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A Good Source of Benefits Information
With a mission of increasing “… citizen access to benefit information, while reducing the expense and difficulty of interacting with the government,” the E-Government website Benefits.gov offers an array of information about services available to all citizens. Of particular interest to seniors are six…
The Saga of Social Security’s Worsening Outlook
Brenton Smith, in a post on www.marketwatch.com, takes an in-depth look at the Social Security solvency dilemma, calling to question the premise that all looks well through 2034. Smith’s article describes what he terms “a serious misconception about the data provided…
Delaying Retirement: The Importance of Staying Relevant
Wanting to delay retirement as a strategy to bolster finances for those later years is becoming more and more the norm. But for many, it’s not that easy, given what many see as diminishing opportunities for older workers. “Their bosses…
Strategies for Earliest Retirement
If you’re of the mindset that retiring earliest is best, but your long-range financial projections don’t seem to support it, there are some strategies you might want to consider to achieve your goal. U.S. News & World Report contributor Craig Stephens…
“Suspended Social Security Number” Scam Alert
It sounds much like the process used by credit card companies when you account is determined to be involved in a fraud situation…your account is suspended and you need to contact them for resolution. That’s good for credit cards, but…
Social Security Reform and Widow Benefits
A brief issued this month by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.analyzes the quandary of widow benefits vs. the benefits available to a surviving spouse in a dual-earning situation. As explained in the brief, “a widow from a $100,000…
Claim Social Security early? Or later? Here are some guidelines
Certainly one of the most frequently asked Social Security question is “when should I claim benefits”. Of course, there’s no one pat answer, but there is one thing that is clear – that decision should be based upon a realistic…
Could claiming Social Security early mean financial trouble later?
You might have heard that it doesn’t matter at what age you claim your Social Security benefits, because you’ll get the same amount in total benefits as if you were to wait until later. The argument goes that If you…
Should Social Security benefits be expanded?
From at least a few Congressional Representatives in Washington as well as some so-called “pundits”, we regularly hear calls to expand Social Security benefits. Few would deny the program’s importance to the well-being of American seniors, and many are kept…
The Health Savings Account – A triple-tax-free investment
Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs, are an excellent investment vehicle used to pay for healthcare expenses using tax free money. Of course there are restrictions for how much you can contribute and what the funds can be used for, but…