retirement
Financial pressures reshaping retirement planning
Over one-third of employees are withdrawing from their retirement accounts to pay down urgent needs, according to Payroll Integrations’ Employee Financial Wellness Report. Gen Zers are leading the way with 46 percent stating they have taken money out of their…
Some harsh truths about the COLA
The 2026 Cost-of-living allowance (COLA) will be announced next month. Many seniors see this as a raise, but it is far from that. COLA is solely meant to keep pace with the impact of inflation, so you don’t lose buying…
What to expect from Social Security
The headlines about Social Security insolvency are scary to most Americans. According to a recent survey from NerdWallet, “36 percent of Americans under age 65 don’t think that Social Security will be available to them by the time they retire.”…
You are not too old to start saving
“Better late than never” can be said about saving for retirement. Some people say, “I’m too old to start saving for retirement”, but in truth, you are not. Even if you started later than everyone else, you could start saving…
The US retirement readiness has improved
The United States’ retirement readiness ranking has improved compared to last year; however, it’s still lower than where we stood a decade ago, according to the 2025 Global Retirement Index from Natixis Investment Managers. Even with the increase in ranking,…
The new retirement rule and senior home owners
William Bengen created what is considered the gold standard of retirement strategies: The 4% Rule. The 4 percent retirement rule is a guideline suggesting that retirees can withdraw 4% of their retirement savings annually, adjusted for inflation, to ensure their…
You may want to stop funding your retirement account
We are continually told by experts that Americans are not saving enough for retirement, but what if there are other accounts that we should prioritize contributions to? I’m not saying that saving for retirement is wrong, considering Social Security was…
Three ways to help bridge the gap
Could you survive if your monthly Social Security check were cut by 19 percent? Or even more? As mentioned in the previous article, “Approximately 67 percent of seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, with…
Retirees are over-relying on Social Security
Approximately 67 percent of seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, with 27 percent entirely dependent on it for their financial needs. A recent survey echoes this statement. The survey results were not entirely surprising;…
Demystifying Social Security Spouse Benefits
Among Social Security’s myriad regulations, few topics are more misunderstood than spouse benefits. Terminology is important here – “spouse benefits” in Social Security (SS) parlance refers to benefits one spouse can collect from the other’s record while both spouses are…