Latest News
Beware of Social Security spammers!
It’s an unfortunate reality of our times, but there is no end to the amount of cyber-criminals who are looking to take advantage of any scheme they can find to bilk you out of your money. Sadly, senior citizens are…
New Medicare cards start appearing next month
In an effort to curb identity theft, Congress mandated in 2015 that Medicare stop using the Social Security Number (SSN) as a means of identification, which meant that Medicare cards for all beneficiaries will need to be replaced because they…
Retiring abroad and collecting Social Security
Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of retiring in some exotic place and living a life of leisure. Maybe you’re finding that the Social Security dollars that you depend on so much aren’t reaching quite as far as they need to here…
The “Slippery Slope” of Means Testing Social Security
Morningstar.com’s Christine Benz and regular contributor Mark Miller discuss a series of common questions about Social Security in this transcript posted today on their website. The points addressed range from investment strategies to the age old question of “When to…
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: A Look Under the Covers
Fox Business reporter Casey Dowd, in a post today on www.foxbusiness.com, examines the short- and long-term implications of the recently-implemented “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” explaining that there will likely be an uneven impact on seniors going forward. While some…
Social Security…A Bit f History
This excerpt from Murray Rothbard’s The Progressive Era , Patrick Newman, ed. (Auburn, Al.: Mises Institute, 2016), chap. 11.] provides a historical glimpse of some of the early logistical days leading up to Social Security’s implementation in the 1930s. It’s…
Yet Another Study: Millennials Deficient in Saving for Retirement
A new study by National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) manager of research, Jennifer Brown, suggests that “Most Millennials have nothing saved for retirement, and those who are saving aren’t saving nearly enough.” Her report on the study, titled “…
Understanding Annual Contribution Limits
Forbes contributor Kelly Phillips Erb opens her 2018 “Taxes from A to Z” series with an explanation of the annual contribution limits for certain retirement plans recently announced by the IRS. In addition to providing direct links to relevant sections…
Another Look at Spousal Benefits
TheStreet’s Anne Stanley, in a “Ask Bob” post today on www.thestreet.com, takes a look at a specific situation in which a high-earning couple examines their options to maximum eventual spousal benefits under current Social Security rules. The answer to this…
What SSA Doesn’t Tell You Can Hurt You
It’s been the subject of quite a few news reports in the past, and here it is again…the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) just released an audit showing poor performance in notifying widows and widowers about their retirement…