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Some Preliminary Thoughts on Social Security
As the article attached to this post suggests, there are some very basic questions that folks starting to think about Social Security might be afraid to ask, even before delving into the myriad details. For example, in broad terms how…
Your Social Security Benefits Can Be Less Than You Expect
It may come as a surprise (or a shock!) to some that the dollars they expect to be winding up in their hands from Social Security may not be as great as they thought. It could be the taxation issue, or…
Was your Medicare Advantage plan discontinued? Here what to do
If you currently have a Medicare Advantage plan and have received a notice that it will be discontinued in 2019, you’re now faced with a decision on how to replace that plan with other healthcare coverage. With Medicare’s Open Enrollment…
The Family Savings Act: Help for future retirees
As the American business economy surges and Congress works on what has been dubbed “Tax Reform 2.0”, The Family Savings Act of 2018 takes front and center stage as an important means to bolster retirement income and planning for both…
How NOT to lose Social Security benefits
How smart is it to purposely lose Social Security benefits? Well, of course, no one does so intentionally, but not understanding the nuances of the program could easily mean that you leave money on the table, or that you are unwittingly setting…
Patience is a financial virtue when it comes to claiming Social Security
In this Benefits Pro article by Marlene Satter, the author discusses a new study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, comparing the propensity to claim Social Security benefits early to the seemingly natural inclination to defer purchasing…
Questions from widows, answered by an expert
Tom Margenau is a nationally recognized expert on Social Security matters, now retired after a long career with the Social Security Administration. In his most recent Social Security and You column appearing at Tucson.com, Tom fields a variety of questions…
Undoing the damage if you claim Social Security early
The most popular age that people start collecting their Social Security benefit is age 62, but by so doing they are taking a substantial cut in the amount of their Social Security payment, perhaps as much as 30%. True, there…
Don’t fall for Social Security scams
It seems there is no end to the number and kind of fraud attempts that criminals will use to try to get at your money, and targeting seniors seems to be a very popular type of scam these days. Those…
Words from a Millennial…What We Really Think About Retirement!
The “old road to retirement” doesn’t appeal to millennials (generally considered to be young adults born between the early 1980s and 1990s), according to an article posted today on Forbes.com by contributor Ashley M. Fox. Her article sums up the millennial viewpoint as…