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By Delaying Obamacare’s Employer Mandate, Did The White House Also Delay The Individual Mandate?
Last week’s two surprise announcements – that the Obama administration is postponing enforcement of the employer mandate, and instituting an “honor system” for those claiming eligibility for exchange coverage and the premium subsidies that would often go with it –…
US consumer borrowing up as credit card use rises
Some economists say many Americans remain cautious because higher Social Security taxes this year have reduced paychecks for most. Despite the jump in credit card debt in May, consumers aren’t likely to increase their card use to pre-recession levels, …Read…
America Drowns In Debt, Dependency
Our government has a spending problem. The projected federal revenue for 2013 is $2.712 trillion — the highest amount in our history — so it’s not an income problem. It’s a spending problem about which very few in Washington seem…
Study: 1 in 3 Americans can’t afford to retire
A new report paints a rather grim assessment of how prepared we are for retirement. “The Retirement Savings Crisis: Is it Worse Than We Think?” from the Washington-based National Institute on Retirement Security, says the typical American family has only a…
The color of money / Know your marriage benefits
The Supreme Court decision upending the federal Defense of Marriage Act opens a lot of financial doors for same-sex couples. But if you cross that threshold, it’s important that you understand your new rights. Read more… Notice: The “Read…
Social Security: Give taxpayers their money back
OK, so here it is short and sweet. Due to the “deal” made for stealing social security funds years ago, we the taxpayers should demand that all funds be replaced with interest and locked into a secure account that is…
Boxer Urges Swift Access to Social Security Benefits for Same-Sex Couples
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today called on the Social Security Administration to swiftly extend Social Security survivor benefits to all same-sex couples and their families. Read more… Notice: The “Read more…” link provided above connects readers to the…
Cowan and Kessler: The left’s four fiscal fantasies
There is a rising chorus on the left, most recently articulated in an op-ed by Neera Tanden and Michael Linden (“Deficits are not destiny”) of the Center for American Progress, that our fiscal conversation should be declared over and plans…
Social Security by committee
The angry responses just keep on coming to the retirement planning blog in which there was a suggestion that the minimum age for claiming Social Security be raised to 63 or 64. Many of the more than 1,000 comments suggest that taxing the wealthy…
Editorial: Social Security reform must be part of bigger budget deal
If switching to the chained CPI isn’t the right reform for Social Security, then what is? Hint: It isn’t switching to a cost-of-living formula that pays even more in benefits to all retirees. And it isn’t doing nothing. Read more……