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Funding Your Retirement
Short on funding sources for your retirement? Traditional defined-benefit employer pension plans are fast becoming a thing of the past. And Social Security – never intended to be your sole source of retirement money – may turn out to be…
Choosing Between Paying for Your Child’s Education, and Saving for Your Retirement
In this somewhat conflicted article appearing in Barron’s magazine, retirement contributor Gail MarksJarvis seems to chastise parents who pay for their children’s college education without simultaneously saving enough for their own future retirement. The article’s intent – to encourage parents…
The Basics of Medicare
Medicare can be a confusing topic. There are several different “parts” of Medicare, each with a different purpose and cost. There are private “Medigap” plans which cover healthcare costs which Medicare doesn’t cover, and Medicare Advantage plans which can be…
Three Social Security Facts to Know Before You Claim
Deciding when to claim Social Security may be one of the most important financial decisions of your life, and there are some basic factors you should know before making that decision. Your claim age relative to your full retirement age…
Returning to Work after You’re On Medicare
It’s a reality of today’s economy and higher life expectancies – many people who retired are returning to work, either to supplement their retirement income, or because they want to stay active as they age. Whatever the reason, if you…
Can You Get the Maximum Possible Social Security Benefit?
The maximum possible Social Security benefit in 2022 is $4,194, but there really aren’t many beneficiaries who will be able to reach that goal. That’s because to do so would mean you would have to have had earnings equal to…
Keeping Up With Social Security
With inflation roaring and the cost of our basic daily needs skyrocketing, it’s easy to put thoughts of our future retirement on the back burner. But although our current myriad national issues may consume much of our attention, it’s also…
Speeding Up Social Security Disability Claims
As most who have applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits will tell you, it often takes 3 to 5 months to get a decision from the Social Security Administration. And to add to that frustration, about 2/3rds of…
Improving Customer Service at the Social Security Administration
We hardly need to remind anyone who has attempted to engage directly with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in recent years that customer service has been (to be kind) very challenging. Excruciatingly long telephone wait times, up to an hour…
Things to Know Before Claiming Social Security
Although this article describes several important factors as “secret,” they are hardly so. But they are, nevertheless, very important points to know before claiming your Social Security benefits. Specifically, the age at which you claim carries a lot of weight…