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Saving for Retirement–When Should You Start?
Think back to your first job. Well, to your first paycheck, anyway. You may remember a parent or, more likely a grandparent telling you to start saving immediately and make it a habit going forward to save for your retirement years.…
Social Security’s Place in Your Future Retirement
No, Social Security is not going bankrupt. Yes, it does face a solvency issue that could, absent legislative action to correct its current trajectory. But despite the possibility that such corrective action will take place sooner rather that later, it’s still…
An Update on SSDI Reform
Collin Roth, policy analyst for the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, provides thoughts on efforts to implement reform measures in federal disability insurance, suggesting that state-level initiatives might be the answer. In his post, Roth suggests “(i)f states were…
‘Tis the Season…For Scams That Just Won’t Go Away
While most of us scramble to get ready for what we hope will be a peaceful, restful, and uplifting Christmas Season, rest assured that the scammers and fraudsters are doing an equal amount of scrambling. In some case, just following…
2034 vs. 2030? Insolvency’s Arrival Date Questioned
For at least the past two years, 2034 has been labeled as the point at which Social Security’s Trust Fund reserves reach zero. The Motley Fool’s Sean Williams, in a post on their website, suggests that this projection might be…
SSA Solicits Input on Representative Payee Program
Via a Federal Register Notice, the Social Security Administration announced it is seeking input on the rules associated with its Representative Payee provisions, with a comment period that will run through 1/28/2019. In the notice, SSA states “We are requesting…
Unhappy with your Medicare Advantage Plan? Here’s when and how you can change it
Medicare terms are often misunderstood, especially when it comes to the various names of so-called “enrollment periods”, which you can either enroll in or make changes to your Medicare plan selections. Perhaps the most publicized enrollment period is the AEP,…
Social Security: America’s best financial asset
You’ll seldom hear anyone opine that Social Security isn’t one of our country’s most important financial assets, especially any of America’s senior citizens. The fact is that Social Security alone provides benefits to over 62 million people and for many millions, that…
Why claiming Social Security at your full retirement age may be a smart move
The earliest age you can claim Social Security retirement benefits is 62 and, the fact is, a majority of people do claim at that age. Problem is, by claiming earlier than your full retirement age (between 66 and 67, depending…
Stopping work and claiming Social Security needn’t go together
Although it’s a fairly natural reaction, claiming Social Security at the same time you stop working isn’t necessarily the right thing to do. Sure, the loss of employment earnings can make you nervous about your ability to pay your bills,…