Latest News
Dentistry Advocates Aim To Fill Medicare Gaps
(By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News) Carolyn Thompson’s tight-lipped smile hides a health care problem the 81-year-old retired nurse can’t afford to correct and Medicare won’t pay for. She needs dentures. Her missing bottom teeth make chewing difficult, so she avoids…
The Recurring Issue of Privitization
The question of whether or not Social Security contributors should be allowed to invest a portion of their accumulated contribution in individual retirement accounts outside of the traditional trust fund is an on again, off again issue. Although there are no…
Working and Collecting Social Security: The Tradeoffs
In a Q&A-formatted article, Lynn Brenner discusses the implications of working during retirement. Specifically, she addresses the issue of maximizing deferred retirement credits vs. filing at FRA and continuing employment. Read her article here… Notice: The link provided above…
A Plea for Eradication of Medicare Fraud
With the loss of an estimated $90 billion through improper Medicare and Medicaid in 2015, the need for a sharpened focus on rooting out fraud, waste, and generally illegal activities continues. In an article posted today on myjournalcourier.com, Dean Chambers takes…
Retirement “Financial Fitness” Requires Understanding of–and Planning for–Medical Costs
“A 65-year-old couple who retired in 2016 will need about $288,000 (in today’s dollars) during retirement just to pay Medicare Parts B, D and supplemental insurance, according to HealthView Services, a company that provides health care cost projections for financial…
Reliability of SSA-provided Information Questioned
Laurence Kotlikoff, noted Boston University economist and co-author of “Get What’s Yours,” asserts that the margin of error when relying on answers from the Social Security Administration is something that must be considered. In a Q&A post on www.heraldextra.com, he sets…
The Retirement Fund Draw-Down Dilemma: Do Your Assumptions Stand Up?
The long-regarded 4% rule seems to be where most financial analysts land when asked the question “How much can I withdraw and not outlive my funds?” But that isn’t something that all analysts agree with, given current low interest rates…
Retirement Planning: The Time is Now!
The benefits of having a savings plan for retirement are discussed in a post from SSA on Tribune News Service. Specifically, the article highlights the myRA concept as offered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Check it out here… …
Attention, Women: Some Thoughts on Planning for Retirement
Since women have a greater life expectancy than men, and since March is Women’s History Month, what better subject to explore than the steps that women should consider taking to help prepare for their “golden years.” Charo Boyd, Social Security Public Affairs…
Preparing for Retirement: Some Stories
Kerry Hannon of The New York Times, in a post on www.heraldtribune.com, offers up a few real-life stories about how some individuals are coping (or not) with the tough task of accumulating savings for their later years. The article also offers…