programs without increases in tax revenue. Read more… …
Middle Class Americans Face a Retirement Shutdown; 37% Say “I’ll Never Retire, But Work Until Too I’m Too Sick or Die,” a Wells Fargo Study Finds
Nearly Half of Women Say Greatest Retirement “Financial Fear” Is a Loss of Social Security, Surpassing a Large Health Expense. As U.S. lawmakers engage in an ongoing fight over how and when to pay the country’s debts, more than half the…
Health Maintenance Organizations: How Will They Handle the New Regulations?
As we know, baby boomers are hitting their retirement age, and they are very likely to opt for managed care plans. This suggests that health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, have a big opportunity to grow. However, new legislation in the U.S.…
Retirement expert: Financial planning important for non-retirees, too
As older workers increasingly contemplate delaying retirement or putting it off entirely, they should also consider the financial-planning options available in Social Security, Medicare and employment-based retirement plans such as IRAs and 401(k) accounts, says a University of Illinois expert…