inflation
The two problems with COLA
The Social Security Administration calculates the COLA by comparing the average of the CPI-W for July, August, and September of the previous year with the average for the same three-month period in the current year. The percentage change is the…
Survey Says: 79% of Americans Agree that a Retirement is At Hand
The National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) recently released the results of a survey of working age Americans conducted late last year, revealing that 79% of the more than 1200 respondents aged 25 and older agree with the Chair of…
Is Social Security COLA keeping up with inflation
The purpose of Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is to ensure that the purchasing power of Social Security benefits keeps up with inflation. But does it? According to Brandon Selfors, the CEO of life settlement and Medicare insurance company Bridge,…
What is the latest estimate on 2024 COLA
The Department of Labor released The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) numbers for May 2023, with inflation falling to 4%; this was the smallest 12-month increase since the period ending March 2021. So, what will this mean…
Lower inflation means lower COLA
2023 saw one of the highest Cost-of-living-adjustments increases since 1981. But will Social Security beneficiaries receive another significant increase in 2024? Although it is too early to calculate the 2024 COLA amount, Keith Speights suggests that retirees are better off…
Americans are rethinking retirement
The recent survey by Northwestern Mutual found many Americans are rethinking how much they should budget for retirement. With the current level of economic inflation, Americans are spending more on everything causing retirement savings to dip 11 percent from last…
Near-retiree concerns about how inflation will affect their retirement
If you are a near-retiree, you may be worried about how inflation will affect your retirement or if you can retire. You are dealing with high inflation, market volatility, and the remnants of the pandemic. Annie Nova reports on what…
The other side of the COLA coin
We have all read the headlines concerning the 2023 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) could be the highest in 40 years. However, no one has mentioned the possible consequence of this potential historical increase: Taxes. Since 1984, Social Security beneficiaries…
Should you stop contributing to your retirement savings?
With inflation outpacing wage growth, yes, you can cut back on retirement savings, but realize you may need to push back your retirement date by doing so. Should you stop contributing altogether or lower your contributions? Mike Winters talked to…
Common Retirement Planning Mistakes…One of them Involves Social Security
Planning for a financially secure retirement is not a simple process…and that’s why so many put it off. Even so, for those who build assumptions into their personal plans, there are several fundamentals that are often misunderstood. Nevin Adams, in a…