Latest News
An Update on the New Medicare Cards and the Scams That Go With them
Since many recipients (or soon-to-be recipients) are not aware of their new Medicare identification card, fraudsters are on the alert and are capitalizing on the opportunity to inflict harm on seniors. The Better Business Bureau’s Cheryl Parson provides an update on…
Average Monthly Social Security Benefits…A State-by-State Analysis
When it comes to average Social Security benefits, all states are not equal. The Motley Fool’s Sean Williams provides some thoughts on this subject in a post on fool.com, including a look at the ten highest states. Williams discusses some…
More Background on the START Proposal…And More Cautionary Rhetoric
The Supplemental Transition Accounts for Retirement (STARTs) concept continues to pop up in the media, where it seems to be advocated as somewhat of a solution to the “savings crisis” often seen in retirement planning articles. This Money Tips article published…
Deferring Social Security Benefits: Reasons Why We Don’t
With only a sliver of the population opting to take advantage of the delayed retirement credits awarded to those who wait until age 70 to file, and with a large percentage of folks filing before their full retirement age and…
Social Security Benefits–A Major Income Source for Retirees
That article headline is certainly no surprise, but did you know just how “major” it really is? This excerpt from a post by The Fiscal Times’ Yuval Rosenberg might help put it in perspective: “Almost six in 10 U.S. retirees surveyed by…
The “Motherhood Penalty” and its impact on Social Security benefits
A Reuters post edited by Lauren Young and Steve Orlofsky takes a look at the financial factors associated with motherhood and the impact on future retirement benefits. The article expands on the premise “The price women pay for raising a family…
A Frightening Look at Taxation
Daily Reckoning Managing Editor Brian Maher provides a sobering look at the U.S. economy, as seen through the filter of taxation. And it isn’t pretty, especially given the amount of tax revenue need to support programs like Social Security and Medicare.…
Making Your Retirement Nest Egg Last
The Employee Benefit Research Research Institute (EBRI) recently reported some positive news for those concerned about outliving their financial resources. Specifically, their conclusion is that statistically, seniors are drawing down their financial reserves at a slower pace than previously projected, a…
The Importance of Coordinating Bills with Your Benefits
For those heavily dependent on Social Security to cover their monthly living costs (and that’s more than a third of all beneficiaries), it is critical to take steps to coordinate due dates with the arrival of that monthly benefit payment.…
Building a Portfolio for Today’s Retirement
As most folks are aware, today’s (and tomorrow’s) retirement world differs markedly from the “old days,” when a pension and Social Security made is smooth sailing. So, what can one do to adapt to the new world–the one where the…