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How A Second Home Can Affect Your Retirement Plan
Owning a vacation home can seem like a great idea. After all, just throwing a few things in your car to leave for a vacation at your personal Shangri-La is a very enticing dream. But, if you’re contemplating buying a…
Women Face Different Retirement Issues
When it comes to retirement planning, American women face a much different landscape than American men. The realities of life often place women in a caregiver role, first to her own children and later to older family members, during her…
About “stealing” Social Security Disability Benefits
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides crucial income for eligible workers who become disabled, either through a work-related injury or serious medical condition. SSDI offers those who have worked and contributed to Social Security a financial lifeline to sustain them if…
Investment Risk When Approaching Retirement
Investment “risk” is a common term used to identify the potential loss your retirement nest egg is exposed to. Few investments are 100% risk free. But some investment categories – typically stocks – are inherently more risky than others such as fixed-interest bonds…
Healthcare (and Medicare) Coverage When Traveling
As many Americans start emerging from the lockdowns imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a return to normal travel seems to be on the horizon. Depending on the type of healthcare coverage you have, traveling within the United States and it’s…
Maximizing Your Social Security Benefit
Everyone, of course, would like to maximize their Social Security benefit, but not everyone has the financial flexibility to do that. Nevertheless, there are many things you can do to make your benefit check a bit bigger, given your personal…
Are Millennials Too Optimistic About Retirement?
A recent survey reveals that millennials, those Americans born between 1980 and 1994, may be under estimating their financial needs in retirement. Probably not surprising when retirement is still many years away, but a consternation for financial planners who advise that…
About Submitting Documents to Social Security While Offices Are Closed
Like most Government agencies, the Social Security Administration (SSA) closed all field offices to public access because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has fundamentally change the way that Americans interact with the SSA. This change is especially troubling because to…
State Income Taxes on Social Security Benefits? Some States Tax, and Some Don’t
As you contemplate your retirement, deciding where to spend your golden years may be a part of your decision making process. The overall cost of living in the state you plan to hang your hat is, or should be, an important consideration,…
Are You Counting On Social Security to Be There?
A recent survey reveal that a full 87% of future retirees believe that Social Security will become an important source of income during their retirement. That’s a sizable portion of America’s workforce, but are they safe in assuming Social Security…