Latest News
Slight decline in SSDI applictions reported
Continuing what the Social Security Administration suggests is a trend, the number of new Social Security Disability Insurance applications during the January-July, 2016 period dropped about one and a half percent over the same period last year. “This trend is due…
Medicare Even if You Never Worked
The question is: Does Medicare cover spouses who have not worked, the answer is generally yes. Read article here…. Notice: The link provided in the text above connects readers to the full content of the referenced article. The URL (internet address) for this link…
Seeing the light–more are saving for retirement
A recent Bankrate survey reports that the number of people–especially younger people–are demonstrating an upswing in saving for their retirement years. The survey also showed that the number of people choosing to no save for retirement is declining, clearly a…
Understanding WEP and GPO
Financial planners are often consulted by clients focused on crafting their financial strategies for retirement, and many of them end up being impacted by two Social Security rules that limit their eventual level of benefits. In an article posted on www.nasdaq.com, these rules…
You’ll need an Average of $130,000
According to new estimates from Fidelity, if you are sixty-five years old, you can expect to spend an average $130,000 on health care during your retirement. Read article here… Notice: The link provided above connects readers to the full…
Early retirement and the tax code…some suggestions to ease the burden.
Leaving the “career” workforce earlier than planned opens up opportunities to take on contract work while drawing Social Security benefits, but it also presents some onerous tax implications as explained in an article by knoxnews.com columnist Frank Cagle. His article provides some…
Navigating Common Social Security Pitfalls
Making sure you get all that you are entitled to out of Social Security is more important than ever to more and more retirees. Americans entering retirement have the lowest personal savings in recent history and are relying on Social…
Boomers in the Housing Market
Baby Boomers are still the biggest movers in the housing market. Millennials are continuing to be priced out of the market as new communities are focusing on the older generation that is relocating and upsizing in retirement. 55+ communities are…
Calculating Spousal Benefit Amount Can Be Confusing
Many people think that Social Security’s spousal benefit rule is simply “Spousal Benefit is equal to 1/2 of the Higher Wage Earner’s benefit”. But it’s much more complicated than that, which often leads folks to think they’re being cheated when their…
In your 20s? Might be a good time to start saving for retirement.
Yeah, you’ve got more than four decades to save, but time does go pretty fast–even faster as the years go by. But early is better if you want to be certain your retirement years are as comfortable as you’d like,…