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Understanding COLAs and Medicare’s Hold Harmless Provision
It’s that time of the year–the early comments about what cost-of-living adjustment might be in the offing for Social Security beneficiaries in 2019. Talk of a 3% bump are in the air but, as The Motley Fool’s Maurie Backman cautions, don’t…
Planning on working in retirement? You’re not alone.
It’s not your father’s retirement. Or your grandfather’s retirement. It’s yours, and it’s your responsibility to plan for it. And one of the new aspects of this planning process seems to be the inclusion of a job in those retirement…
The Trend to Work Past 65 Explained Via Real Stories
In an article titled “Baby Boomers share why they’re still working hard,” the New York Post’s John Crudele provides several real-life accounts of the reasoning behind folks electing to remain in the workforce beyond what was traditionally thought of as…
More on the relationship between Social Security and Poverty
With an extraordinarily large number of folks filing for Social Security benefits at the earliest point (age 62), the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) forecasts that this decision is having a growing relationship between the elderly and the federal poverty…
Social Security Filing Strategies for Age-Gap Marriages
For those married couples with a fairly large gap in ages, there are some pretty important things to consider with respect to matters like health insurance and long-term care. And one of the most important areas to be mindful of…
Social Security’s Solvency Issue: What the Public Thinks
The staff at Tribune-Review, in a post on triblive.com’s Valley News Dispatch page, present a collection of opinions expressed by folks on the street about the much-publicized long-term solvency issues faced by Social Security. The comments captured by reporters address concerns…
WEP and GPO–It’s important to understand the impact on your Social Security benefits
With an estimated one-third of all educators and one-fifth of public employees potentially affected by the benefit-curtailing impacts of the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset provisions built into Social Security, these portions of the program have become hot-buttons…
Some Basic Social Security No-Nos
Despite what often seems like an avalanche of advice on how to approach Social Security benefits, there are still several very basic–but also very consequential–mistakes that surface. For example, waiting to file for benefits beyond age 70 (which means your…
The Importance of Knowing Your “Break Even Point”
As you plan your retirement finances, you’ll need to weigh the consequences of filing early (as early as age 62) versus the benefits of waiting to your full retirement age (or beyond, even to age 70). Although Social Security payouts…
Social Security and Gay Couples–Things You Need to Know
The Supreme Court decision three years ago legalizing gay marriage brought with it the need for a better understanding of the rights of couples, specifically their now-legal access to spouses and survivors benefits. CNBC Personal Finance Reporter Lorie Konish takes a…