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The CARES Act Could Affect Your Jobless Benefits
Christy Bieber explains four broad areas related to unemployment compensation in the recently passed stimulus bill. First, many could get an extra $600 per week through July 31. Second, many could get an extra 13 weeks of benefits if they remain…
More should consider taking Social Security at age 70
A majority of Americans eligible for Social Security retirement benefits begin taking monthly payments at age 62, the earliest age possible. It’s likely many do not know they could wait until age 70. The payoff for waiting is huge. Kailey Hagen…
Personal finance 101, including Social Security
Social Security is not a retirement plan, as it replaces just 40% of pre-retirement income. That’s but one of four very important personal finance points in this Motley Fool piece by Catherine Brock. The other points are these: budgeting is…
The CARES Act and tapping your 401k
Christy Bieber cautions against knee-jerk reactions such as withdrawing or borrowing from a 401k to make ends meet during this pandemic. However, she discusses relief for Americans who may need to do either in the recently passed CARES Act. Those who need to…
Americans struggle with Social Security claiming age rules
Stated simply– the age you begin claiming monthly Social Security benefits will affect how much you receive for the rest of your life. But too few Americans understand that. As Katie Brockman points out in this piece, just 3% of participants could…
Social Security and the More Subtle Impact of COVID-19
It doesn’t take a lot of deep thought to recognize the relationship between Social Security’s well-known solvency problem and the more immediate impact of stunning workforce casualties of the coronavirus pandemic. With about a tenth of the entire workforce filing for…
Thoughts on Your Retirement Decision: Early or Late?
For many Americans, deciding when to take the step into retirement is a challenging matter, requiring a fair amount of thought, research, and advice. Should I retire early, or should I wait for a better moment? When I retire, will…
Coronavirus-Related Medicare Scam Alert
(Source: Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, via Social Security Administration) Since older Americans are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19), I wanted to remind Medicare beneficiaries to be vigilant and take precautions to avoid falling…
Worried About Social Security in Your Future? Mistakes to Avoid
As noted in an article posted today by The Motley Fool’s Selena Maranjian on their site, many Americans are worried about the health of our country’s Social Security system, and rightfully so. Ms. Maranjian acknowledges the worries, and offers conjecture on three…
Stimulus Checks Set to Begin Arriving Today?
According to a news release posted by News4Jax late yesterday afternoon, the first wave of economic impact payments should have begun hitting bank accounts Thursday, April 9. The subtitle on their post noted “Those with direct deposit information on file with IRS…