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Can you retire comfortably on Social Security alone?
Social Security replaces on average only about 40 percent of pre-retirement income. USA TODAY reached out to retirees across the country who are living mostly on Social Security, and asked how they were doing. The result is Daniel de Vise’s…
Claiming vs. waiting: weighing the financial cost of benefits
James Brumley explains the dilemma that many wanting to retire will face– do I claim benefits at some point between 62 and 67 or wait even longer until age 70? Monthly checks are permanently higher the longer one waits to…
2025 “IRMAA” Brackets (the “Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount” to your Medicare premiums)
“IRMAA” – the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount – affects higher-income retirees on Medicare. It essentially adds an additional amount to the standard Medicare Part B and Part D premiums for those whose income exceeds certain levels. The income levels are…
About the Medicare Advantage “blitz” during Annual Open Enrollment
If you’re like me, you are likely receiving a good amount of mail – email and via the U.S. Postal Service – and, perhaps text messages, offering you wonderful benefits if you simply switch your healthcare coverage by calling “this…
Social Security Resources for Homeless People
The Social Security Administration is one of nineteen federal agencies which participates in the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness in America. Unfortunately, homelessness is a substantial problem in America affecting those in…
Suspending Benefits Can be a Useful Option for Some
There are situations where a Social Security recipient has claimed, out of necessity, benefits before full retirement age only to reach a subsequent point where the need for a cash infusion has been offset by income from another source. In…
Social Security Spousal Benefit Nuances: The Older Wife
The Social Security rulebook is pretty complex, and this complexity becomes obvious when one dives into the murky world of spousal benefits. In a post morningstar.com post by, columnist Beth Pinsker examines a situation in which a non-working spouse is…
Social Security’s Operational Funding Shortfalls Highlighted in Appropriations Hearing
Yesterday’s hearing by the House Appropriations Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee spotlighted the impact of current Social Security Administration funding levels on the agency’s customer service capabilities. In her remarks at the…
“Fixing” Social Security has a Wide Range of Options to Consider
We’ve mentioned many perspectives on the best ways to address the looming Social Security insolvency crisis on this website. In a recent post on nasdaq.com, columnist The Motley Fool’s Matt Frankel covers a list of 16 possible ways to put…
Addressing Retirement Savings Concerns…Some Help Coming in 2025
The importance of building a satisfactory financial “nest egg” one’s life in retirement cannot be understated, especially when viewed in light of Social Security’s design to replace about 40% of most workers’ re-retirement earnings. With the median household retirement savings…