Latest News
Filing for Social Security…Location Doesn’t Matter
The simple answer of where to file is a one-word response: Anywhere! As pointed out in this brief article by Social Security district manager Joanne Crane, you can file online at www.socialsecurity.gov/applytoretire. Read her note here… Notice: The link provided above…
Pre-Retirees: Time to take a good look at the financial picture
Morningstar’s director of personal finance, Christine Benz, takes a look at the pre-retirement planning steps that those in their 50s and 60s need to examine before it’s too late. Ranking at the top of her list is the importance of…
An American Dream–Retirement–Stagnated
The ever-present statistics on insufficient savings for retirement are everywhere, it seems, and the outlook for so many in their retirement years is gloomy. Andy Andrews, Business editor at the Reading Eagle, takes an editorial look at the problem in a…
Trying to Curb Medicare Part B Drug Costs
On Thursday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission voted 15-0 to recommend that Congress enact new drug reimbursement laws through several proposals that would decrease Medicare spending. Read article here… Notice: The link provided above connects readers to the full…
A Quick Primer on Tax Scams and Your Social Security Number
They’re everywhere, and they tend to pop up more frequently around tax filing season. In an article by The Wired’s Lily Hay Newman, some background on common scams is explained, along with preventive measures you can take to minimize your…
Contrasting Social Security and Market Investments
The question of how one’s “investment” in Social Security compares to what that investment might return in other venues often comes up. Robert Powell, editor of Retirement Weekly, examines this investment trade-off question in a post on www.usatoday.com. Check it out here……
The Big Question: Can I retire?
With the abundance of media coverage about the inadequacy of savings accumulated by a large percentage of those aging into their retirement years, many people have this basic question in mind. In a post today on Madison.com, reporter Wendy Connick provides…
Retirement Financing: How comfortable is comfortable?
It may be hard to understand, but even the very wealthy–those having what is labeled ultra high net worth (UHNW)–often lose sleep worrying about the strength of their financial position in retirement. Even though those at this level have amassed $5…
Retirement Account Multiple – What’s it mean?
Your Retirement Account Multiple (RAM)–your retirement account balance divided by your final salary–is a quick way to help you calculate the annual amount you can draw from your retirement assets. Of course, it’s just a tool, one of several you need…
More on the Retirement Savings Shortfall
It’s hard to escape…nearly every day there are articles posted lamenting the fact that a dearth of savings portends a bleak retirement of future retirees. This one–from The Motley Fool–suggests that 52% of households are at risk of not being able…