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Never too early or too late to plan for retirement
Retirement can sound almost too good to be true: No more daily grind, a world of travel opportunities, stacks of books to read, and leisure time to spend with the family. Unfortunately, it is getting to be more of a…
Q&A on new IRS rules for same-sex couples
Last week, the Internal Revenue Service said it will treat same-sex married couples as married for federal tax purposes if they wed in a state or other jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex marriage. I will answer questions from couples who are considering amending…
When to pay the self-employment tax
If you plan to start a small business and pay yourself, you should know about the taxes you owe. One special tax that trips up small business owners is the self-employment SECA tax. This is essentially the same as the…
US Retirement System Fails Most Americans
While high-income Americans have benefitted enormously from the rise of 401(k)s, most Americans are being left behind. These findings underscore the importance of preserving and strengthening Social Security, defending defined-benefit pensions for workers who have them, and seeking solutions for…
Most retirees get only one chance to claim Social Security benefits
In most cases, a retiree gets just one chance to decide how and when to collect Social Security benefits: claim a reduced benefit early; wait until normal retirement to receive a full benefit; or postpone retirement up until 70 to…
Medicare: What you need to know
Are you turning 65 soon or retiring and going off your company insurance plan? If so, you may have some questions about Medicare which has four parts. Medicare Part A is hospital and skilled nursing care coverage. If you worked and…
Social Security, Medicare adjusting programs to accommodate …
Social Security and HHS made announcements in August of changes in their programs to meet the demands resulting from the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act. Social Security has begun paying spouse claims for same-sex couples and…
Switch to Chained CPI would hurt more than help
A flawed policy initiative called Chained CPI is gaining steam in Washington budget talks that would shortchange South Dakotans who receive federal benefits such as Social Security and federal annuities by low balling their annual cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs. Chained…
US Congress set for two major fiscal fights
UNLESS CONGRESS acts, the U.S. government will hit its $16.7 trillion borrowing limit by mid-October. That’s the latest estimate from Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, delivered in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Coupled with the Sept. 30 expiration of…
Let’s not forget government’s gifts
One of the favorite pastimes of U.S. citizens (and especially politicians) is to be vocally critical of our federal government. But to all this anti-Washington talk, I respectfully say, “time out” and ask critics to look at the benefits that have…