savings
Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026
The awaited announcement of the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment has finally been made. Please see this article from the Social Security Administration. Also, if you’re unsure about how these basics apply to you, or if you have any questions…
“No tax on Social Security:” Here’s the real story
Be careful of campaign promises and political spin – they don’t all happen, and sometimes they may actually happen, but take an unusual and different approach. Such is the case with the bold assertion by the Administration that “income tax…
Tips to Prevent Retirement Financial Disaster
Retirement can be scary! Depending on your financial circumstances, unknown future situations can derail your retirement comfort and result in financial disaster, thus entirely disrupting your life. So, what should you do to avoid such circumstances? Well, renowned financial advisor…
Social Security: Claiming early vs. waiting for higher benefits
Claiming Social Security “early” (before full retirement age) is still the most popular option for many American seniors, even though they know waiting longer will substantially improve their monthly benefit. Two recent surveys revealed that nearly half of unretired Americans…
Demystifying Social Security’s “Earnings Test”
Social Security’s “Earnings Test” These days, working throughout one’s sixties and into and even beyond one’s seventies is very common. Recognizing that reality – and considering another which shows that most people today claim Social Security benefits in their early…
Thinking of Retiring Early? Read this first.
Early retirement – that is, retiring from your working career and living a life of ease and comfort – is something that all of us dream about as we approach our senior years. And while it is certainly a good…
Are We Approaching Social Security Reform the Wrong Way?
According to one Social Security pundit, we are approaching U.S. Social Security reform all wrong. In this article by Andrew G. Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the author contends that all policy discussions about Social Security reform center…
Concerned about Social Security? Don’t be!
If you pay attention at all to media accounts and armchair pundits, you are already aware that Social Security has a looming solvency issue, expected to come to a head in less than a decade. According to the Trustees of…
Will Social Security and Medicare Benefits Continue with the Government Shutdown?
The “government shutdown,” resulting from a disagreement between political parties on whether to continue funding the government while certain issues are unresolved, will likely continue for a while yet, according to this Motley Fool article. But will that affect your…
Demystifying Your Social Security Benefit
Your Social Security Benefit Winston Churchill famously described the Soviet Union as “a riddle inside an enigma wrapped in a mystery.” That is also an apt way to describe your Social Security benefit, or so it seems when trying to…