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Your identity data’s value on the black market
With so many recent reports of identity information being stolen, especially the massive identity theft from credit reporting company Equifax, you may wonder how such stolen data is worth to cyber-criminals. Not as much as you might think because the…
Mistakenly declared dead by Social Security creates a nightmare
We’ve all heard that mistakes happen. But when in the course of recording 2.8 million annual deaths, Social Security inadvertently declares someone dead who is very much alive, the financial nightmare that ensues can be devastating. One such case, out…
Social Security & Medicare are two different programs
Confusing Social Security’s rules with Medicare’s rules can have some costly consequences, especially for those still working and who remain covered under an employer healthcare plan once they reach Medicare’s normal activation age of 65. With such coverage, it’s not necessary…
NSSA Honors 2017 “Advisors of the Year”
(Source: www.erienewsnow.com) NSSA Advisors Wm. Steve Wright, managing member of Wright Legacy Group in Elizabethtown, Ky., and Steven Roeth, director of wealth management at Sun City Financial in Las Vegas, were selected NSSA Advisor of the Year for helping retirees and those planning for retirement…
Dealing With Social Security’s Disability Case Backlogs
An article by Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Jeff Caplan puts a spotlight on the plight of those attempting to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. Citing a 483-day wait as the norm in Fort Worth, and calling it one of…
Black Market Pricing for Your Social Security Number
The severity of problems caused by inadequate security spiked again this year, with major announcements (like the Equifax breach that exposed 145 million individuals’ records) hitting the airwaves with alarming frequency. But besides making most of us uncomfortable, what’s it…
A Quick Primer On Social Security Basics
MoneyWatch reporter Jillian Harding, in a post today on www.cbsnews.com, provides a broadbrush look at some basic Social Security parameters. Understating these very basic pointers are a good beginning for anyone wishing to become conversant in the ins and outs of…
Going it alone in retirement planning? You might want to double check with the experts.
Baby Boomers are a pretty savvy bunch, especially when it comes to using the keyboard and the range of software products available to massage numbers, project end points, and conduct variable “what if” scenarios for the future. That’s a good…
Concerned about tax levels in retirement? QLACs might be worth examining.
With the pain of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and the impact on taxation of Social Security benefits and Medicare premiums, the topic of the qualified longevity annuity contract (QLAC) has emerged as something that retirees might want to take a…
The Social Security Changes Coming in 2018
Lauren Hamer, Cheat Sheet’s money and career writer, provides a recap of some of the major changes set to go into effect in Social Security in 2018 in a post on www.cheatsheet.com. Her remarks cover, among other key points, the…