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Health Care Sector Has Exceeded Overall Consumer Price Inflation
Social Security benefits will rise two percent in 2018. The annual cost-of-living adjustment is based on the third-quarter Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers. However, the rate of inflation in the health care sector has exceeded…
Social Security Facts – 2018 Edition
The Social Security Administration recently published the update set of program statistics for 2018, including among other things the new “Maximum Taxable Earnings” limit ($128,700) and the new Earnings Test Annual Exempt Amount for those under their full retirement year ($17,040). Check…
In your 70s? Don’t lower your guard on the need to save.
Reaching the eighth decade of your life is typically when most folks think about the spend-down side of their financial planning. Columnist Alessandra Malito, in a post today on www.marketwatch.com, discusses this mindset, and explains why it’s better for most to maintain…
Getting set for retirement? Here are some things to think about in advance.
National Retirement week, October 15-21, has many folks giving thought to those later years and what they need to do tas the time draws near. Andrew Housser, co-founder and CEO of Freedom Financial Network can help you jump-start your thought processes with…
COLA’s 2%…What’s the net benefit to seniors?
While 2% is certainly better than nothing, let’s not get too excited. That $27.42 average monthly increase, when netted against expected increases for many Medicare beneficiaries, could result in a closer to break-even point. The Motley Fool’s Sean Williams, in…
Don’t let fraud hurt your retirement finances
After working and saving for a lifetime, your retirement nest egg is an asset that you should spend a lot of time protecting from fraud. The unfortunate reality is that their are a lot of criminals out there who will do…
Don’t fall for scams about new Medicare cards
There has been a fair amount of publicity about Medicare issuing new cards which won’t include your Social Security number and that is a good step toward reducing the risk of identity theft. But there are still lots of scammers…
How delaying Social Security can get you a bigger check
Despite the fact that a majority of Americans claim their Social Security benefits before they reach their full retirement age (or “FRA”), delaying your application beyond your FRA will earn you delayed retirement credits to the tune of 8% more…
Some skeptical of what 2% COLA will mean to them
Friday’s announcement by the Social Security Administration that all beneficiaries will be getting a 2% cost of living adjustment (COLA) starting in 2018 was met by considerable skepticism by some of those affected. The increase, which for the average recipient…
Seniors a prime target for scammers; here’s how you can help
After the massive Equifax data breach on top of so many others, seniors have increasingly become a prime target for criminals who will use ever more inventive techniques to separate senior citizens from their money. The majority of scams originate from a telephone…