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Scammer Alert: The Crooks Are Taking Advantage of Coronavirus Hysteria
Even as the U.S. Senate scrambles to construct an appropriate package to combat the coronavirus pandemic’s economic impact, the scammers are busy looking for ways to fleece the unsuspecting. This post by the Federal Trade Commission’s Jennifer Leach leads with this…
Retirement: Tips on Dealing with the Unexpected
As one eases into their retirement years, there are many thoughts of what the time ahead will be like…leisure, family time, traveling, etc. But the reality is that there are often a few surprises. USA Today columnist Robert Powell, in a…
MEDPAC Report Calls for Immediate Medicare Tax Increase
MedPAC, the independent nonpartisan legislative branch agency established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to provide the U.S. Congress with analysis and policy advice on the Medicare program, released its March 2020 report to Congress last Friday. Citing a projected depletion of the…
Just in–Social Security Now Serving 69.3 million Beneficiaries
The Social Security Administration this week released its February 2020 monthly statistical report, showing an increase of 155,000 in the number of folks receiving benefit payments from the system. Two-thirds of this increase is in the “aged 65 or older,” as…
Understanding the “Taxability” of Your Social Security Benefits
It comes as a blunt surprise to many folks, but the monthly benefits paid to them out of Social Security can be subject to federal income tax. Yes, even though the proceeds are the result of taxes they’ve already paid,…
Medicare: Looking at Some of the Basics
Medicare is one of those programs that we all know about, but do we really? It’s always good to step back and take a fresh look at programs like this to be sure we have a good understanding of the…
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Important Information about Social Security Services
(Source: Social Security Administration) All local Social Security offices will be closed to the public for in-person service starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020. This decision protects the population we serve—older Americans and people with underlying medical conditions—and our employees during…
Jump-Starting Your Retirement Savings Plan
Quite a bit has been written about the inadequacy of savings across a wide spectrum of future retirees, and many times the culprit seems to be confusion on how to accomplish the process. The Motley Fool’s Christy Bieber, in a post…
How long does your “nest egg” need to last?
It’s a frightening question to many, especially those who have a pretty good idea that their accumulated retirement savings just might not be sufficient. It’s also a question that by its very nature is unanswerable. It’s sort of like “how…
Can Your the Value of Your Social Security Benefits Decrease?
Well, yes, and there are several ways that this could happen. As outlined in an article by Selena Maranjian posted on missoulian.com, there are two scenarios under which benefits could be impacted negatively, with the first being the result of the “earnings test”…