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Social Security: You Have More Control Over It Than You Think
It’s easy to just assume, as many people do, that whenever you retire, you’ll start collecting Social Security and will make the best of things from there. Don’t be so fatalistic, though. There are things you can do to control…
Social Security disability is complex, but worth it
One-quarter of 20-year-olds will become disabled by age 67, according to the Social Security Administration. For some of them, a key part of making ends meet will be Social Security disability benefits. But the process for filing for and obtaining these…
5 Incredible Social Security Facts That Young Adults May Not Know
Space may be the final frontier, but Social Security remains a vastly misunderstood social program that many young adults simply don’t understand the importance of. In 2011, CNN and ORC International conducted a poll (link opens a PDF file) of some 1,010 adults…
Beware Medicare’s ‘Observation’ Status
When in the hospital, more Medicare recipients are being held for observation rather than being formally admitted, a status that can leave them with big bills for items including rehabilitation services. While the federal agency that runs Medicare expects new rules…
Default Hits Not On Debt But Unpaid SS
It is disheartening to discover all those anger management classes I took are wasted when I listen to what passes for new reports. Monday morning it was the effects of the government shutdown that set me off. The government is forbidding…
Empire Building, the Debt Ceiling, the Budget Deficit and the “Samson Solution”
US and world political and economic leaders are faced with what they describe as a ‘systemic catastrophe’: the inability to pay global creditors, including domestic and foreign banks, investors and governments, who hold $16.7 trillion in US Treasury notes. There…
Sanders Will Be On Budget Conference Committee
In what can only be seen as good news for people who like traditional earned-benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare, here’s one name that appears on the list of Senate conferees in the upcoming Paul Ryan-Patty Murray budget talks…
Poll Finds Veterans are Likely Losing Out on Social Security Benefits
A survey of U.S. veterans, conducted for the Kiplinger Washington Editors, finds a high percentage of vets are unaware of how to get an estimate of their Social Security benefits, and don’t understand the cost of claiming benefits early or…
30 Seconds for Oct. 18
The president and congress are crowing about victory in ending the shutdown and raising the debt limit. But spending more than we have will continue, Social Security and Medicare will go broke even faster and entitlements will grow and your taxes…
Alliance for Retired Americans Friday Alert, October 18, 2013
“There is real danger ahead of a ‘grand bargain’ that would cut seniors’ Social Security and Medicare benefits, giving us more reason to be anxious. Such a deal would more accurately be termed a ‘Grand Betrayal,’” said Edward F. Coyle,…