Latest News
Social Security Says “We’re here for you”
According to the Social Security Administration’s most recent blog, “Social Security is here when you’re ready for retirement,” and that is certainly true. Social Security is, after all, the national retirement program which has been providing benefits to eligible seniors…
Know Your Benefit Amount Before Claiming Social Security
Surprisingly, a majority of those who claim Social Security do so without knowing how much their monthly benefit will actually be, nor do they understand the consequences of claiming as soon as benefits are available at age 62. The result…
McCarthy to Biden: Cuts to Social Security & Medicare Not in Debt Ceiling Negotiations
Contradicting an assertion by the Biden Administration, Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy emphatically rejected the possibility of cuts to either the Social Security program or Medicare program being included in negotiations over raising the national debt ceiling. But…
Is Your Local Social Security Office Open?
The Social Security Administration has over 1,200 field offices providing services to local communities throughout the United States and it’s territories. And, although you can now do a large number of transactions online at www.ssa.gov or through your personal “my…
How to Lose Your Social Security Benefits
Social Security is usually thought of as a bedrock retirement benefit that will be there for the rest of your life, no matter what – and it is, for most people. But there are ways you can lose your Social…
Changing Rules for Retirement Savings
In the last days of 2022, the Secure Act 2.0 became law, thus changing the rules governing your retirement savings starting in 2023. For one thing, the age at which you must start taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from your…
A Novel Approach to Social Security Reform
With all of the headlines about Social Security’s impending solvency issues, the primary focus has been on two potential solutions – raising revenue and cutting program costs. For the former, most on the left want to raise the amount of…
2023 Changes to Social Security
With all of the hoopla about the 2023 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) yielding an historic 8.7% increase in the Social Security benefit amount, some other changes in the program may have gone largely unnoticed. They are, however, nonetheless important,…
Claim Your Social Security Now, If …..
Most Social Security advisors, including this author, will encourage you to delay taking Social Security as long as you can in order to snag the highest possibly monthly benefit. After all, a higher monthly check is a great way ensure…
Retirement Income – What is Your Goal?
Most financial planners will say your income in retirement should be at least 70% of what you income was before you retired in order to maintain your same lifestyle. That can be a pretty challenging goal for many of us,…