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The Complications of Divorce and Spousal Benefits
Filing for spousal benefits can be straightforward, except in some cases. That’s pretty much a standard answer for many Social Security rules and strategies, but when it comes to divorce situations, it gets even murkier. Investment News contributing editor Mary…
National Consumer Protection Week
(Source: Social Security Administration) Looking to protect yourself from fraud, identity theft, and scams? This week, March 4-10, is National Consumer Protection Week, when we join the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help consumers understand their rights and make well-informed…
Continuing Leadership Focus Needed to Modernize How SSA Does Business
(Source: Government Accountability Office) What GAO Found GAO’s prior work and Social Security Administration’s (SSA) strategic plan for fiscal years 2018-2022 highlight significant demographic and technological challenges facing the agency. For example, SSA’s workloads are increasing due to 80 million…
New Medicare cards coming soon
(Source: Federal Trade Commission) New Medicare cards are coming soon. Here’s what you need to know about your new card. Plus, how to avoid related scams. Starting in April 2018, Medicare will begin mailing new cards to everyone who gets…
Retirement Uncertainty and the Impact on Women
Recent research by research Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) reports that “only 12 percent of women indicated being “very confident” they will someday retire comfortably.” This sentiment, coupled with frequent news accounts of generally lower benefit levels and longer…
Another Tax Scam Alert Involving Social Security Numbers
In a post on abc7chicago.com, the Consumer Reports editorial staff offers another alert, in a continuing series of alerts, on the importance of filing federal income tax returns as quickly as possible. “Getting a refund quickly is not the only…
Measuring Poverty: Social Security and SSI Help, But…
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), the yardstick that extends the official poverty measure by taking account of many of the government programs designed to assist low income families and individuals that are not included in the official…
Tracking Down Social Security Information
In case you’re looking for information about your earnings and benefits, or if you are a widow/widower concerned about not receiving the maximum benefit available to you, a post on www.centerfinplan.com by Center for Financial Planning, Inc ‘s Josh Bitel…
GAO: Stranded 401(k) Assets Too Hard to Recover
“The Department of Labor needs to push employers harder to find lost retirement plan participants, the General Accountability Office urged in a report today.” So says a post by Forbes contributor Ted Knutson on www.forbes.com. Citing situations in which job…
More Thoughts on When to File for Social Security
Certified Financial Planner T. Eric Reich, in a post today on www.kiplinger.com, provides some additional food for thought on the persistent question of “When to file for Social Security Benefits.” As in similar post on this same subject, Reich’s comments…