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The future of Medicare Advantage extra benefits
In 2025, more than 54 percent, or 34.1 million seniors, are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. Many seniors choose a Medicare Advantage plan for the extra benefits that are not available with traditional Medicare. Those extras can include dental,…
Three ways to help bridge the gap
Could you survive if your monthly Social Security check were cut by 19 percent? Or even more? As mentioned in the previous article, “Approximately 67 percent of seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, with…
Retirees are over-relying on Social Security
Approximately 67 percent of seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, with 27 percent entirely dependent on it for their financial needs. A recent survey echoes this statement. The survey results were not entirely surprising;…
Social Security will stop paper checks soon
Effective September 30th, the Social Security Administration will discontinue issuing paper checks and switch to digital payments. Although fewer than one percent of the 74 million Americans currently receive benefits by check, this change will impact about 750,000 people. What…
Living on Social Security…How Much is Enough?
With an estimated three-quarters of the senior population reportedly prioritizing Social Security benefits over pensions and personal savings in their retirement plans, it becomes critical to assess the adequacy of this benefit before making a decision. There are a few…
Understanding the $1,000/month Rule
Most folks contemplating their retirement years know that there are “rules of the road” available to guide their planning. For example, the 4% rule suggests withdrawing 4% from accumulated wealth in the first year of retirement, with annual adjustments made…
SSA Responds to Criticism About Customer Service
The issue of field office responses to calls has been in the news repeatedly since the recent administrative changes undertaken at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Much of the concern is related to public perceptions regarding the impact of staffing…
More on “Bridging” Strategies to Enhance Retirement Income
Outliving one’s financial resources is a reasonably common fear among retirees, both current and future retirees. When coupled with the impact of claiming Social Security benefits early, that is, before monthly payments are maximized, this fear can be rather significant.…
Ben Shapiro, Social Security, and “bankruptcy”
Bankrupt is a harsh term. At its worst, the implication is that financial resources are gone. What it really means, though, is an inability to meet financial obligations. In the context of Social Security, the term is unfortunately accurate, in…
Retirement and Taxes: An Uncertainty
Passage of the recent “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” brought with it some much-welcomed tax relief for seniors, specifically with extension of the TCJA rates from 2017 and, of course, the “bonus deduction” intended to offset (for some) the effect…