retirement
Some SSA employees offered reassignment (with conditions)
There is little doubt the the Trump Administration’s new initiative to streamline the federal government, with the new DOGE (Dept. of Government Efficiency) as the lead agency, has caused a fair amount of angst among government employees. To this point,…
Social Security for Children
If you are an older parent of a minor child, you may not be aware that when you claim Social Security benefits your minor child may also be eligible for Social Security benefits. There are, of course, restrictions and the…
Rethinking Retirement
If you read the news at all, you are almost certainly aware that America has a “retirement problem.” That is, most Americans are woefully unprepared for their retirement, and likely have no plan in place to correct that issue. To…
Redefining “Retirement” (to include working)
The word “retirement” usually conjures up an image of simply hanging up one’s work boots and living a life of leisure, maybe just lounging in a hammock and reading or, perhaps, traveling to exotic places. But in these days of…
The Importance of your Full Retirement Age to your Social Security retirement benefit
Each year, the Social Security Administration changes some rules affecting your benefits, so knowing the changes goes a long way toward choosing when to claim Social Security. Your “full retirement age” – which is when you get 100% of the…
Can you retire on $80,000 per year?
Not according to Suze Orman, a highly acclaimed and frequently quoted retirement counselor. In this Yahoo! Finance article by Jeannine Mancin, the author quotes Ms. Orman as saying that if you think you can retire on $80,000 per year, “I’ve…
Was the 2025 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) enough?
Well, almost certainly not, according to Maurie Backman in this Yahoo! Finance article. You see, annual COLA increases are actually “backward looking” – that is, they are based upon inflation which has already occurred, and they may not offset today’s…
Medicare’s “enrollment periods” explained
Although most people enroll in Medicare during their “Initial Enrollment Period” (IEP), which starts three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months thereafter, there are other times which you can also sign up for Medicare healthcare…
Not sure your nest egg will support your retirement? Here are some tips to correct that.
Many who are approaching retirement are uncomfortable that their savings and investment (otherwise called their “nest egg”) will be enough to keep them comfortable in retirement. It that is you, and you still have some time to adjust, then this…
Political Promises vs. Social Security Reality
During the 2024 election season, we often heard candidates promising that cuts to Social Security were “off the table.” President Trump was among those so promising but, as is already evident, that promise did not extend to cutting waste and…