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Recent hurricanes could boost Social Security benefits
If there can be any good news resulting from the recent devastating hurricanes, it’s that America’s seniors may see a somewhat better COLA increase than was projected just a couple of months ago. Because Hurricane Harvey shut down oil refineries…
Fixing the retirement savings system: Don’t tamper with the things that work
With tax reform now front and center stage in the political arena, some in D.C. have suggested changing the traditional savings vehicles like IRA’s and 401(k)’s in favor of the Roth IRA, in order to force Americans to use the…
Healthcare costs: Your biggest retirement expense
The cost of healthcare in retirement has continued to grow, now predicted at about $260,000 for the typical retired couple. That’s certainly not something to forget about when planning for your golden years, Medicare doesn’t cover everything, and the cost of…
Why people are retiring later and later
From a low average age of 62 in the 1980’s to an average of 65 today, the retirement age for men has been steadily increasing. Similarly, women are also waiting longer to retire, now about 62 on average, up from…
Remarrying after divorce or death of a spouse
If you are a divorced or a surviving spouse, getting married again can have an impact on your Social Security benefits, and it would be wise to know how before you tie the knot again. The affect of a remarriage…
Replacing the Social Security number for identification
Even though it wasn’t intended as such, the Social Security number has become the de facto means of identifying nearly every American, not only for Social Security but also for numerous other transactions, especially in banking and healthcare. Since the visibility…
Women and Social Security: Some things you should know
It’s a sad reality, but women have different considerations than men when it comes to their Social Security benefits. For one thing, they’ll probably be relying on those benefits longer, so making sure the payments will sustain them is crucial. From how…
Women’s retirement needs are different
It’s an unfortunate reality, but women’s retirement needs are quite different from those of their male counterparts. Whether due to not working some years to care for children, retiring early to take care of aging parents, or even due to divorce or…
Keeping your finances secure in retirement
Statistically, we’re all living longer and staying more active in retirement. And that means that some of the old guidelines for how to make your retirement savings last as long as you do may be a little too conservative. As this…
Millennials’ dilemma: Save for retirement or for your child’s college?
For many millennials, setting up a 529 College Savings Account for their children can be a smart idea. But should it come at the expense of not saving for their own retirement? Ideally of course you can do both, but if it…