Latest News
Scam Alert: Beware of Fake “Call Transfers” to Social Security or OIG
From Social Security Administration Scammers are impersonating well-known retailers, other government agencies, and even law enforcement — then falsely claiming to transfer your call directly to the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the SSA Office of Inspector General (OIG). Recent…
Working Past Normal Retirement Age and Community Design
Remaining in the workforce beyond normal retirement age, or perhaps rejoining it after retiring, is becoming increasingly prevalent. The reasons why this is happening are discussed in a post yesterday by McKnights Senior Living writer Kathleen Steele Gaivin, who recaps…
Clarifying Medicare Coverage and Long-Term Care Costs
In his “Little-Known Facts” column on AEI.org, Senior Fellow Andrew J. Biggs typically digs into broad concepts related to retirement and its complex financial planning issues. Yesterday, he ventured into a widely held misconception about the cost-sharing relationships between Medicare…
Congressional Budgeting Process Under Review
A bipartisan bill recently introduced in Congress would seek to improve Congress’s budget process while addressing the nation’s long-term fiscal challenges. The “Budgeting for a Better America Act (BBAA)” (H.R. 9452) submitted by Representatives Steve Womack (R-AR), Ed Case (D-HI),…
An Early Look at Medicare Part B Premiums for 2027
Earlier this week, we offered a retrospective on Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment process (COLA), citing the varying projections that have hit the airwaves. As a companion to understanding what might lie ahead for beneficiaries in 2027, today we’re sharing preliminary…
Medicare Part D Subsidies Set to Expire at Year-End
Although the effect on out-of-pocket costs to enrollees is not yet announced, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced yesterday that the temporary Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration program implemented in 2024 will sunset at the end of 2026.…
House, Senate Bills Call for Elimination of Retirement Earnings Test
Social Security’s “retirement earnings test,” long considered an impediment to retirement finance planning for many, is under scrutiny via bills introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate. HR 8344 (Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act of 2026) has…
Call Center Improvements Focused on Survivor Benefit Applications
National 800 Number call routing improvements and creation of “a dedicated queue of trained agents to take and adjudicate survivor claims” were highlighted in a recent Social Security Administration statement outlining efforts to better aid this segment of the public.…
An Interesting Perspective on the Projection of Social Security’s Trust Fund Depletion
Projections are just that…an estimate of what research has concluded will happen over a prescribed horizon. In the case of Social Security’s steadily eroding financial picture, the 2026 Trustees Report projects the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) trust fund will…
Working in Retirement: The Upsides and Downsides of Remaining in the Workforce
A growing number of Social Security beneficiaries are choosing to remain (or rejoin) the workforce after claiming their benefits. So, what are the pros and cons of that choice? The “Earnings Test” applicable to those who’ve claimed before their full…